We Have a Rabbit. How Do We Introduce Our New Dog Safely?

You love your rabbit, and now there is a dog in the house. The honest starting point, per rabbit welfare guidance: rabbits are prey animals, dogs are predators, and coexistence is possible but never guaranteed. House Rabbit Society's guidance says most rabbits and dogs can form healthy relationships with time and training - and the House Rabbit Resource Network is just as clear that it does not always work.

So the goal is not friendship by Friday. It is a home where the rabbit is safe every minute - including the minutes you are not watching - with closeness allowed only if it develops, at the rabbit's pace. Before any introduction, read the House Rabbit Society guide's Before You Begin requirements - they include health prerequisites to confirm with your vet - and if your dog has any catch history, check readiness with a rabbit-experienced professional first.

Start with an honest read of your dog

Before any introduction, answer the prey-drive question plainly. HRRN's guidance asks it directly: does your dog love chasing squirrels or wild rabbits on walks? Is every outing chaos because they want to chase anything that moves? A strong chase history means introductions may take months - or may mean the two animals simply live separately forever. That is a legitimate outcome, not a failure.

Age and temperament matter too. House Rabbit Society notes that puppies are primed for training because everything is new, while many older dogs are less interested in engaging a rabbit at all. Know which animal you have before you plan.

Barriers first, always

The rabbit's housing is the foundation: a secure pen, x-pen or room the dog cannot enter, jump, or knock over. The rule is no unsupervised shared space, ever - barriers up when you are out, and separation when you are simply not watching, even at home. House Rabbit Society keeps fencing and barriers in place until you are fully confident in the dog, and 'fully confident' takes a long time to earn.

This also protects the rabbit from the stress of being watched. A predator staring through the bars all day is no life for a prey animal, so give the rabbit a hide inside their space where the dog is simply not visible.

Introductions on the rabbit's terms

House Rabbit Society's sequence starts at the barrier: teach your dog to respect a distance from the pen before any closer work, and reward the calm signals - loose body, relaxed ears, soft eyes. Redirect the moment interest sharpens, because a rabbit's own happy zoomies can flip a dog's chase instinct on. Only when calm holds do you let the rabbit approach the dog, on the rabbit's terms. A leash at this stage is your call, not a rule - HRS notes that for some dogs the leash itself means excitement, so use whatever handling tool keeps you confident and in control. One condition never changes: you are in control of the dog, and watching the dog, the whole time the rabbit is out.

Expect this to take weeks to months - HRRN is blunt that slow and steady wins. If your dog fixates, stiffens, whines or cannot be called away, the session ends and the barrier goes back up; that is information, not a setback. And if chase drive stays high after honest, consistent work - or your dog is simply not reliably trained yet, where HRRN suggests a professional trainer - separate living is the kind answer for both animals. For the parallel cat version of this work, see introducing a puppy to a cat; if your dog is new and still settling overall, start with the first-week checklist.

Related: how the cat version of this introduction works.