Hi, i have two lop eared rabbits, - they are about 2 years old, and full grown - ie. quite big. I have recently bought a puppy, a 14 week old golden retriever, and he is quite outgoing. We leave the rabbits outside in the garden most of the time, so they can have fun and exercise...but when we let our dog out he ends up chasing and barking at the rabbits. Now the rabbits have kinda got used to it, and dont sprint off anymore, they kinda jog at a slower pace, and we grab hold of the puppy and say "no". Is there any way of making them friends??
or making the puppy 'fond' or protective of the rabbits,(as there is a black labrador next door - who jumps over sometimes...) Ok! Thankss........x x x
2007-07-30 22:11:29 · 3 answers · asked by Anj** 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
put the rabbits in a safe enclosure or the puppy on a lead first to give yourself some distance. then distract him with a toy of treat and reward him when he is good. You can do two things when he barks at them - say LEAVE IT and walk away if you want to teach him that or IGNORE him as it is undesirable behavior. At our training club if a dog wants something we train them to act sensibly and under control approach. It worked well with my dog and my cat :P
good luck :)
2007-07-30 22:26:19 · answer #1 · answered by Lucy B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Keep in mind that to dogs, rabbits are food. I wouldn't recommend leaving them unsupervised together. Also with a lab that jumps your fence, its probably better that the rabbits aren't in the garden by themselves.
2007-07-30 22:25:13 · answer #2 · answered by Bindi *dogtrainingbyjess.com* 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes by training your dog and walking him out on the leash and when he wants to chase you say no and when he behaves give him a treat. Train him to sit and do other things play with a ball or a Frisbee keep his mind of the bunnies.
2007-07-30 22:22:10 · answer #3 · answered by Jules 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋