supysmom

we will be getting a spoo puppy soon. we also have a chihuahua, 6 cats, and a bunny. Im not too worried about the dog and cats, but I wonder what would be the safest way to get to spoo aquainted with the bunny? Enrique (bunny) is free to roam around but generally stays in den and our bedroom. we can put a baby gate or put Enrique in his cage, but I would like them to co habitate. any suggestions would be appreciated.

sgeorge

Well I too have a rabbit who spends most of his time in the house. I think it depends a lot of the personality of the rabbit. Mine believes himself to be half dog, lots of cuddles and pats are always appreciated (in fact he's asleep under my bed as I type this), so he doesn't really have any issue with smaller dogs running around, he just stays out of the way.

But as your getting a spoo, I would probably introduce them in a very controlled manner. Maybe have your spoo in a crate and let he/she be sniffed and sussed out by the rabbit, so you and they can be initially satisfied they're 'friends' and not food.

I would be keeping a very close eye on them together for a good many months though. Spoo's are very big, even as puppies compared to rabbits, and can easy squash and break a rabbit bone without even trying.

Another thing to consider is the prey drive of your puppy. If your raising them together and your pup is quite young, hopefully this won't be any issue. But if they bunny does a sudden jump and sprint across the room, you need to be satisfied that your spoo won't jump to and run after it.

I think lots and lots of supervision is the key, so good luck!

Arborgale

I agree with sgeorge. Lots of supervision.

My 1st mpoo was very gentile around my sister's rabbit. The rabbit was allowed free reign of the house most of the time. When we visited, Ruby (mpoo) was sooo curious about Willie (rabbit). They would sniff and play, but Ruby was always gentle and KNEW she had to hold back. Ruby was also not too interested in the guinea pigs that were kept in an open pen on the floor.

I really think a lot has to do with the temperment of the dog and it's prey drive.