mheath0429 wrote:

Do you ever hold the bunny in front of him? To let him know the bunny is a member of the fmaily?

I do. I sometimes have Gimli's cage open with Ezio beside me while I pet Gimli, too. Ezio is always in a position where he can not reach the bunny, but he watches. Ezio's always beside me when I clean his litter and feed Gimli, too.

I honestly think you should have introduced them when your first got Ezio. It probably won't be easy now at all. We have a cat and I know for a fact if I waited to introduce them they never would have gotten along.

Jennet&Embry wrote:

I honestly think you should have introduced them when your first got Ezio. It probably won't be easy now at all. We have a cat and I know for a fact if I waited to introduce them they never would have gotten along.

Please read the entirety of the conversation. They are not in the dark about each other. They share living space. They have met. I just would love for them to one day be able to be out at the same time without me holding Gimli, as bunnies don't like being held. Asked for tips. That's all.

itsjosieb wrote:

Jennet&Embry wrote:

I honestly think you should have introduced them when your first got Ezio. It probably won't be easy now at all. We have a cat and I know for a fact if I waited to introduce them they never would have gotten along.

Please read the entirety of the conversation. They are not in the dark about each other. They share living space. They have met. I just would love for them to one day be able to be out at the same time without me holding Gimli, as bunnies don't like being held. Asked for tips. That's all.

I'm sorry we are offending you, but please try to see that we are not being rude and that we want your bunny to safe.

itsjosieb wrote:

Like I've previously said, these things are done in steps over an incredibly long period of time with a lot of caution and watching the dog's body language/cues. He would not be able to reach Gimli for quite a few "encounters" and it would not go further than that unless Ezio was completely calm or totally uninterested in Gimli. Gimli would never be in any danger. I would not allow it. I merely asked if anyone had experience in introducing different species to each other and had tips. I have done my own reading on both dwarf rabbits and Siberian Huskies. I have purposefully exposed myself to negative outcomes of introducing them, but I have also read about positives. Perhaps it was my mistake in posting this question in this sort of forum.

With all due respect, you came to a forum who's sole purpose is to give advice about different aspects of raising and training Siberian Husky dogs. The people attempting to give you advice are doing so with the insight and benefit of experience. Not to insult your intelligence about the breed, or knowledge of dogs in general, but with your puppy being 4 months of age, you still have not seen every side of your dog, and won't for probably half of a year or longer. I could read every book about having a baby that has ever been published, but until I have to raise my own child, the reality is that I will have no idea what it is actually like. the census being given from a respectable group of people who are only trying to help, is that even if you could train the two to tolerate one another, the latent instinct to chase and kill small animals still exists inside every husky. It only takes one small mistake, and make no mistake, the husky will never ever EVER be on the losing side.

All of that being said, I have to agree with Sara's advice. If you want the two to be able to grow and be comfortable with eachother in the same house, and are willing to take the risk, then I feel like socializing them as often as possible makes the most sense. That way ezio is already very familiar with gimley as he grows from a puppy, to adolescent, to adult. I should think this makes more sense than waiting until he his into his puppy adolescence, which will inevitably make your pup 10x more rambunctious than he may be now, to try to fully integrate them.

mheath0429 wrote:

itsjosieb wrote:

Jennet&Embry wrote:

I honestly think you should have introduced them when your first got Ezio. It probably won't be easy now at all. We have a cat and I know for a fact if I waited to introduce them they never would have gotten along.

Please read the entirety of the conversation. They are not in the dark about each other. They share living space. They have met. I just would love for them to one day be able to be out at the same time without me holding Gimli, as bunnies don't like being held. Asked for tips. That's all.

I'm sorry we are offending you, but please try to see that we are not being rude and that we want your bunny to safe.

As I said several times, his safety is my priority...which is why I asked for tips after doing the ridiculous amount of reading I've already done on my own.

MyKeeonah wrote:

itsjosieb wrote:

Like I've previously said, these things are done in steps over an incredibly long period of time with a lot of caution and watching the dog's body language/cues. He would not be able to reach Gimli for quite a few "encounters" and it would not go further than that unless Ezio was completely calm or totally uninterested in Gimli. Gimli would never be in any danger. I would not allow it. I merely asked if anyone had experience in introducing different species to each other and had tips. I have done my own reading on both dwarf rabbits and Siberian Huskies. I have purposefully exposed myself to negative outcomes of introducing them, but I have also read about positives. Perhaps it was my mistake in posting this question in this sort of forum.

With all due respect, you came to a forum who's sole purpose is to give advice about different aspects of raising and training Siberian Husky dogs. The people attempting to give you advice are doing so with the insight and benefit of experience. Not to insult your intelligence about the breed, or knowledge of dogs in general, but with your puppy being 4 months of age, you still have not seen every side of your dog, and won't for probably half of a year or longer. I could read every book about having a baby that has ever been published, but until I have to raise my own child, the reality is that I will have no idea what it is actually like. the census being given from a respectable group of people who are only trying to help, is that even if you could train the two to tolerate one another, the latent instinct to chase and kill small animals still exists inside every husky. It only takes one small mistake, and make no mistake, the husky will never ever EVER be on the losing side.

All of that being said, I have to agree with Sara's advice. If you want the two to be able to grow and be comfortable with eachother in the same house, and are willing to take the risk, then I feel like socializing them as often as possible makes the most sense. That way ezio is already very familiar with gimley as he grows from a puppy, to adolescent, to adult. I should think this makes more sense than waiting until he his into his puppy adolescence, which will inevitably make your pup 10x more rambunctious than he may be now, to try to fully integrate them.

I already posted in a comment to someone else about what I've been doing to expose them to one another. I would copy and paste it for you, but I am on my phone. They are not currently in the dark about each other. They have met. They share living space. I'm doing all I can at Ezio's current age and level of obedience. I would have liked to read more tips and experiences from people who are trying or successfully did something similar to what I am attempting. It would be nice to have a discussion with someone who did it rather than purely read about it as I have been doing, but I guess not many here have done this.

My husband and I have a two year old husky and eight sugar gliders. We are a sugar glider rescue. My dog won't even go near their room. She doesn't. Like their smell. So we don't have any problems with them being around each other. But in the wild they would never meet so there isn't any instinct to eat them. I wish you good luck and happiness for both animals!

Unfortunately, you won't get what you're looking for from internet forums. There are ways to achieve your goal (which I see as simply having the dog coexist with the rabbit), but they tend to stir up nothing good when mentioned. Most people find it easier to manage every little bit of household existence rather than have the dog experience something unpleasant. You know, "set them up for success" and whatnot.

Dragula64 wrote:

My husband and I have a two year old husky and eight sugar gliders. We are a sugar glider rescue. My dog won't even go near their room. She doesn't. Like their smell. So we don't have any problems with them being around each other. But in the wild they would never meet so there isn't any instinct to eat them. I wish you good luck and happiness for both animals!

Thank you. If he appears to be aggressive (or even too playful) toward Gimli I won't push it further. Currently Ezio seems to generally be uninterested in Gimli. Ezio watches Gimli while he's in his cage sometimes, but the barking/playing has stopped. Maybe once we have a bigger place we'll try getting Gimli a spayed female companion to keep him company if Ezio ends up becoming aggressive or too playful and they need to remain separate indefinitely.

..

harrise wrote:

Unfortunately, you won't get what you're looking for from internet forums. There are ways to achieve your goal (which I see as simply having the dog coexist with the rabbit), but they tend to stir up nothing good when mentioned. Most people find it easier to manage every little bit of household existence rather than have the dog experience something unpleasant. You know, "set them up for success" and whatnot.

I do understand that. My hope is that our family can coexist with a lot of time and patience, though. It would be easier to just let it be as things are, but if there's a chance they could get along well and have more time out (especially Gimli, who spends much of his time caged) I think it's worth a shot.

I guess it was my mistake for posting.

Meh. You just won't get people who have done it to post about it. I know what I would do and have confidence that it would work. Problem is it's not easily explained in text. My dogs have been taught to live with four different cats (two sets of brothers), sometimes you just have to enforce what YOU want and not worry about how anyone else perceives it.

Pay no mind to any prejudices you want to form from what you see here. I think the majority just don't want to read about an unfortunate incident in two weeks.

harrise wrote:

Meh. You just won't get people who have done it to post about it. I know what I would do and have confidence that it would work. Problem is it's not easily explained in text. My dogs have been taught to live with four different cats (two sets of brothers), sometimes you just have to enforce what YOU want and not worry about how anyone else perceives it.

Pay no mind to any prejudices you want to form from what you see here. I think the majority just don't want to read about an unfortunate incident in two weeks.

Thank you for the advice. I do understand their concerns, but I'm definitely doing everything slowly and safely.

itsjosieb wrote:

I would have liked to read more tips and experiences from people who are trying or successfully did something similar to what I am attempting. It would be nice to have a discussion with someone who did it rather than purely read about it as I have been doing, but I guess not many here have done this.

I think the main issue is for most of us we just don't have small animals (not cats) in the house with the huskies because we know of the pray drive and i know after going through what we did with our Chins its just not worth the heartache of something bad happening.
im sorry your feeling like we are trying to discourage you and i think its great you are doing the small steps to have them coexist right now but im not sure i would ever trust the 2 running around in the same space together without some form of leash on the husky or gate up. but you are free to do what you want and try to keep working on it, but like Eddy said most of just just fear the day you pop on because something DID happen because one day a switch turned on on your husky.... i wish you luck

jbealer wrote:

itsjosieb wrote:

I would have liked to read more tips and experiences from people who are trying or successfully did something similar to what I am attempting. It would be nice to have a discussion with someone who did it rather than purely read about it as I have been doing, but I guess not many here have done this.

I think the main issue is for most of us we just don't have small animals (not cats) in the house with the huskies because we know of the pray drive and i know after going through what we did with our Chins its just not worth the heartache of something bad happening.
im sorry your feeling like we are trying to discourage you and i think its great you are doing the small steps to have them coexist right now but im not sure i would ever trust the 2 running around in the same space together without some form of leash on the husky or gate up. but you are free to do what you want and try to keep working on it, but like Eddy said most of just just fear the day you pop on because something DID happen because one day a switch turned on on your husky.... i wish you luck

I think separate gated space at the same time is a great alternative, especially for when we have a bigger living space. I've been really cautious so far and will continue to be. I appreciate the advice and luck! We may never get to a point where they are running around together, but the steps I've been taking at least will keep them comfortable with one another.

To me, it seems like the main issue is a lot of things that are typical dog behaviors are excused because it's a husky so don't try. Just manage.

Dogs don't generalize behaviors without work. Poster isn't asking about getting the dog to accept ALL rabbits. Just one. That to me is an entirely different ball game.

But like I said, it's just easier to accept the general consensus. I'm one of those freaks who thinks if you have it in your head that it might happen, then it will happen.

itsjosieb wrote:

It would be nice to have a discussion with someone who did it rather than purely read about it as I have been doing, but I guess not many here have done this.

Bingo. My dear, you keep asking the same question over and over again. People respond in the same way. Then we go through the same cycle and you sound like a defensive broken record.

The bottom line is this: if people on here had done what you are asking, you'd already know about it. The fact that people haven't means two things: 1. Most people don't own huskies and rabbits. 2. People who do don't even bother to socialize them to the point that you are hoping.

You are also ignoring the only advice that you have gotten because you think people aren't listening to you. Yes, we understand that the two are aware of each other's existence. Contrary to popular belief, we CAN read However, those who have offered advice have said the same: keep exposing them. Expose them more and more. Do not wait until Ezio is 6-9 months or it's doomed to fail.

Just because you are exposing them to each other via cage/crate, that doesn't mean you are exposing them. What the members are suggesting is expose them to each other more freely and more often. Keep doing it. Keep correcting Ezio. Keep repeating until the message sinks in.

Lastly, my piece of advice that I am going to add... be honest with yourself. It's a lie and a horrible disservice to yourself and your animals to claim that "the rabbit is never in danger" and "you won't allow it." You're wrong. Exposing the rabbit to your husky IS a danger. I understand and appreciate how much you are controlling the situation and I would recommend and expect no less. However, just having the two in the same home is a danger. Huskies are notorious for breaking loose from crates, snapping leashes, slipping collars, overpowering people to get what they want. Animals are unpredictable. As much as we try to control the situation, sometimes it's just not possible.

What's my reason for bringing this up? Don't sit here and act like there is no danger. Doing so will only lead to disaster. Accept how dangerous it is. Face it. Realize WHY it's dangerous. Then start your training. Only until you accept all the things that can go wrong with a situation, can you actively work to prevent it.

http://www.amazon.com/North-States-Superyard-Play-Classic/dp/B00020L78M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1343257034&sr=8-2&keywords=child+playpen
we had something like this for our chinchillas sometimes you can find toppers for them to.

harrise wrote:

To me, it seems like the main issue is a lot of things that are typical dog behaviors are excused because it's a husky so don't try. Just manage.

Dogs don't generalize behaviors without work. Poster isn't asking about getting the dog to accept ALL rabbits. Just one. That to me is an entirely different ball game.

But like I said, it's just easier to accept the general consensus. I'm one of those freaks who thinks if you have it in your head that it might happen, then it will happen.

Yeah, but is that the safest route for the rest of the people who want to own huskies and small pets - probably not.

Huskies are already labeled so many things, the last thing we need is for them to be labeled as pet killers too.

Lots of breeds are labeled all kinds of different things as we speak. I'm just here to say it is indeed possible to achieve coexistence but not through internet boards. Just a hint of balance to the usual dog forum fare. Strikes me as strange how certain stereotypes are accepted as general knowledge and others are discarded as bias and ignorance.


Josie, you would best be served by someone capable and in person. Face to face. This topic is way too advanced and controversial for here.

mheath0429 wrote:

harrise wrote:

To me, it seems like the main issue is a lot of things that are typical dog behaviors are excused because it's a husky so don't try. Just manage.

Dogs don't generalize behaviors without work. Poster isn't asking about getting the dog to accept ALL rabbits. Just one. That to me is an entirely different ball game.

But like I said, it's just easier to accept the general consensus. I'm one of those freaks who thinks if you have it in your head that it might happen, then it will happen.

Yeah, but is that the safest route for the rest of the people who want to own huskies and small pets - probably not.

Huskies are already labeled so many things, the last thing we need is for them to be labeled as pet killers too.

No one is labelling huskies in that way. I'm certainly not and certainly wouldn't if something went wrong. It would be my fault for taking it a step too far when we weren't ready. I would be heartbroken, but it would be my fault. I did not ask for tips expecting most of you to make this out as if I were doing something so negative. Our bunny was here first. His quality of life will not suffer because we adopted a dog. If Ezio never gets there, he never gets there. I'll gate them away from each other and continue to let them out separately.

harrise wrote:

Josie, you would best be served by someone capable and in person. Face to face. This topic is way too advanced and controversial for here.

I'll look into who I can talk to. You're right.

itsjosieb wrote:

mheath0429 wrote:

harrise wrote:

To me, it seems like the main issue is a lot of things that are typical dog behaviors are excused because it's a husky so don't try. Just manage.

Dogs don't generalize behaviors without work. Poster isn't asking about getting the dog to accept ALL rabbits. Just one. That to me is an entirely different ball game.

But like I said, it's just easier to accept the general consensus. I'm one of those freaks who thinks if you have it in your head that it might happen, then it will happen.

Yeah, but is that the safest route for the rest of the people who want to own huskies and small pets - probably not.

Huskies are already labeled so many things, the last thing we need is for them to be labeled as pet killers too.

No one is labelling huskies in that way. I'm certainly not and certainly wouldn't if something went wrong. It would be my fault for taking it a step too far when we weren't ready. I would be heartbroken, but it would be my fault. I did not ask for tips expecting most of you to make this out as if I were doing something so negative. Our bunny was here first. His quality of life will not suffer because we adopted a dog. If Ezio never gets there, he never gets there. I'll gate them away from each other and continue to let them out separately.

I didn't mean to make you think I thought you were!! I'm sorry I just meant in general - not at all a remark towards you. I promise.