Of course your new Pet is adorable and our instinct is to reward them for each and every cute thing they do. Unfortunately, instead of providing the leadership role for our Pet, we often do the opposite. Help your new Pet learn the correct way through "Learn to Earn."
Make sure your rabbit associates you with all the resources - food, praise, positive attention, and freedom.
Never provide a resource when your rabbit is misbehaving or demanding it. Simple cause and effect teaches your rabbit to shape his own behavior. You want your Pet to figure out and learn from you what behaviors gain your approval and the goods.
Does your rabbit run
in the opposite direction
or just stand and stare
at you
when you call?
Why don't pets come when
called?
If you call
your rabbit and then
do something your rabbit
does not like such as taking
away freedom or giving your
rabbit a bath or car ride,
your rabbit
is
less likely to come when
you call.
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Make sure you
don't accidentally give your
rabbit any reason to think
twice about coming to you
when called.
|
Why teach
rabbits
to come when called?
Praise.
An important goal
for training good behaviors
is to "catch
your rabbit doing
something right"
and praise and reward that
behavior.
Communicate.
Teaching
rabbits
to come to
you gives you a
common language and
builds a positive
relationship.
Safety.
If your indoor
rabbit
slips outdoors, think
how helpful a quick response
to being called can be. It
might even be life saving!
What to
do
Think to
yourself, "What is my
rabbit's
favorite reward?"
-
Introduce the word, "come"
when you know your
rabbit will
come or when your
rabbit is already coming to
you. Use the rabbits
name, the word, "come"
or cue that you choose,
then praise your rabbit
for looking at you and
for approaching you.
-
Show
your
rabbit what
"come"
means by using a food
treat to lure your
rabbit to come
to you. Put a very tasty
treat within reach and walk backwards
slowly
saying your
rabbit's name
and "come"
in a loving, happy, animated
voice. Praise any movement
in your direction. Begin
with
inches or a foot or two
to ensure success.
-
If you don't think your rabbit will come, do
not use the word "come" or your chosen cue word. Set
up
every
situation to help your
rabbit learn and
succeed.
Teaching
House Rules
Prevention. Being in their pen
also helps them to learn to go
potty there and to chew on the
things you have given them.
Bonding. As your rabbit learns to trust you, they
will also learn to come when you
call. When you can
gently pick them up to return
them to their pen, you can give
your rabbit more freedom to
explore the room outside of their pen.
Gentle interruptions.
When your rabbit is exploring a
room, call them away from
chewing on any items that are
not theirs. Reward them by
giving them a food treat or item
to chew from their pen.
Litter training. Many
rabbits return to their pens to
go potty, so leave one end of
the pen open to give your rabbit
easy access to the litter pan.
No scolding. Never
scold your rabbit for
beginning to chew on a household
item or for not coming when
called. Scolding only makes your
rabbit afraid of you. Rabbits are prey animals and easily
frightened.
No force. Do not force
your rabbits
to conform to regimented
routines. Instead, use
gentle methods
to
enrich your rabbit's lives
with
lifelong learning. Discover behavior
training as one of the most
fascinating and enjoyable
activities you can share
with your rabbit.
|
Punishment
may temporarily stop a behavior
but may also drive your rabbit away
from you and others. When
rabbits learn from reward
based, gentle training, they tend to be
more friendly and social. |
Normal behaviors.
Most
rabbits simply live out their
genetic code and what they
learned as young bunnies.
Positive Pet Parenting. Raise a
loving, confident, gentle, friendly rabbit by helping your rabbits see you
as the provider of everything
they love such as food, treats,
toys, affection and freedom.
|
Ideal rabbit personalities develop
when
rabbits learn to trust people. |
What to do
If
you catch your rabbit
chewing on a household items,
try interrupting the
chewing behavior without
your rabbit seeing you.
Then provide an item that your rabbit can chew on from
their pen.
Interruptions -
stop unwanted behaviors
-
Clap
your hands
-
Pat the floor
Rewards
- increase wanted behaviors
-
A reward
is anything your
rabbit enjoys
such as
praise, tasty food,
and toys.
If your rabbit isn't social, then
being left alone is a
reward.
-
Rabbits
are very social and
do adopt people as
family and therefore respond
well to praise.
-
Rabbits repeat behaviors that
result in desired
consequences. Think about
how your rabbit is learning by cause and
effect.
-
Call your rabbit
saying rabbit's name then
hand feed the rabbit's daily
portion of fresh vegetable
and the occasional food
treat.
|
You can establish
law and order in your household
by following the principles of
INTERRUPT,
REDIRECT, and REWARD your rabbit. |
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Improving Relationships
between People and Pets!