Hi all, been a while...

Im living at home with mum, our 5 five gundogs - 3 adult labs, 1 adult springer & 1 nearly 5mo cocker.

End of week I'm getting 2 Rex bunnys, 9wks old. I have set the hutch up in back garden to get the dogs used to that for now. Has anyone got any advice for introducing and general training tips?

The pup and the boys dont think will be a problem as the pup is still young, and probably more willing to accept them, the boys are silly but responsive. Think the 2 bitch labs will be the hardest, the eldest is 10 and fair-do's is stuck in her ways ;)

Anyone with experience? or isnt there anyone as mad as me out there getting rabbits with working gundogs?! Ive told mum it'll be a good training challenge, as long as my babies dont get eaten!

Thanks x

gundogs should not kill prey only carry it! however, in the real world i would always keep them apart. i thought my schnauzer was an angel with butter not melting in her mouth until she killed a squirrel!

We breed and show rabbits so we have around 50 rabbits here although around 30 of them are either in the garage or in a shed. We do have an area fenced off around the shed and outdoor hutches to keep the 2 dogs (gundogs but we don't work them) away but we also have a dozen hutches that the dogs can get to. We have never had any problems with the dogs and rabbits while they are in hutches but when they are out in the runs, the dogs get very excited, barking at the rabbits and running around the runs watching the rabbits.

We have a rabbit that lives out but also comes through the cat flap to the indoors,our two retrievers take no notice of the rabbit what so ever,but if we are out and see a rabbit they would both give chase to get it.
With time i think your dogs will except them in your home and learn to ignore them.

my parents have a lurcher and she runs round the garden with their rabbits.  My friend however had two cockers who killed her two rabbits and they had been bought up with them, dont even know how they broke into the hutch :(

I used to keep guinea pigs, and my larger dogs didn't take much notice at all.  My Border Collie was very good at returning escapees, and they were never harmed.  Although covered in spittle.  I bred longhairs, they must have felt horrible in his mouth. 

However, I once heard the most horrendous screaming, and rushed out in dread.  My TOY POODLE was shaking a rat in her mouth like a terier.  It was blood curdling.

yes i hope in time that they become used to them being part of our family,

i know theyre gundogs and just pick dead birds up, but given the chance the bitch will kill any little creature she sees on walks, the other day she tried to sniff a little mouse out of some grass, she's on it all the time!

they love our cat so im sure we'll work it out, thanks for replies ;)

Our bitch has killed a couple of mice in the garden but she has been so gentle with the rabbits. I would just say be careful and not stress the rabbits too much as stress can kill them or flare up pasturella.

Like another poster I used to breed Guineas, when I put them out in the garden in their runs, my BC would go round and round and round all of the runs with a fixated look in her eye, if one of my Guineas got out it would have been curtains I'm sure and I would never have trusted her,  my GR on the other hand used to lay next to the runs with a teddy in her mouth as if inviting them to play :-p I never actually gave her the chance to try it out though just to be on the safe side.

I would tread very carefully if I were you, I'm sure lots of people have managed it but it would always make me think 'lucky rabbits foot'

I have rabbits and G'pigs and 4 dogs. My rabbits are in the garage at the minute because of the cold weather but usually go back out into the garden around Easter time, in a large open topped run with a hutch for sleeping which is closed and covered at night.
My dogs are not working dogs but I did have a whippet and rabbits at the same time and she was fine.
I would spend a lot of time in the garden when they first go back outside or with any new pup making sure they didn't get TO interested!! but usually just the "leave it" command would work. If not a quick squirt with the hose would snap them out of their fixation and then lots of praise for avoidance or mild interest. My dogs now enjoy jumping into the rabbits run to eat the poop (YUK) and hay.
So, It can be done, but like everything else it takes a lot of effort and time.
PS: one of my dogs is a Collie/Jack Russell X and she is the best with them.
good luck
Paula 

thanks guys, think the buns are arriving tomorrow or saturday!