Dogs and rabbits?

[Glitters100]

So, we have pet rabbits-outdoor (and have full run of the garden) but do come in the house when the door is open.

For the last year we’ve been looking into getting a dog (our children are now teens, so I feel like I could cope with a dog now, whereas I knew I would have struggled when the children were younger), so my main Question is Do dogs and rabbits mix?

I’ve been looking at breeds to avoid (like terrier/hunting dogs) but wondered if anyone has had this issue and how they introduced dog and rabbit.

Although we absolutely love dogs, the pets we have now come first, so if I only hear horror stories then we will put the rabbits first and not get a dog for another few years.

I think your issue will be that even if you find a dog/ puppy that won’t worry the rabbits that the rabbits , as prey animals will feel a level of threat . Growing up we had a spaniel x and a free range very large bunny and the bunny would steal the dogs bonios in the garden but he was a huge and very confident rabbit . I would look at how confident you think your rabbits are and take it from there .

I wouldn't get a dog with rabbits it won't end well

Cabin- this is my gut feeling too. I think over the last year I’ve been getting worn down by the kids and DH, but this has reminded me that the pets we love just come first.

Floral, this is a good point, we have a female rabbit who I’ve seen chase cats out the garden but our male is very timid and even runs away from pigeons.

I’d say definitely no then . When we got our dog we had a rabbit who was free range in the garden during the day but my daughter was very ill at the time and desperate for a dog . We fenced off the bottom half of the garden for the rabbit but it was still a nightmare as we ended up with a very high prey drive terrier pup ( all they had at Battersea the day we went) who spent the next 4 yrs , until the rabbit died , trying to liberate the rabbit from his part of the garden or his cage . It didn’t help that the rabbit was a miserable old sod who thought he could easily take on the dog so would stand his ground and argue back . Not something I would repeat .

I have a friend who’s rabbits and dogs lay together.
However my dog, who is always kept separate and can be recalled from our rabbits cage, unfortunately contributed to her death by giving her a heart attack.

They are prey animals.

When l was little our dog and our rabbit used to lay down together

I used to have rabbits, including house rabbits, and dogs together. You need a bit of luck for this to work. It’s better if the dogs are puppies and get introduced to the adult rabbits right from the start and you have a better chance if the dog is a breed without a high prey drive. One of my dogs was completely placid, on one occasion she approached a wild rabbit and sniffed him. The other did get wound up by wild rabbits and once managed to corner one and kill it, but he was still fine with the house rabbits. I never left them alone unsupervised.

i have a dog (shih x bichon) and a 8 year old lop rabbit. my rabbit is in love with my dog....grabs him and humps the shit out of him.
feelings are mutual....my dog also grabs the rabbit and humps the shit out of him too.
so they cant be together....as they were not using anything and i didnt want dobbits hopping around :/

In general I would say no, but I am sure you might find a tolerant breed but I just wouldn't risk it.
Our current lovely ball of fluff has a massive prey drive for a small dog.

I have a dog and two guinea pigs, dog was introduced to them as a puppy (she is a basset hound and the small pets are one of the reasons for choosing the breed).

I would never leave them alone together, but they are more than happy in each other's company which is useful when it's time to clean the cage. She mostly ignores them when in the cage unless the guinea pigs are being particularly loud.

So, yes, I think it would be possible, but very much breed dependent and a lot of careful introductions required.