Kiddo got a dog

[wuvmybetta]

Tuesday has been begging for a dog since she could say the word "dog" & we finally decided to get her one but we were unsure of which breed.
So today on the spur of the moment we adopted a 2 year old pug/terrier mix,she's really cute and seems to have a sweet disposition. She looks like a black lab puppy in the face and body but...she has a curly pug tail


Well....we also have Rabbie,our house bunny, he FLIPPED out when he saw the dog and of course the dog growled a bit and I would tell her "nooooo,be nice" and she'd stop but still, I'm skeered,this was my biggest concern with bringing a dog in the house because...I LOVE Rab's and I don't know how I'll react if something tries to hurt him.And I don't want him to change at all,he's one in a million,the absolute most awesome bun around. He stayed in his cage all night until I put the dog out,now he's out hopping around the house checking out the smell of the dog.

I'm not certain how I should go about introducing them without Rabbies cage in between them,think it can be done? Or should I leave it at this....Rabbie in his cage during the day and let him out at night while the dog is sleeping outside or should I try and let them become "friendly"

 

[wuvmybetta]

no ideas huh?
me neither

 

[MAM]

can you post a pic of the dog? if it IS a terrier mix, keep in mind that terriers were bred to chase rodents and small game (like rabbits), so some of that natural instinct is still there. the pug dispostion should help some though. i work with a euthanasia list rescue shelter and when we have foster with cats who want to foster a dog and we're unsure of its compatibility with cats, we recommend slow introductions. start off with the rabbit in cage and let the two sniff through the bars. when its tiem for bunny to get some run aroudn time, crate the dog for that time. after a time, put the dog on leash and let teh bunny out. if the dog barks, slowly walk it over to the rabbit, keeping a tight grip on the leash and no slack. let them sniff. if the dog lunges, correct him. start with some trials and slow intros like this for a while. you could buy that low fence thing they make for new puppies and put the bunny in that so that the dog can see and sniff and the bunny still has room to get away and what not. if your dog displays aggression towards the bunny and definitely seems to see the bunny as prey, seek professional help from a trainer. but please don't take the dog to the pound should yuo discover this situation just will not work. give him away to a good home instead. if you knew the statistics of animal euthanasia at pounds and shelters....... (but thats a whole 'nother thread). hope i was able to help a little................

 

[pebbles]

hi, can't speak for your dog of course but i once had two bunnies and two dogs.the bunnies lived outside but but we frequently had them in the house to play .one of the dogs was agolden cocker and when he went for walks he frequently went off in the woods chasing rabbits but at home he was okwith the pet ones.. seemed he knew the rabbits were part of the family.you need to be causious tho'and as many a molly said take your time,it won't happen overnight.. hope it works out ok... pebbles

 

[wuvmybetta]

well.....first of all, I won't take her back to the pound BUT the "foster family" she'd been staying with said I had 30 days to return her if her & Rabs don't get along. They've been checking each other out since the day the dog got here (through the bars) and I've been letting Rabbie out to play around the house at night,while the dog is out. She's growled at him a couple/few times and I've corrected her then gushed and cooed at Rabbie and then gushed at her so she'll get the idea that BOTH are family members.

So anyway....my daughter ran to the store with my husband today and the dog was sleeping by the couch & Rabbie heard me open the back door so he started gnawing his cage which means he wants the door opened so he can go out too, I opened it for a trial and he jumped right out and hopped under the dining room table (he has no fear ) the dog immediately perked up and I warned her with a "noooooo,be nice!" but she didn't listen and she took off after Rabs ,they ran in a circle for a second until I could grip the dogs collar and drag her off to the laundry room,she knew I was obviously upset. She's such a good dog but with terrier in her (I didn't know that about them hunting rabbits by the way ) I'm not sure if I can make this work. Maybe the laundry room is the answer ,just stick her in there when the bunny is out but....sheeesh,heaven forbid they come face to face at any time

It's NOT Rabbie,he's pretty receptive to the "idea" of a dog,I just fear what my reactions would be if it snapped his little neck. Maybe we'd have better luck with a tiny puppy But I'm not throwing in the towel yet,maybe she got the idea today

 

[MAM]

just keep trying slowly. this may take you the full 30 day you have. its good you have the option of a return though. if it doesn't work out, look into either getting a smaller adult or get a puppy so it can grow up knowing the other animal. i'm all about adopting adults from shelters and not just going for cute little puppies, but in some cases, starting fresh is the best idea. i have a min pin thats very much an alpha female, so if i do get another female dog in the future, i will either have to look for a very passive one or get a puppy so she can teach it from the start that shes top of the ladder so no fights will occur. give it another week or two of slow introductions.

 

[fishyjessie]

if the dog bonds to the family, it will soon learn that you do not want him to chase the rabbit. right now he is trying to impress you and rid your house of the "pest". always be firm with the fact that he is not to hurt the rabbit. give the rabbit attention in fromt of the dog. this is going to take a long time, but if you are willing to put time into it, eventually they will be sleeping together like the cute pictures your relitives foward you everyday.

 

[dixaisy930]

I think slow introductions is the best way to go. If it was me, I probably wouldn't of let them see each other for atleast a week or so, but can't go back in time. I would try and keep them out of sight of one another. Let them get use to each other's smells by letting them smell bedding the other one has been using, and letting one into a room after the other one is gone After awhile, try introducing the dog to rabbit while the dog is on the leash. Try not to scold or punish the dog when it does something wrong concerning the rabbit (I know it'll be hard). You don't want the dog to associate negative things with the rabbit. Just correct the dog gently but firmly. Hope this helps and gives you some more ideas.

 

[wuvmybetta]

Thanks for the input guys
It's been getting a lot better, she doesn't growl at him anymore (touch wood). There's no way I can hide them from one another because the rabbit's cage is right in front of the back door in the dining room. And I didn't want to freak the rabbit out by changing his territory. But he hasn't changed a bit,except for all this rearranging of tanks and furniture has made him very mischievous. I've been putting the dog out at night and letting the rabbit run crazy during the night (for a few hours).
Harley (the dog,thats the name she came with ) comes running to look when she hears me talking sweet to the rabbit,it's funny,she does it when I'm talking to the fish too

The rabbit was slurping off his water bottle last night ,which can be quite noisy,and the dog ran over and was just about nose to nose with him through his cage and he just stopped drinking..looked at her and went back to drinking,I cracked up. It was a riot,he's so laid back and all "ehhhh,whatever" But I did see her..uhm,how to put this,sniff his fluffy tail while he was on his top layer of the cage....I think that really,REALLY means a lot in a "dogs world"

I think my 1st reactions were a bit hasty, when I got her home it was like "oh noooo,what have I done" because I haven't had a dog in almost 10 years and my husband and I have never had one together etc.. I also felt like I had just brought a stranger who'd been locked up into my home, I knew nothing about her history or how far I could trust her and I became over protective (still am,but not as bad ) I really don't want to bring her back, I want to try and give her a chance.

We're going to take her to Petsmart to pick out some things tomorrow and I hope that makes an impression in some way on her. It's almost like she's testing us to see how we'll punish her...that sounds weird but,for example,she knows she's not allowed on the couch but she'll hop up there out of nowhere and look guilty in her eyes, I'll put my hands on my hips and say "Harleeeeey,get down" and she'll just wag her tail and look away,this will go on for a good minute and she won't budge until I go over and slide her off the couch. She ran into my room tonight and grabbed a piece of clothing and ran off down the hall. I silently followed her into the living room and she dropped it and rolled over and cowered like I was going to hit her ,poor girl. But I think she took notice when I just stared at her and picked up the clothes and walked away. Like I said, I don't know her story, and I was a little uneasy about adopting a dog with issues as opposed to a fresh start with a puppy,but it felt like it was the right thing to do, even though I knew I'd have issues of my own to deal with when my husband saw her

 

[Dreaded]

Even if they do learn to get along, I would still be very cautious all the time and never leave them alone together. Terriers are bred for that, like someone said, and any dog is smart enough to learn that when you are away, they wont get reprimanded for their bad actions. Terriers are very headstrong. I have a Jack Russell, and when she gets on a trail of something, I can throw any command at her, even "wanna biscuit?" and she'll completely ignore me in pursuit of the small animal.

I also have a golden retriever named Harley. Haha. I thought that was cute.

 

[MAM]

sounds like she's testing you. when you go to petsmart to pick up stuff, look into signing her up for obedience. dogs are pack animals, even though theyre domesticated, and they need to have an established pecking order in their "pack" (your fmaily), (much like fish), so she may very well be testing you to see if you'll try to be dominate or will let her walk all over you. be consistent in correction of unwanted behavior, be firm, be dominant. took me a year to fully establish dominance over my little 16 lb min pin, she would display all sorts of dominant behaviors towards me. now she know "mom" is in charge, but she'll test me now and again. consistency is the key. the person who takes her through obedience class will be top dog to her, and since youre female, you should be the one to do the classes, so she will see you as alpha over her. very important, becasue even little dogs can become a handful if you let them.
glad to hear things are starting to settle otherwise.

 

[wuvmybetta]

well....after just a few days, I've fallen in love. I can't help it, she's a begger but other than that...I couldn't ask for more,even with the little mishaps,such as..last night I was laying down reading to my daughter while she fell asleep, I had left the dog in the living room sleeping so I just shut the bedroom door so she wouldn't wake up & barge in just as Tuesday nodded off. I heard her scratch once at the door but I ignored it and when I came out she had pee'ed on my floor , she knew she was wrong,I could tell, so all I did was say "get outside Harley" and I gave her the boot and busted out my steam vac BUT she HAD tried to get me ,so that was a good thing. At least I know she'll ask to go out but if you don't jump up and let her she has no control over herself .

But here's what did me in as far as love goes....last night Tuesday fell off the dining room chair and I picked her up and held her while she cried,and the dog came running over (woke up from her nap mind you,thats really saying something ) but she ran over to comfort Tues which melted my heart. My whole purpose of REALLY wanting a dog (aside from the kid) was because my husband works at night and I need something to help me listen for noises,well today she has become protective of her territory . I noticed her bark this morning when a friend of mine pulled up in the driveway, and then a salesman was ringing my bell a little while ago and I had to hold her back so I could shoo him away. Then she heard my daughter bump the wall with a toy a few minutes ago and she hopped up growling and barking and ran to the front door,no one was there of course but I'm still most impressed

I feared she wouldn't settle in and claim us but she obviously has

As far as her and the rabbit go,right now it's working with alternating living room time. She's mellowed out a lot,she doesn't run and stare every time he makes a move in his cage,but I'm still weary of them ever being out together,not to mention alone,but I'm giving it time

 

[SneakBetta]

My dog gets along with my rabbit fine! At first, when we got up to pet the rabbit, Mandy, the dog would get jealous and come scratch our feet and jump on us and sometimes go after the rabbit. Luckily, I had quick reflexes and could get away with the dog. So, when someone came to pet the rabbit, we put puppy in a stay. Now she just sniffs Mandy. If she does get jealous and go after Mandy, we put puppy on a leash and she gets to watch us play with bunny. She gets along with the bunny perfectly most of the time!