best way to indroduce 2 high prey drive dogs to new bunny?

so I recently got a baby bunny.I have to dogs with high prey drives (boxer/airedale terrier mix and apbt/bloodhound mix)but I also have 2 dogs with practically NO prey drive (mastiff and great dane)my dane loves the bunny, and my mastiff doesnt carebut…

    best way to indroduce 2 high prey drive dogs to new bunny?

    so I recently got a baby bunny.I have to dogs with high prey drives (boxer/airedale terrier mix and apbt/bloodhound mix)but I also have 2 dogs with practically NO prey drive (mastiff and great dane)my dane loves the bunny, and my mastiff doesnt carebut…...
    Dog Breed Discussions : best way to indroduce 2 high prey drive dogs to new bunny?...

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    • best way to indroduce 2 high prey drive dogs to new bunny?

      best way to indroduce 2 high prey drive dogs to new bunny? Dog Breed Discussions
      so I recently got a baby bunny.I have to dogs with high prey drives (boxer/airedale terrier mix and apbt/bloodhound mix)but I also have 2 dogs with practically NO prey drive (mastiff and great dane)my dane loves the bunny, and my mastiff doesnt carebut my other 2 dogs, I am worried about. what is the best way to introduce them?

      best way to indroduce 2 high prey drive dogs to new bunny?

      best way to indroduce 2 high prey drive dogs to new bunny? Dog Breed Discussions
    • I really wouldn't. I'd try to not ever let them meet. There is no reason to try, not when your rabbit's life could be lost. Both dogs are capable of killing the rabbit... why risk it?My dog has high prey drive and I'm trying to imagine introducing him to a baby bunny. I'm sure it would end in blood shed.ADD: Even if you did manage to train the dogs from acting on their natural instincts, that won't stop the poor bunny from sensing your dogs, which in his/her eyes are nothing but predetors. First and foremost the rabbit is prey and on an instinctive level is probably aware of that. It can really stress animals out. I made the mistake of allowing my neighbour's kitten to sit on the top of my old hamsters cage thinking "Oh, she's safe as long as she's in the cage". She developed a tumour-type lump on her belly and it was down to the stress of being aware that something that wanted to kill her was sat on her cage. I still feel very guilty about that.So even if your dogs don't hurt the rabbit, that won't stop the rabbit from feeling distressed.Best to just keep them completely seperate.

    • Please don't!! You cannot train prey drive out of a dog. Sometimes these breeds will "get along with" (as in, not eat) small pets if they are raised with them since puppy hood. In your case, the dog are already adults. They will "hunt" the bunny. There is no reason that they all need to be friends. Just keep them as far apart as possible.

    • So, you got a bunny even though you have terriers and hound mixes? Especially a hound mixed with a pit...Why would you get a bunny? Oh well too late now right...? I would make sure to introduce the other dogs one at a time. Seat yourself calmly on a couch or chair and have someone else bring in one dog while you firmly hold the bunny with it's head in towards your stomach...bring the dog closer while praising him/her...keep coming closer and praise if dog isn't reacting...then let the dog sniff and show the dog it is yours and not to be messed with...claim your bunny as it were...

    • put all three in a room together. the worst case scenario would be a dead bunny. so I just say go for it, if they don't like each other at first, they'll never like each other. would you rather have a bunny who shits everywhere, of two great dogs?

    • I wouldn't trust them together ever. Even if you *think* they are getting along, just one sudden move from bunny and it's over. When I was little we had a rabbit and a lab, and my sister "trained" the dog not to bother the bunny. Well one day we didn't have a bunny anymore. Instincts will win out eventually. Even if the bunny is in a cage when the dog sees sit, it can lunge at the cage and give the rabbit a heart attack- yes, rabbits can die of fright. Or if you let them meet even once, the dog will be curious and know where it is and possibly break into the rabbit room when your not home.

    • You don't. You might be able to train the two dogs to "leave the bunny alone". But, you will never be able to trust them with it. You'll always have to remind them, they can't help it.You can not train instinct out of an animal. No matter who you think your dog is, he is, first and foremost, a canine with a high prey drive.Why do people think they can, or should, stop an animal of any sort from being what it is?Asking a dog with a high prey drive to leave a small prey animal alone is like asking a rabbit to ignore carrots.

    • I wouldn't let them meet AT ALL like some people already said. You can't train them out of their prey drive. Even if you do, they will NEVER be 100% trustworthy near the bunny. Keep the bunny out of their sight! Good luck.

    • I have to agree with some of the other posters, don't even bother letting them meet. We have a pet rabbit in our home, and our families two Labrador Retrievers have such high prey drives, I honestly believe it would be one hell of a blood bath if they were ever to get near our rabbit, PLUS, I think it would literally scare the sh** out of the rabbit. Not really fair to it no?

    • While you can suppress a high prey drive with obedience training using some form of compulsion, the instinct would still be hard wired into the dog's brain.I would pass on introducing the bunny to the high prey drive dogs because it would tantamount to saying "look here's a tasty snack or something you would find instinctively satisfying to kill as you are a predator & this is prey, now play nice".While you can train the dog's to leave the area where you house the bunny, I would never trust a high prey drive dog not to yield to its natural instinct if given the opportunity!