The short answer is, no. Although poodles look cute and petite to us humans, they are more like stalkers to a bunny rabbit. Very few know that poodles are actually some of the best hunters out there. In fact, the breed was initially developed for hunting waterfowl.
With their hunting prowess and innate mastery, it is clear that they cannot get along with prey animals. Rabbits are one of the prey animals and trigger a fight response in the breed. This post is all about do Poodles get along with rabbits?
Let’s explore all types of the Poodle to review how each is unique its own way.
Poodle Breeds
Since we can’t ever have enough dogs in the world, the Poodle breed has sub-breeds within. These influence sizes and personalities within the Poodles breed.
The three pedigree Poodle breeds are:
1. Toy
An attribute we could probably figure out from their name, the toy poodles are the smallest of the three breeds. They are usually 24cm-28cm tall and weigh about 6kg. This size is what makes for their name toy. Yet, Toy Poodles are not classified as toy dogs.
It is seen that toy poodles have a very dominant personality, but they have an equally loving nature. Often, toy poodles that live alone will develop an alpha personality and not accommodate any other pets in their territory. If not appropriately trained, Toy Poodles may even grow out to be aggressive and ill-mannered. This canmake life difficult for you as a Poodle owner.
This very aggressive nature of toy poodles makes it extremely unlikely to get along with any prey-like animals such as rabbits. The toy poodle’s very size was actually developed to make them fit for specific hunting tasks, which explains their dominant personality. Simultaneously, their prey instinct is incredibly sharp, and they take no time in switching to it. This makes Toy Poodles an implausible candidate for dogs that would get along with rabbits.
But do not let this fool you into thinking that Toy Poodles are low maintenance. Toy Poodles are also the queens of their own world and need to be groomed as such. One of the essential areas for Toy Poodle grooming is their hair care. Poodle coats grow throughout their lives and hence need to be looked after and cut regularly. The recommended time to get a cut is every six to eight weeks.
2. Standard
While the Toy Poodle is the smallest breed of Poodles, the Standard breed is the biggest of the three. They can weigh up to 35 kgs and grow up to 38 cm in height. The toy breed was developed from the standard breed in the human search for efficiency.
While they may be bigger than the Toy breeds, they are not really huge. They are sleek and have an athletic body, and make for a very trainable breed of dogs. They may also not exude the same aggression as toy breeds and are less likely to be dominant. But they are still dogs made for hunting and have that killer drive within. Their bigger size makes them even stronger hunters. So, while your Standard Poodle is less aggressive, itmay still not get along with a rabbit.
It is recommended that you not try to test it out as the experiment. Trust us when we day, you do not want to be onthe wrong side of a Standard Poodle, especially with that cute haircut they adorn so gracefully.
3. Miniature
The miniature poodle is a balance between the two other breeds. They’re bigger than the Toy but smaller than the Standard breed. They can measure only up to 38 cm in height and weigh about 8 kg. The miniature is the most common pet of all the poodle breeds.
Like all the other poodles, the miniature has a high need for exercise and is easy to train. But even when trained, the miniature breed has a strong prey drive that is biologically built into their system.
This means that the miniature breed, too, does not get along with rabbits at all. You’d be happy if you also avoid any kittens around these built-to-destroy fluff monsters.
Are Poodles Good Family Dogs?
All this information certainly brings up the question:
Are poodles even a good family dog given their hunting drive and prowess?
Let us tell you, that other than just being aggressive and predatory creatures, Poodles are brilliant dogs that love companionship. Just like any other dog, they get zoomies and need your attention.
Yes, they are! Poodles are highly trainable and can be the gentlest of creatures. At the same time, they don’t shed a lot, so you don’t have to run around with a roller everywhere. But, you will still have to ensure that you regularly get hair grooming for them.
Additional Information: How Often Should Poodles Be Groomed?
So, poodles are the most family-friendly dogs (if that’s a thing). You might also enjoy reading “Do Poodles Make Good Pets” here on our blog.
Which Dogs Are Best With Rabbits?
But rabbits are cute and cuddly too – aren’t they?
So, if you really want rabbits, you know poodles aren’t the dog to get alongside them. In thiscase, you will have to ensure that you get a dog that gets along with their rabbit friend and has less of a prey instinct.
Here are all the breeds that you can get:
- Basset Hounds: even though these are hunting dogs, basset hounds are very mild-tempered and accept smaller animals into their territory.
- Golden Retrievers: these are literally every child’s dream pet. What more could you ask for if they even get along with bunnies. But given the excitement of a golden retriever, you should try and introduce them gradually so as not to cause harm accidentally.
- Golden Retrievers: these are literally every child’s dream pet. What more could you ask for if they even get along with bunnies. But given the excitement of a golden retriever, you should try and introduce them gradually so as not to cause harm accidentally.
- Boxer: how difficult is it to believe that boxers get along with rabbits? Probably not as difficult to believe that poodles can be dangerous, right? But for boxers, you must ensure you familiarize boxers with the rabbit before trusting them. While they may not have as strong a prey drive, they are naturally guarding dogs.
Takeaway
At the end of it all, for any dog to completely accept another pet in their space, they must be familiarized, and that is a long process.
But patience is a virtue, and loving all your animals like family, certainly makes a difference.
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