Rabbit-Friendly Dog

Question
Hi,

I wanted to know what your opinion would be in going about getting a rabbit-friendly dog.  I have always wanted to own a dog and have not been able to due to apartment rules.  I currently have two house rabbits that roam freely and are very loveable pets.  I will be moving in May and would like to make an addition to my little family with a dog.  I wanted to adopt a dog and would be fine with either a puppy or a 1-2 year old.  I was hoping for a smaller lap dog like a shih-tzu or lhaso apso sized dog with lots of fur :D  Any recommendations what I should do?  Breed, age, size?  I have heard that much of the companionship depends on the individual personalities of the animals.  I had my first female house rabbbit 3 months before the addition of the second and after a few weeks of hell I successfully bonded the two females and now they are inseparable.  I was hoping a little love and persistence will help a successful bond between a dog and my two buns.  Like I said before I will be moving to a new "dog-friendly" apartment that will hopefully remove any territory problems.  Thanks for your help!

Answer
Hi Jen,

think hard before getting a dog.  You could wreck a good thing you have right now.  If one of the rabbits is fine but the other isn't, you have a problem.  

Puppies are not the best choice.  Better choice is a dog that is already trained to obey voice commands and actually is excellent at obeying those voice commands.

It really does depend on the personalities of all the animals involved.  I would hate to see your well-bonded pair break up because of the stress of another animal, especially if one doesn't get along with the dog.

I would not get another animal right after moving either. Other people may say different. It can be very stressful on the rabbits to be moved into a new location.  They are going to take awhile getting used to their new surroundings.  I would not throw another animal into the mix during this time.

My gut is that I wouldn't get a dog when you have a perfectly happy, helathy bonded pair of rabbits that don't need another animal.  I would hesitate because it's a prey animal, you have no guarantee they will get along and if they don't, what's your plan for that?  You have an obligation first to your existing animals, not any future potential animals.

Lee