# Boston Terrier and bunny?



## rachaeeelanneee (Jul 9, 2014)

Okay guys, it's been decided that for my 17th birthday, I can have a puppy. I have to buy it, and have decided to get a boston terrier. Does anyone on here have that type of dog and a bun? Any input on dog and bunny relationahips? Any tips for bonding puppies and buns? Thanks!


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## Azerane (Jul 9, 2014)

I don't really have much input to give, but getting a puppy should make it easier to introduce the two, since you won't be getting a dog with such ingrained habits, you can train the dog to get along with your rabbit.


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## rachaeeelanneee (Jul 9, 2014)

Azerane said:


> I don't really have much input to give, but getting a puppy should make it easier to introduce the two, since you won't be getting a dog with such ingrained habits, you can train the dog to get along with your rabbit.




I've been trying to research on how exactly id go about training the dog, but so far, google isn't helping.


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## Azerane (Jul 9, 2014)

There's quite a few members on here who have dogs as well, I'm sure once they see the post that they'll have something to contribute


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## MyJuneAngel (Jul 9, 2014)

We had our dogs before we got bunnies. One was a puppy, the other about 5-6 years old. Both took well to the rabbits right away. We didn't have a proper cage at first as we were rescuing a bunny. We had the bunny in a hallway with a baby gate across it. The dogs did a meet and greet with the bunny through the gate. It didn't take more than a week before we felt safe in letting them come nose to nose without the gate. No worries. We have cats, dogs and rabbits who all live peacefully together. When our original bun had babies, our male cat kept getting into the nesting box with the babies. I spent hours shooing him out. I finally decided that if mama bunny wasn't worried that I was just going to (cautiously) watch how it played out. He would snuggle up with those babies and lay there purring while they nestled into his fur. It wasn't long before our female cat started doing the same. To this day they both love the rabbits. The female cat sleeps on top of the rabbit cage. One of our dogs is a German Shepherd. She is as good with the bunnies as the rest of the animals are.


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## Ana_The_Dreamer (Jul 9, 2014)

I have a Pekingese, Poodle mix dog (Dixie). She likes to think of my Lop, Nessa as a snack. 
My first introduction of Nessa to Dixie went okay I suppose. I let Nessa run around while Dixie sat with me and watched. 
Their second meeting didn't go over as well. Dixie seems to have scared the daylights out of Nessa. (Nessa was in her cage)
My dog and rabbit aren't cuddle buddies if you can't already tell. 
A relative of mine has a dachshund who accidentally got into the room with Nessa the other day (again Nessa was in her cage) and proceeded to attempt to attack her though the cage bars. That was quite the scare for me! 
I just don't trust dogs around my rabbit. Suppose I'm just paranoid. I've attempted to re-introduce my dog Dixie and Nessa, but without much progress. Sadly none of the dogs I'm around on a daily basis have "taken well" to my bun.  I would love for my dog and bunny to have a cute cuddly relationship though..


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## MyJuneAngel (Jul 10, 2014)

Ana_The_Dreamer said:


> I have a Pekingese, Poodle mix dog (Dixie). She likes to think of my Lop, Nessa as a snack.
> My first introduction of Nessa to Dixie went okay I suppose. I let Nessa run around while Dixie sat with me and watched.
> Their second meeting didn't go over as well. Dixie seems to have scared the daylights out of Nessa. (Nessa was in her cage)
> My dog and rabbit aren't cuddle buddies if you can't already tell.
> ...



Sorry to hear that! I know what it is like to have to keep pets away from one another. I am thankful ours get along so well. I think my dogs just consider the rabbits to be long-eared cats.


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## rachaeeelanneee (Jul 10, 2014)

Well hopefully it won't be too difficult.


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## Ivythelionhead (Jul 10, 2014)

Just remember that bosten terriers are small dogs and tho they are as wonderful as any breed of dog they are a terrier which means that there instinct to go after a bun will be more intense but it should be alright if u did it carefully


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## shelby_jonesss (Jul 16, 2014)

Honestly, most dogs that don't grow up in a violent home should get along well with the rabbit. I'm sure the puppy will be great with the bunny because you can teach him how to treat the bunny from the start, and boston terriers aren't a huge dog so the bunny won't be as scared. I have a lab, a poodle mix, a yorkie mix, and a bloodhound. The lab and the bloodhound have been born and raised to hunt birds, raccoon & deer, and it is their only instinct to go after the rabbit. At first they both acted very violent towards the rabbit (which is why we kept him in the cage to introduce them). We brought the dogs to the rabbits cage every day, eventually, we fed them by the cage, and every time they smelled the cage without biting it they got an award. You can go about your own way of training the puppy, do not stress it too much. Only thing I would worry about is those little puppy teeth!


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## Aushi (Jul 16, 2014)

Just a fair warning, meet the puppy before buying. I know a lot depends on the personality and such, and it WILL be easier since you're getting a puppy. BUT do remember, the terrier group as a whole was bred to hunt vermin. Larger dogs were bred for larger game, but the smaller ones were bred for vermin. Rats, mice, etc. The INSTINCT will be there to hunt, you will have to pay special care to take that instinct to something else (toys, exercise, etc). Since as a puppy he/she will be around your bun, it's very likely your bun will be viewed as a BUDDY instead of food. But be sure to properly train him/her. The basics (sit, stay, recall etc) and maybe some tricks. 

Training isn't only so you can control him/her (which by itself is a good benefit, if he/she gets too rough a proper trained dog stops on command) but it is also a MIND exercise. Tire him out mentally and physically from the start, get used to walking him AND training him, so his instinct to hunt (and destroy your shoes ) won't be a big deal because he is just too tired to do anything but be a good boy/girl. That's the best way to go in my opinion. 

I'm more of a dog person xD And I've trained plenty of dogs, if you have any questions you can always just pm me 

PS. If you happen to get an older dog (older being 5 months old or older) be sure to put the bunny in a cage and LOVE YOUR DOG LIKE NEVER BEFORE near the cage. Treats, food, omg cuddles, omg big deal hugs, etc. That way the dog relates the bunny to GOOD things and he'll appreciate it's presence :3


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## rachaeeelanneee (Jul 16, 2014)

Thanks everyone!


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## rachaeeelanneee (Jul 16, 2014)

Once my bun and dog are bonded, will it be okay to leave my bun in its kennel and my dog free roam in my room? Is that unsafe, or would it be okay? Or should I kennel them both?


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## Aushi (Jul 16, 2014)

rachaeeelanneee said:


> Once my bun and dog are bonded, will it be okay to leave my bun in its kennel and my dog free roam in my room? Is that unsafe, or would it be okay? Or should I kennel them both?



It's safe as long as the cage is secure for the bun. It's completely up to you to kennel them both, I for one, always kennel my dogs when I am not around since young, because since I move around a lot, I prefer them to be very comfortable with their kennels, and I always feel much calmer when I go to bed knowing that my pets are safe in their kennels. 

In my opinion, kennel when you are not around, at work or at sleep, and free roam supervised. But that's up to you!


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## rachaeeelanneee (Jul 17, 2014)

Aushi said:


> It's safe as long as the cage is secure for the bun. It's completely up to you to kennel them both, I for one, always kennel my dogs when I am not around since young, because since I move around a lot, I prefer them to be very comfortable with their kennels, and I always feel much calmer when I go to bed knowing that my pets are safe in their kennels.
> 
> 
> 
> In my opinion, kennel when you are not around, at work or at sleep, and free roam supervised. But that's up to you!




I'm student with a part time job, so if I kenneled it every time that I was gone, I'd feel super bad. I plan on taking the puppy with me wherever I can when I leave so it won't spend a lot of time holed up in my room, but I wouldn't want it to be in a kennel every time it's left alone. It will be sleeping with me so it won't be kenneled at night, and I only have a little while left in school and I plan on getting into an apartment with my fiancé very soon so the pup will not be alone or in a kennel for too long. I'm hoping to get Moo and the puppy comfortable enough to where I can leave moo securely in his kennel with my dog free roam, possibly putting a cover over the kennel so the pup can't see moo. Hopefully that will work if need be. (I say that because it's worked with other household animals and they couldn't see Moo, so out of sight, out of mind.)


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## Luluznewz (Jul 18, 2014)

So, haha...I did the worst thing possible and got a beagle. I know, crazy right? Well, it actually has been totally fine. 

I thought it through, and realized there was no scenario where I would trust ANY breed of young dog around my rabbits free. Frankly, I think that's just nuts. Puppies play too hard and one tiny mistake and it could be a big problem. So, I just don't let them free together. The dog grew up used to the rabbits in a cage and now he totally ignores them. 

So, I think any breed of dog will be fine if you approach the situation totally honestly. Dogs kill rabbits, accidentally or on purpose. So don't let them free together. There is the very rare dog who just hangs, but that takes a long time to develop. My experience with puppies that they just aren't there yet, no matter the breed.


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## rachaeeelanneee (Jul 19, 2014)

Luluznewz said:


> So, haha...I did the worst thing possible and got a beagle. I know, crazy right? Well, it actually has been totally fine.
> 
> I thought it through, and realized there was no scenario where I would trust ANY breed of young dog around my rabbits free. Frankly, I think that's just nuts. Puppies play too hard and one tiny mistake and it could be a big problem. So, I just don't let them free together. The dog grew up used to the rabbits in a cage and now he totally ignores them.
> 
> So, I think any breed of dog will be fine if you approach the situation totally honestly. Dogs kill rabbits, accidentally or on purpose. So don't let them free together. There is the very rare dog who just hangs, but that takes a long time to develop. My experience with puppies that they just aren't there yet, no matter the breed.




I don't plan on letting a puppy and a bunny run free together. I do want my bun and pup to be comfortable enough so that the pup won't try and paw through the buns cage, and eventually id like for moo and the pup to be able to meet but the puppy would be on a harness and in my arms so it would be all under my control. I just want my puppy to be able to be free roam in my room with my bun safe in his cage without being threatened by the puppy. That's all for now.


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## LiveLaughLop (Jul 22, 2014)

I have 3 dogs and just got a bunny. No way would I ever leave any of them in the house while I'm gone with access to my bunnies cage. Ever. Two of my dogs are crated when we leave the house, no matter how long or often. The 3rd one is the oldest of my 3 and is the only one I can trust out of a crate when I'm not home (he's a whippet and he does jump on counters and tables if we accidentally leave food out). So we keep the bunny in another room with the door closed. Even the most well behaved dog can be tempted by the movements of a rabbit, just not worth the risk!


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## hamsterdance (Jul 23, 2014)

I think breed and socialization play a big role in getting any different breeds of animals to coexist comfortably. have two dachshunds and after a few hours of smelling at the bunny cages they ignored them. But as soon as I have a bunny anywhere near them they are licking their lips and ready to pounce. but dachshunds were bred specifically to hunt small mammals and they lived without bunnies for most of their lives. 
I don't think boston terriers are much of hunting dogs so as long as you introduce them slowly and give lots of reward for good behavior I don't see why it wouldn't work.


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