I’m getting an australian shepherd soon (from a friend’s litter) and I’ve been worrying about how the interaction with the buns and puppy might be. She’s got a huge flemish giant that she keeps near her dogs but I would say it just depends on the individual dog. I’ve got dwarf bunnies that might be considered food/play more than a threat, so I do plan on keeping the dog away most of the time (bunnies in the basement and puppy on the middle floor). Of course stress is a major factor as well, so a hyper, yappy dog would bother the buns more than a mellow quiet dog. I’d look for dogs with less prey drive, terriers obviously seem like a bad choice (but then again I’m sure there are calm mellow ones too). Personally I’ve had good luck with herding breeds, they tend to be highly intelligent and trainable and not as hyper as some other breeds. I had a German Shepherd that would chase squirrels but he loved the neighbor’s cat. I think the House Rabbit society has an article about bonding buns and dogs. Basically trust your instincts and I would never leave the dog and bunny unsupervised no matter how they may act in front you. I’ve had dogs that would never dare to stick their head in the trash while I’m around but would dig in the moment I’d leave. Dogs are very smart animals, so you have to be careful in that respect.
Like with bunny bonding, I’d start with very short visits to see how both animals react, preferably through a gate with the dog on a leash. If the dog starts getting excited, maybe do a “no” correction and walk away. Come back and try again to see if the dog can be calm around the bun (it’s hard for most unless you’re getting a young puppy and even then it’s hard!) I’d keep that up along with regular training of the dog, then gradually increase the time spent together until the dog no longer cares/notices the bunny or is at least very gentle when buns are around.
