A rabbit is a beautiful pet to adopt but taming and training it can be a challenge. Unlike cats or dogs, it can be a bit difficult to train your rabbit. Not many people have been successful with it as they abandon the training halfway.
Rabbits are way too fast, and you need to work hard to train them. They aren't obedient like dogs but can be taught. The training effectiveness can also be estimated by the bond you create with your rabbit.
Rabbits are brilliant and energetic animals. All they need is proper attention and love. However, giving an hour or two to your rabbit won't do it; teaching rabbits require a lot of work and patience throughout every step of training.
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How to Train Your Rabbit?
Training your rabbit to come to you when you call them takes patience and dedication to continue training. It may take a while, but it would definitely work. Unlike dogs, rabbits are not that obedient this is why it can be challenging but not impossible.
There are some simple steps that you have to follow in order to achieve your goal. Each step takes time to be completed and creates a better environment for the rabbit. Therefore, please don't abandon the training while it's in process.
1. Gain Your Rabbits Trust
This is the most critical element. Gaining trust won't only help your training but will ensure your pet a safe environment. It may also lead to other benefits.
Making your rabbit trust you is done in many ways and takes a lot of time. Trust would just be built by playing with them or your appearance.
Providing healthy food and shelter creates a foundation for you. As we mentioned before, rabbits are very intelligent. When you provide them with their basic needs, they'll start liking you and feel safe with you.
Always be calm with your rabbits. Not just rabbits, every pet doesn't like when you use aggression or anger towards them. Creating positive energy around them will more likely ensure that they follow your commands.
You would need to divert a lot of your time to them. Every pet wants their pet parent's love and affection. This keeps them mentally happy and healthy, and it pleases them when they see you.
Incentivize your rabbit. Treat them with their favorite and call their name while feeding them the treat. The favorite food that comes to everyone's mind is a carrot for a rabbit but trust us, there are many other things they like as well. Therefore, try new treats and see what attracts your rabbit the most.
Once you build a layer of trust, every other element of your training gets easier. The more the rabbit trusts you, the more likely they are going to follow your commands. Therefore, spend a great amount of time pleasing them and creating a healthy environment for them.
2. Try to Create A Distance
After building trust, the actual training starts now. When the rabbit gets attached to you, try to get a bit distant. This doesn't mean ignoring their existence and forgetting about them.
The main reason to create a distance is to check if the rabbit tries to find or follow you. If they do, it is a clear sign that you have successfully created a bond with them.
Try sitting at the other side of the room and call their name with a treat in your hands. They may not always respond to it but be patient. It will work.
Gradually, your rabbit will try to come towards it even if it's for the treat. Don't forget always to keep calling your rabbit by its name. It will make them feel like the word is their identity and connect with it.
As we said, rabbits are intelligent, they can feel their identity in the name. With time the rabbit will understand that the name represents him.
Don't do this all day. It may irritate them. Try carrying out this training session for a few hours a day but at intervals.
3. Trying Calling Them from Another Room
This is the biggest challenge you are going to face during the training. It would be best if you had a lot of patience for this. The rabbit doesn't see you, so responding to its name from another room can be difficult. Therefore, it may be irritating for you, but be patient; your rabbit will react and come to you with time.
Training your rabbit is a difficult task, but it's worth the struggle. Once the training is complete, and your rabbit will respond to its name and come, you will feel a different sense of achievement.
This step may take a week or maybe two. Therefore, carry out this step twice or thrice a day. With time, your rabbit will miss your presence and try to find you, and this is when hearing your voice with its name will bring it closer to you.
4. Avoid Treating And Just Pet Them
Treats are good for your rabbit, but too many treats can cause health problems. It just adds calories to their diet and can lead to issues. Be it a vegetable or any other treat.
Some of the health conditions that can occur due to overfeeding include obesity or gastrointestinal diseases. Therefore, once the previous step is complete and the rabbit starts coming to you, don't treat them just pet them.
Your rabbit may not always be up for a treat, but would never say no to a good petting. Try petting above the head and body. This will give them a feeling of a massage and will relax their body.
They may not find something else that could relax them. So they will always try to come under your hands looking for a good pet. Not just petting, try to appreciate them verbally.
They may not understand what you are saying, but your positive attitude and energy will make them happy. This does work, and you will feel the difference once you start carrying out this step. It is the healthiest way to appreciate and reward your rabbit for successfully responding to their name.
5. Repeat the Training
This doesn't mean doing it from the start. But once you think that the training is complete, don't just stop it. So there is a reason why we are saying this.
After you are done with the training, try carrying out the last two steps every other day to reinforce the training. This will develop a closer bond with your rabbit and ensure that it remembers all the signals that he has to respond to.
After this training, it will be easier for you to teach other tricks. Of course, you may teach others tricks before this one but teaching them to come when called is the basic one. The effectiveness of this will also represent how friendly and intelligent your rabbit is.
Estimating how easy or difficult it would be to train them would become easier for you. Therefore, carry out these tricks every now and then to make sure it remembers it and treat them occasionally to show appreciation.
Factors That Would Make the Training Easier
Some rabbits can get trained in a week or two, and some may take more time. It depends on the rabbit but also on some factors that are in your hands. Training won't just do it, and there are some external factors that contribute to making the training easier for you.
Therefore, always keep these factors in mind when training your rabbit. These factors can also work for teaching them other tricks as well. However, the elements we will talk about should not only be used for teaching them.
These should be carried out all the time to create a loving and healthy environment for your rabbit. These elements are important even if you don’t want to teach your rabbit.
1. Make Sure the Rabbit Is Adjusted In Its Surroundings
Don't start the training right away if you just got the rabbit. That would just scare the rabbit a bit as the surrounding is new to it. Let it enjoy by itself, get used to the rooms and the area.
Once it is adjusted, the rabbit will feel safer and give him a sense of belonging to your place. He will adopt it as his habitat and get used to the people and objects around him. Make sure to play with him and feed him well.
2. Create A Bond
This is the most important. Be your rabbit's buddy. Play with him throughout the entire day. Keep him busy and treat him well. This would help create a strong bond with your rabbit.
A bond should be so strong that the rabbit should miss you when you aren't home. It will keep you and the rabbit busy together, and he will start trusting you and get attached to you. The stronger the bond, the easier it would be for you to train him.
It is your pet, and if you didn't have a strong bond with it, it would not have a good effect on its mental health. Instead, it would make the rabbit feel as if it is not in the right place. Therefore, a strong bond should be your priority to work on.
3. Make Sure that the Rabbit is Familiar First Two Steps of Training
The first two steps of the training are the primary foundational steps. If they are done right, teaching the rabbit gets easier.
It is crucial to familiarize the rabbit with the two steps because the better you do it, the rabbit is more likely to follow your commands. Therefore, the basics of the training should be carried out patiently and give proper time to your rabbit.
A strong understanding of these three factors would make the whole process convenient for you. Not just that, once you will see some results, you will be motivated to do the training better stay dedicated to achieving your goal.
How Long Does It To Carry Out The Entire Training Process?
It depends on the rabbit. If your rabbit is a quick learner, it would barely take him a week. But for, the new rabbits will gradually try to adapt, and it may take up to 2 weeks.
This is the reason why we have emphasized patience throughout the article. Some pet parents lose hope and abandon the training when it is going to change. The more you love and keep your rabbit interacting, the more likely it will come to you.
Can All Rabbits Be Trained To Come When You Call Them?
Rabbits are smart animals. If the environment is perfect for them, they willingly learn new things and interact with you. Compared to old rabbits, young rabbits can quickly learn tricks faster.
Mostly every rabbit can be taught to come when you call them. Not just that, but if you teach them properly, they may also learn to follow other commands as well. For example, you can teach them to give you a high five or a handshake.
Remember one thing: give your rabbits healthy treats, which would keep them connected to you. Even for treats, they will try to learn and follow your commands. The treats can be a token of appreciation and make them feel attached to you.
Finals Words
How cute it would be when you call your rabbit, and it comes running in your arms. Imagine you have guests over, and you call your pet. The guests may think it is going to be a dog, but the rabbit will shock them and how you taught them would be a great story to share.
This was your complete guide to teach your rabbit to come when called. However, understanding each point thoroughly as teaching rabbits to follow your commands is not easy. Therefore, it is essential to build your basics first and then start teaching.
