I picked up a rabbit for Starbuck, just to see how she would react. We have wild rabbits in the yard on a daily basis. Starbuck will chase them out of the yard any time she sees them. There is very little chance she will catch one. I was curious to see what would happen if the rabbit didn’t run away. Here is a video I took during her first encounter.
I don’t plan to use her as a “Game” dog. And I would rather not teach her to kill the bunny if she happens to catch one. If I let her play with the stuffed rabbit, am I teaching her anything? Or is a “real” rabbit just totally different than the “fake” one?
Diane Joslin Webboard User Reg: 01-09-2007
Posts: 368
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
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Keith,
That was a funny video. I'm pretty sure a dog will smell a "live" animal as soon as he sees it. I doubt that a stuffed toy rabbit to a dog would appear any different than any other toy. That's just my opinion though.
I think her reaction would be different because no rabbit will just sit there like the toy. Instinct would be to chase and catch it.
I had a GS when I was a child who caught little kittens who wandered into the backyard. The dog killed them by breaking their necks. I don't know if was intentional or accidental because I didn't see it happen. It's possible the dog just wanted to play with them but didn't know how to do it safely.
I would really like to see a video of the stuffed animal running away. lol.
Keith Larson Webboard User Reg: 04-09-2007
Posts: 363
Loc: Riverside, CA
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Well, it appears that Starbuck is fast enough to catch a rabbit.
Unfortunately I was asleep and I missed it.
My wife said that the pup took off after the rabbit as usual. But the rabbit ran the wrong way and trapped himself against the chain link fence. Starbuck pounced on the bunny and pinned it to the ground for a couple seconds with her front paws. She then let go and the bunny ran off.
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