Will a Daschund mix well with a bunny rabbit?

Question

I have a bunny rabbit that I have had for 7 years. My neighbor is moving out of the country, and has to give up her Daschund. She has offered it to me, and I would love to have him, but I am afraid he will harm my bunny. Any suggestions??

Answer 1

Doxies were bred as hunting dogs.  In fact, they were breed to go down rabbit and gopher holes.  If your bunny is outside and up high enough from the dog you might be ok... But I wouldn't have both in the house together.

Answer 2

No!  The dachshund will kill the bunny at the first chance he gets.  Dachshunds are hunting dogs, they were/are bred to hunt badger, and here in the U.S. also hunt woodchuck, rabbits, fox, raccoons and possum.

Answer 3

Daschunds are bred to be gopher hunting dogs, and most will chase and potentially kill your bunny. This will vary from one dog to the next, however, regardless of breed. You can try a very careful introduction, with dog on leash, of course, and bunny in your arms. I would never, ever leave them unattended together though.  

Answer 4

Well my dachshund tries to eat our chain link fence every time he sees a rabbit crossing our yard. It has very strong hunting instinct. I guess if it  is possible. Remember rabbits grow fast and those back feet are like a lethal weapon. The rabbit could actually hurt the dachshund.

Answer 5

the only way to find out:meet in a park or a neutral area.

ask the owner to bring the dachshund on a leash.

you can bring the bunny, in a cage or something that will protect her.

some dachshunds are very excitable and chase or even kill small animals(mice rats squirrels)

some dachshunds are really laid back, don't care much about hunting.

I have a dachshund:he is the sweetest little dog, loves people.

But:he is crazy!goes nuts if he sees any furry little critters!

Be careful. have the bunny in a crate/cage.

Answer 6

As long as you keep the rabbit in her cage at all times when the dog is around then your rabbit will be safe.  Daschund are born hunters and will kill any furry animal they can get at.  I had a guinea pig for 7 years-my dog went crazy anytime I handled the GP.  

Answer 7

No,they are bred to "go to ground" after badgers,groundhogs,and rabbits,among other things. I wouldn't trust them together at all. If you can keep them in separate rooms,it would be OK,but you would really have to keep an eye on that weiner dog!!.

Answer 8

I suspect that your Dachsie's instincts may take over and you would have 1 dog and 1 dead rabbit,  If you can forever keep the two apart, you could do alright.  If you don't want to risk it, your neighbor could find Dachshund Rescue online, either by doing a search or going to akc.org (or both).  The rescue organizations keep dogs in loving foster homes until carefully screened permanent homes can be found.

Answer 9

Keep them separated- that's the only way to truly make sure the rabbit isn't harmed. Has the dachshund ever been around rabbits before or smaller creatures?  

Answer 10

no way i used to have a daschund and he and my bunny where best friends! but if they do just put the rabbit in its hutch for a while

Answer 11

I wouldn't advise it.  My daughter had a rabbit and we have a mini dachsund and it was constaintly trying to get the rabbit even though it was in a cage up off the ground.  I don't think he would have hurt it since he wants to play with the cats but I wouldn't chance it.

Answer 12

is your rabbit a "house" rabbit.. or is it caged?

I wouldnt leave the 2 animals together unsupervised.. dachshunds are hounds, and its in their nature to hunt small prey.

You can safely keep a rabbit and a dog, but you may have to take precautions of keeping them separated with cage and crate.

Answer 13

this is really simple... just ask her if you could let the dog stay with you a few days to see how they adjust. if they do well then get the dashund. it shouldn't be that big of a problem if the rabbits in a cage most of the time

Answer 14

You cant try to introduce them before you commit to taking the dog, put your rabbit in a cage and bring the dog in on a lead, the dog will probably be really excited to see the rabbit, it may snap and jump up at the cage, if it does, keep pulling it back with the lead and saying NO, eventually he should calm down and just be curious, he should just be sniffing around the cage and wagging his tail, really calmly or best case scenario he will get bored and walk away.  If you think it is safe, let your rabbit out with the dog on the lead and see how the dog reacts, you will have to take your time with it.  If the dog is very excited it is a bad idea as well as obviously being visibly aggressive.  If it is a rabbit that lives in the house it may be a bad idea as they will be in too confined a space together.  I have rabbits that live outside in a hutch and two terriers, they get on ok but the rabbits are either in the hutch or a secure run, I could never trust the dogs with them just running around.

Answer 15

I wouldn't do it, they are bread to hunt things like rabbits.