Trust

In order to effectively train your rabbit you must establish trust between you and your rabbit. Trust training begins the moment you bring home a new bunny and continues throughout its lifetime. It is the means of teaching your rabbit that you are not a threat to him and will not hurt him. It is also the foundation for teaching your rabbit to respond to simple commands and instructions, such as "No!", "Come", "Down", "Home" and so forth. To accomplish this you need to be patient and consistent whenever dealing with your rabbit.

The first step requires that you to sit beside your rabbit while he is in the cage and just talk softly and quietly to him. At this point, make no attempts to touch the rabbit.

After a day or so, slowly start putting your hand near the cage all the while talking reassuringly to your rabbit.

If he

responds well to this you can start putting your hand in the cage. The first few times make no attempts at touch the rabbit. Allow him to come to you, smell you and become accustomed to your hand in his territory. If at any time he lunges at you or bites you, remove your hand and try again. You may need to start again by putting your hand close to the outside of the cage for a few days.

Gradually, you will be able to move from outside the cage to inside and finally to touch and pet him while he is still in the cage.

Some rabbits, no matter how hard you try will not let you pet them while they are in the cage. It could be that the cage is too small for the rabbit and he feels threatened. You could try a larger cage, or putting a small box/hutch in the cage with a door only big enough for the rabbit. If the rabbit is in his box/hutch never try to pet them inside the box. Try to encourage your rabbit, either verbally or offering a treat, to come out the box before petting them, this allows the box/hutch to remain a rabbit only zone. It could also be personality, for these rabbits make your goal much simpler such as being able to put food into the cage without being bitten.

The second step is that when your rabbit is out of his cage and running about, lie down on the floor and let them come to you…never you to them, unless it is time to go back in the cage. When the rabbit approaches you, slowly reach out to them if they ran away so be it, if they stay try to touch them. Talk to them during this time, encourage them to approach either by words and/or the use of treats. Eventually, your rabbit will come to you for snuggles and pets.

Steps 1 and 2 can be done simultaneously as some rabbits behave differently when in or out of their cage.

Some rabbits don't like to be touched at all and are quite aggressive. Aggression could be hereditary or a learned behaviour, either way the behaviour needs to be controlled and new behaviours learned. You will have an easier time teaching good behaviour if the aggression is a learned rather than hereditary behaviour. It can often be difficult to discern learned behaviours over hereditary, therefore a keen eye is needed in order to notice any triggers or causes for the aggression. A rabbit that growls and lunges when you put your hand in the cage...is a hereditary behaviour used to protect ones territory. A rabbit that bites only when you touch a certain spot, such as the nape of the neck, is a learned behaviour. A rabbit that just doesn't like being handled or touched and becomes aggressive as a result, might have a history of abuse or miss handling. With rabbits with an abusive past, trust training can take much longer.

Rabbits, by nature, don’t like being picked up as they are afraid of heights and of falling. Therefore it is normal for a rabbit to wiggle, squirm, scratch and bite when you try to pick them up and hold them. This does not mean you will never be able to hold and cuddle your rabbit it will just take some more time but well worth the effort.

What you do is: Pick him up, when he wiggles, let him go. Praise him while you are holding and talk softly and reassuringly. Do this several times throughout the day. Eventually, you will get to a point were he will allow you to hold him longer and longer before he wiggles and wants down. He is learning that (1) you are going to hold him and (2) when he doesn’t want to be held he can go about his own thing. In the end he is learning to trust you and that he is being respected and cared for.

Baby bunnies and “teenagers” will want more run time and less holding time, however around the age of 2 (sometimes sooner) they usually settle right down for longer holding and cuddle times.

When teaching your rabbit good versus bad or unwanted behaviours, the saying "you give an inch, they take a mile" holds true. If you let your rabbit get away with bad behaviour once (such as chewing) they will continue to do it. Therefore you must constantly remind your rabbit of what is acceptable and what isn't. Saying "No!" every time your rabbit does something undesirable such as chewing your table and then physically moving the rabbit away from the object being chewed will t

each your rabbit that the behaviour is unacceptable. Eventually, you will no longer need to move your rabbit away from the object being chewed because by saying "No!" the rabbit is reminded the behaviour is unacceptable and will move away himself. A good way to ensure that even the most stubborn rabbits get the message that chewing is an undesirable behaviour you might want to establish the three strikes your out rule. This rule implies just that "three strikes your out". For example, your rabbit starts chewing your table, you have said "No! Chewing!" and moved your rabbit....he goes back to the same spot and starts chewing again. This time your say "No! Chewing, strike 2" and again move your rabbit. He goes back again, this time you say "No! Chewing, strike 3" and when you move him, you send him back to his cage for a time out. Some really stubborn rabbits will wait until you say "strike 2" before moving away from the object being chewed.

Saying "No!" to your rabbit can often be used in conjunction with other words such as "No! Chewing" or "No! Biting". You may also want to emphasis it by clapping your hands or making a loud noise. This will startle the rabbit slightly causing the rabbit to stop doing what it was doing.

It may sound difficult in the beginning, but think of it this way: when training a dog, you are not going to allow them to get away bad behaviour and would constantly remind them to do good behaviours, the same can be done for rabbits. Rabbits much like dogs and perhaps more like toddlers need to be reminded frequently of what they can and can't do.

Rabbits like cats are naturally clean animals and will use only one area of their cage as a bathroom. This makes litter training fairly easy to accomplish in a relatively short time period. Rabbits of all ages and breeds can be trained to use the litter box. However, the very young and very old may not always make it into the litterbox in time, so accidents are bound to happen. And even the most consistent litter trained rabbit will leave the occasional dropping around the house.

The first step, if you haven’t already do so, is put a litterbox in your rabbit’s cage. Place it in the corner that your rabbit has already established as it’s bathroom. Once your rabbit has mastered using the litterbox inside the cage, you are ready for the rabbit's first outing outside of the cage.

For your rabbit’s first outing its best to keep the run space small. Remember you want your rabbit to be able to enter and exit it’s cage at will. If this is not possible you will need to provide at least one additional litterbox outside of the one in the cage. It never hurts to have more litterboxes than actually needed, especially during the initial training period.

The starting point for your rabbit’s excursion should be the cage. Allow your rabbit to come out on its own terms. Limit the time out from anywhere from a half an hour to an hour, after which put your rabbit back in the cage in its litterbox. Praise your rabbit for good behaviour. If you notice your rabbit backing up with its tail up in the air, it’s time to get your rabbit back into the cage or closest litterbox. If your rabbit should urinate before the time limit is up, put your rabbit back in the cage and still praise if for being good.

A rabbit can some time be picky about using the litterbox or down right refuse to use it. This could be for several reasons: its in the wrong spot (according to your rabbit), he might not like the litter you use, or the sides could be too high. To encourage a rabbit to use the litterbox you can put some hay in it, offer him treats while he is in the litterbox. If your rabbit is small or has mobility problems the litterbox sides might be too high or difficult to get over, the solution is find a smaller litterbox or cut one side off to allow easier access. Choosing the right litter can also make a difference. For possible health and safety reasons never use cedar or pine wood shavings and never use deodorizing or clumping cat litters. Pelleted small animal litter like "Yesterday's News" is a good alternative but some rabbits may not like walking on pellets. "Care Fresh Pet Bedding" works really well, it is a reclaimed wood pulp that is low in dust and easy for rabbits to walk on. In addition, "Care Fresh" should you purchase the neutral colour contains no dyes, bleaches or added chemicals, I have not looked at the newer coloured version.

Harness training is fairly simple and very rewarding. The biggest mistake you can do when attempting to train your rabbit is expecting to be able to purchase a harness put it on your rabbit and immediately take it outside. Harness training works best if you take it slow over a period of several days. Before you begin training the first step is to purchase a harness.

There are 2 main styles of harnesses the first being a figure eight, the second is called a figure H or just a H harness.

Once your have found a harness that you like and will fit your rabbit you can begin the process of harness training. Some rabbits will take to harness the very first time you put it on them, others need more time to become fully comfortable with both the harness and being outdoors. Therefore go as fast or as slow as needed according to your rabbit's comfort level.

Leave the harness lying around where your rabbit can see it, smell it and become familiar with it. Do this before you being putting the harness on and the entire time your rabbit is adjusting to wearing it.

Put the harness on your rabbit for just a few minutes, leaving the adjustable straps loose. If your rabbit panics, take it off. If your rabbit doesn't mind it on, leave it on a little longer. Do this several times a day and gradually tighten the harness to a proper fit. For a proper fit you should be able to get two fingers in each loop. After a day or two providing your rabbit is comfortable with the harness on your are ready for the next step.

Attach the leash and again let the rabbit run around with it on several times throughout the day. Stay close by to ensure your rabbit does not become tied up somewhere. If thing look good you can take hold of the leash and gentle tug on it now and then and walk around the house with it on. Now you are ready to start going outdoors.

The first trip outdoors should be short and gradually increase. Make sure you take rabbit to a place that is safe from dogs and cats etc. In no time your rabbit will love being in the harness and going outside for outings.

You should always remember that when you are outside and your rabbit is on a leash does not mean it is safe. "Food on a Rope" is what I used to say. Cats and dogs alike think rabbits are easy targets leash or not so it is best to try and teach your rabbit the simple command "STOP!". This will allow to easily get to, and pick up your rabbit in case of danger as well as for when it's time to go inside again.

Rabbits instinctively run when scared, however, if you have a solid trusting relationship with your rabbit you can train them to go against this natural behaviour.

Whenever you have your rabbit outside on a leash start using the word "Stop" and pull back slightly on the leash, so the rabbit can no longer move forward. Go to your rabbit and again say "Stop" this time placing your hand over your rabbit so he crouches down. Finally, pick up your rabbit and praise him, reassure him and hold him closely.

Practice this over and over without your rabbit being in scared or dangerous situation. Eventually, your rabbit will automatically respond to the word "Stop" by actually stopping and crouching down, thus allowing you to easily get your rabbit and pick him up.

It may require several times, before your rabbit does this when he is actually scared, so be prepared that in the event of an emergency he may forget to stop when asked to do so. But if you go to the parks often they do learn it and it comes in very handy.