Quote:
Originally Posted by honeybunnie8  Hi,
this is my first post. My hubby and I recently got a Maltese/havanese mix puppy, this is our first dog for either of us. I have 3 rabbits and 2 chinchillas, they have their own room.
I need our puppy to get along with them. Right now I have been keeping him on a leash when they are out playing and try and distract him when he looks like he is focusing on them to much. I put little apple pieces and lettuce around Odin(the puppy) and let the bunny's come over to eat around him and sniff, so far they don't seem that scared of him. One of my boy rabbits(Lancelot) will come Over to Odin and steal food right next to him almost scaring Odin, as Odin will back up when Lancelot gets that close, probably because Lancelot is bigger then Odin. 
Odin doesn't seem to want to hurt the bunny's but if I let him off the leash he seems to want to play and will chase them when they run from him. |
Hi, honeybunny! So, here's the thing: Dogs are equipped as predators. This means I would never, ever, ever completely trust Odin around the small furries. Unlike cats, they don't have many means of defense against him should that "predatory switch" go off in his head. I know many a guinea pig and rabbit killed by the family dog, who supposedly "liked" the smaller animal... sometimes, the temptation becomes too much to resist, and they act on instinct, even a little guy like your Odin.
That said, there are a few things you can do to make life safer for the little ones. First, I would not encourage ANY play between them, and that includes attempts to make the rabbits and chinchillas feel "safe" around him. There's just no reason for it, when the risk is that they could be killed. That said, praise Odin if they have a chance encounter and he seems *mildly* fearful/respectful like he did with Lancelot. That's a good thing.
Second, if at any point Odin refuses to be distracted or does attempt to give chase (even on-leash), use a time-out word or phrase (uh-oh, too bad, etc.), and he goes in his crate or another room for a minute or so (or until he's quiet), then comes out -leashed!- to try again. If you do this every single time, his tendency to chase while you are there to monitor him will drop. A safe way to let him spend time earning praise and treats for being calm and quiet and focused on YOU around the rabbits/chinchillas off-leash would be to have the furries in an exercise pen while he's out (or vice-versa).
I'd also get him enrolled in a puppy kindergarten class, to get started on teaching "stay," "leave it," and an emergency recall, three commands that will help keep peace in the household.
Re: Teach puppy to like rabbits. 
