Rabbit Clicker Training

[@Tinwelende]

Hi! Yes, the sooner you start training her, the better. Rabbits are pretty strong minded, so you an be pretty firm when you tell her "no". I push mine away pretty bluntly if he tries to chew cables or something, as I say "no" with a sharp voice. After a few times like that, it's enough only to say "no" from a distance and they'll quickly stop whatever they are not allowed to. Though, their bodies are fragile, so always push them away with care and never inflict pain in them.

[@Tinwelende]

Once he can do a full circle with your guidance, you can add the commando, eg. "Spin" as you're doing it and then, when it seems like he understands, see if he does it when you just tell him "Spin" and point in the direction he's used to spin. If yours just run away, he probably doesn't expect anything fun to happen around you, so try to be very patient with him and feed him little treats when he comes up to you.

[@Tinwelende]

Thank you! :) Momo will most likely stop leaving little droppings within a year or something, I would say, hopefully even sooner. It took Filip 3,5 years to stop, though males are usually slower with the litter training. But if you've noticed progress with the litter training already, that's a good sign. Filip jumps up on the couch, even though he knows he's not allowed. So when I see him up there and start moving towards the couch, he'll playfully flick his head and jump down quickly. :P

[@Tinwelende]

The easiest trick is to teach him to stand up on his hind legs. You simply just give him a treat from higher and higher up and finally he has to stand up to get it. You then add the command you want to use, e.g. "Up", and after a while of saying "Up" right as he's reaching as far up as he can, you try to only say "Up" (and maybe just quickly sweep your hand over him, if he doesn't get it the first times). He should after a while stand up on his own when you say "Up". Good luck!

[@Tinwelende]

It takes only a few days to train them to do certain trix. Rabbits are actually really clever. They pick stuff up quickly. They only smell if you don't clean the cage often enough. If you clean their litter box evey day, they do not smell. It's only their urine laying around that smells. And most rabbits learns to pee only in their litterbox. Filip sometimes gets in a hurry and runs all through the apartment only to get to his litter box and pee. ;)

[@Tinwelende]

the animals really tend to love it, cause they have to think and try to get it right in order to get their reward, which is something fun for them, so they are really trying to strive for it. :) So, yes, it is just like a game to the bunny (or whatever animal you're training). :) Though, to really get it right, I would absolutely recommend to read up on it a lot more, since it's such a delicate and precise training method that is more effective the more you know about it. ;)

[@AngelaMangeldoveinca]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is AMAZING!!!!! I do have a clicker and I will try this on my new bunny. You are a good trainer. Keep up the good work and keep me up to date.

[@Tinwelende]

Thank you! Actually, that trick was just in the process of being taught. He was tired after doing the other tricks, so I knew he'd lay down. So right as I saw that he was about to, I said the word "lay down" ("ligg" in Swedish) and he automatically did and got rewarded for it. If I would've continued doing this for a few days (or weeks, maybe) he'd soon associate the word and the action with each other and hopefully do it on command. But for some reason I never finished training him to lay down.

[@RoslynLamb]

I'm very impressed at the level of training. Excellent and clearly Filip is very happy doing it.

[@Tinwelende]

He nibbles things occationally, but stops when I tell him "no". But he is the one rabbit of all the rabbits I've had in my life who does it the least. It usually just comes down to luck in what kind of rabbit you get - a nibbler or not. Just make sure that Momo always have stuff to nibble on in her cage and let her know that that's the only place she's allowed to nibble on things. Rabbits learn quickly to hear the difference in your tone of voice if you're mad or not.

[@nancyspain8765]

"FILIP" is adorable & can see the strong bond between you🙂. 'Tackar' for an entertaining & helpful video! I have recently been introduced to "clicker" training & hoping such training will work with obedience as well as it seems to perfect trick training🙃🤗! Igen, 'tackar så mycket'.

[@Tinwelende]

Haha, thank you! He loves training me. :) He became deaf two years ago, though, so now we're doing everything only with hand signals, but he still loves it and gets really eager when he realizes we're about to practice. :) I just checked out your videos. You have some really cute bunnies. :)

[@Tinwelende]

You just give him a little treat as soon as he comes up to you, so he knows that coming up to you is always something positive. Once he knows that, you can start calling his name AS HE IS running up to you. That way he will associate running up to you to get a treat with his name. After a few days or weeks, he should be coming up to you as you're calling his name ahead of time. ;)

[@RandomPanda49]

so cute!! Ive been wanting a lop-eared bunny for a while now and i feel ready for one. they look absolutely adorable and think training it would be fun. and once you've got a few tricks down, its easier and funner(if that's a word)...but thats just me. your bunny is adorable!! and i love his name- Filip

[@Tinwelende]

You just take the treat and move it in a sircle, slowly, halfway around his head in one direction, so that he follows it with his head. Give the treat once he's turned his head only a little bit. Once he knows to follow it around, you can increase the circle until you move the treat in a full circle around his head. Just train him in really short sessions of maybe just 3-4 minutes at the time and do it in really, really small steps.

[@Tinwelende]

If he's tame enough that he comes up to you, you can just start clicker training him.It works fine to do it outside, too.

[@nocomment4642]

What a gorgeous rabbit and what a wonderful video! Thank You, I really enjoyed that. I am looking into clicker training my rabbits and has really encouraged me.

[@Tinwelende]

Then he just doesn't trust you enough. Some rabbits never become completely tame for some reason. It's very individual. It's the easiest to tame them when they're as young as possible. The older they become, the harder it gets. Taming them and gaining their trust takes time and requires you to spend all the time you can with the rabbit.Take it to a breeder or pet store where they are used to handling rabbits, so they can show you the best way to pick it up and hold it without it kicking.

[@Tinwelende]

desired behavior and you praise that with a click and a treat. Then you wait for the animal to try to do that same thing again, cause it knows it gets rewarded for it. After a while, you don't satisfy with that small move, and you wait until the animal tries more, or longer or in a slightly different way - something that is more close to how you want the trick to look like. You always do it in very small steps. You can read a lot about this online. It is a very effetive way of training and

[@Tinwelende]

Every trick took about a total of five minutes to an hour to teach him, spread out over several days.

[@Tinwelende]

Just rewarded him with treats as soon as he did come to me (without me saying anything). Then I added the "call" as he was on his way over to me. After a while he associated "Filip, come" with getting treats as he came up to me, so he started doing it as I called him. ;)

[@yoshiokafutaba3890]

He's so smart and adorable!

[@lifewithcarl6051]

Tinwelende What a great example of clicker training for rabbits, you and your bunny are really great inspiration!!

[@donyboy73]

you have trained him very well, i have a rabbit like yours and I didn't know you could train them like that

[@Tinwelende]

Make him understand what the clicker means first off. Spend quite a lot of time on just clicking and giving him a treat right after, even though he hasn't done anything. Then decide what you want him to do. Then you click for any single little movement towards the right, desired behaviour. Try to progress in small steps rather than in long steps, and have short training sessiongs, since rabbits get tired and unfocussed quickly. 5 minutes at the time is enough. And have patience. ;) Good luck!

[@dreamofhope1]

I didn't know bunnies were this trainable. Evidently, you have a very strong bond with yours, and some incredible skill. :)

[@Tinwelende]

Thanks for your comment and sorry I haven't answered until now. You can get a clicker at pretty much any pet store. Getting him to side kick jump will probably be very hard, since they only do it when they're really happy or excited. You should really try to teach him easier things first before you take on the side kick jump (if ever). Shaking hands is also a hard one, but read up on clicker training as much as possible before you start and you'll figure out the rest while you read.

[@Tinwelende]

Yes, I'm from Sweden. He's from a breeder called "Cumulus Kaniner". Just look for serious breeders online and try to get in touch with them and ask questions about the rabbits' health and all the questions you can think about before you decide to buy one from them. If you can go and visit the breeder before you buy one (to see that the rabbits are kept under good conditions and to meet the parents of the rabbit you are going to buy and so on), you should definately do that. :) Good luck!

[@Tinwelende]

When it's hot you should put the cage in the shade (the rabbit can never sit in the sun, not even when it's not that hot out) and hold ice cubes against his ears and give ice cubes with pieces of apple in them so that he can eat them. Like a bunny popcicle. :)

[@Tinwelende]

It's cause the treat is in your hand. But if you keep doing that and add the word "up" or whatever word you prefer every single time he stands up (AS he is standing up), he'll start associating the word with the action. After a while (several days of training) you can try to just say the word without the hand lure. Just wait for it and repeat the word a couple of times. If he doesn't stand up anyways, raise your hand quickly and then reward after taking it down if he stands up even after that.

[@keelyhanson1451]

The kiss.... ❤ that was adorable!😍🐰

[@Tinwelende]

White sunflower seeds. Though, they are very fatty and not very nutritious, so you should only give a small amount per day. You can basically try giving it any small pieces of food that suits a rabbit (tiny pieces of carrot, corn flakes, etc.). The trick is to find their absolute favorite treat that it's willing to work for. :)

[@Tinwelende]

Thank you for your comment! :) Yes, Filip comes when I call him. I guess it's the fact that he's used to being petted and likes it, so he comes just because he wants me to pet him. Plus the fact that I've never really forced him to stay if he didn't want to. If he wants to jump away again, he can. Because of this, he knows it's not so painful to come up to me and be petted. I've also trained him to do this by giving him treats as he somes up to me - but not every time. Good luck with yours! :)

[@Tinwelende]

Lure it with a treat that you hold to the side of it's head. Give it the treat when it's turning it's head to get it or to look. Then hold up the treat further and further back and reward with the treat when it turns. Let your arm holding the treat come in from above the rabbit and continue rewarding until it moves it feet to reach the treat. Reward more and more until you have a full cirkle. Patience and many short training sessions will do the trick. ;) Good luck!

[@Tinwelende]

Rabbits usually have different preferences. It's very individual what their favorite treats are. But just go to your local pet store and see what rabbit treats they sell. From there you just have to test your way through to finding your rabbits favorite treats. My rabbit's favorite was the white sunflower seeds.

[@Tinwelende]

It took about three days to teach him each trick, doing it in sessions of five minutes at the time, two to three times a day.

[@Tinwelende]

Hi! The click is used instead of a praise. The click sound is always constant, whereas a praie, like saying "Good job!", or something like that, always sound a little different from the last time you said it. There's a million ways to say "good job". So the click always sounds exactly the same and the animal knows what it's waiting for and recognizes it immediately. Plus the fact that the click comes more precise. You can click ON the specific desired behavior as it is being performed.

[@Tinwelende]

It's the same thing. ;) If the click is too loud for the rabbit, you kan hold the clicker in your pocket or behind your back when you click, so the sound gets softer.

[@Tinwelende]

You are absolutely right. More people need to learn about their intelligence. Read up as much as you can on both species before you decide. Filip runs loose in my apartment as soon as I'm home, so he's more like a dog that you don't need to take outside for walks. Rats are more active all the time and not as cuddly as a rabbit, but you can teach both of them trix. Just remember that both species should be at least two individuals living together since they're very social animals. Good luck! :)

[@Tinwelende]

To circle, I used "luring", with means I hold the treat in my hand and puts my hand to the side of his head and as he turns his head I click and give him the treat. Then you just progress from there, and make the circle more and more complete. In the end it's enough that you just circle your hand above him and he understands what to do. To lay down, I wait until he's tired and I know in advance that he's going to lay down. Then I click right as he does it. That one take a bit more time to teach.

[@poopersooper123]

haha thats cute :) so tell me, do you train your bunny after his lunch or before? i wanna learn how to clicker train one of my bunnies so this would help me alot!

[@Sophie51298]

@theeye67 my guinea pig had that you should take your rabbit to vet immediately. My guinea pig ended up passing away because of her overgrown back molars were restricting air flow to her lungs. Causing puss to run through her nasal cavities and making the puss come out of her eye. Is your rabbit wheezing. If so take him or her to the vet. Good luck

[@KLizard43]

That's Great! I am really impressed that Filip can lay down on command. You have done a great job. What do you use as a treat?

[@Tinwelende]

Yes, absolutely. Just read up as much as you can about it before you start, since it's a quite delicate method that needs to be done right in order to be the most effective. ;)

[@xanthiafield23]

Hi, where did you learn to train him? I would love to be able to do it with my rabbits! :) What you've done is amazing :D Thanks

[@Dragon_puppetz-]

Super adorable! I particularly love the bunny kisses! :)

[@Tinwelende]

White sunflower seeds. Though, they're very fatty, so you should give very scarce amounts.

[@Pamsdogacademy]

This is really awesome! I clicker train dogs and cats, but have never had the chance to clicker train a rabbit. I have students at my school where I am a teacher that have rabbits and I showed them your video. I am hoping that they will start working with their rabbits.

[@SuperCheesetastic]

Wow, he's not only talented, but adorable!

[@Tinwelende]

It took between five and 50 times before he learned the various tricks. Tro train her to come when called, start out by finding out what her most favorite treat is. Give it to her every single time she happens to run up to you. After you feel like she expects the treat every time, add the command and say it every time AS she is already running up to you and then give her the treat. After a while, she'll associate that command (e.g. "come here") with running up to you and getting a treat. :)

[@kristinformalin18]

What is the name of the song and artist you're playing with the video, I really like the song. And I have lots to learn I just got my first bunny three weeks ago, she is 3 months old.

[@ItsCalledHonesty]

@Tinwelende Do you know what language the song is? Because I've been searching but I'm having difficulties!

[@orrac1e]

Amazing! How long before he picked up the skills? I just got a 2mth old Netherland dwarf and am trying to work on her coming when called.

[@Tinwelende]

Yes, you can. It just takes a little longer if he already has decided where to pee. Just take the litter that has the pee on it and put it in the litterbox and put the litterbox right back in the spot where he pees and hopefully he'll continue in there. If he pees somewhere else, just move that litter into the litterbox, as well.

[@fleshwoundification]

Very well done. Thank you for sharing. Beautiful rabbit also.

[@toad_spit]

VERY SMART AND CUTE BUNNY! .. ome question.. does he go in a litter box, in his cage or everywhere?

[@Tinwelende]

It took him maybe two or three practices (of 5-10 minutes each) spread out on two days. They understand it quite fast. It's the training of the tricks that takes time. ;)

[@treegasmx]

how long did it take you to train filip to be this talented and obedient? :)

[@Tinwelende]

Thanks. :) He never gets lunch, only a few pellets for breakfast (and then unlimited amounts of hay, of course). I usually trained him any time during the day or at night when rabbits are usually more alert, so he wasn't very hungry or really full. ;)

[@Tinwelende]

He's still very young and most rabbits get better with age, poop-wise. Though, males are always a little bit messy and some male rabbits never poops in one corner of the cage. But just give it some time, move all the poop you see into his litter box and hopefully he'll get it eventually. To gain his trust more, try to feed him little treats from his hand and politely "ask him" if you can pet him before you do. If you hold your hand out infront and slightly over his head, he will turn his head

[@Tinwelende]

Differet rabbits like different things. Look in the pet store for special rabbit treats. Small, soft lentil-like treats with different flavors are common rabbit treats and they usually love them. My rabbit loves white sunflower seeds, though they contain a lot of fat, so you should only give scarce amounts of that. But just try your way through all the different things that he might like, and you'll notice what's his favorite treat. Just be really careful with the amounts of everything you give!

[@Tinwelende]

I've had him since he was 8 weeks old. They usually live 6-8 years, but 10 is not uncommon. The oldest one I've heard of was 14, but that's just that one rabbit.

[@CraicDealerEire]

@Tinwelende You seem to be very experienced with rabbits so My rabbit has urine and poo on her paws and ive tryed everythingto get it off and i even gave her a bath (which i know i shouldnt of) but i was thinking would yyou know how to get it off?

[@Tinwelende]

Rabbits usually choose a corner to pee in by themselves. Then you just put the litter box in that corner and put some of their feces in it. Don't put hay IN the litter box, cause it would get contaminated. Put it in a hay rack right on the side of the cage above the litter box. That does help sometimes, since they usually poo as they're eating hay. To bond, just spend as much time with them as you can, but never force them to anything.

[@sofiase1]

she's asking you where do you got that tube where your bunny passes trough. hope it helps

[@Tinwelende]

Wow, this really made me smile. Thank you! :) I'm glad you see this video as inspration. Just tell the students to do it in shorter training sessions than with dogs and cats and in very small steps and they will be successful. If you see my rabbit agility video on here, I used klicker training to teach him that, too. Clicker trainng is great activation for a rabbit. :) Good luck to you and all your students and thanks again for your comment!

[@Tinwelende]

Thank you! :) I use white sunflower seeds. They are very fatty, though, so one should be careful not to give too many.

[@runescapek0ed]

Thanks for the help!One more question, to make your rabbits spin or stand, do you use treats to motivate them to turn or stand?

[@kathyong2749]

I've got a similar mini lop, same colour and he is about 10 months old and his brother Netherland drawf about 9-5 month old. Any idea how can train them together?

[@Tinwelende]

You could also try to pet it as a reward, like a quick head rub, though they usually appreciate the treats the most, which makes the training the most efficient. Maybe you could use cereal or something like that as treats (or his normal pellets), if you are worried you'll be giving him too many unhealthy treats? You've just gotta find something he likes and thinks it's worth working for. The healthier, the better, of course. Maybe even a small piece of lettuce (one small mouthful) would work?

[@ChechenGirl]

That's interesting. I've heard that hearing problems are common with lop eared rabbits. Filip is very adorable, by the way. I've never thought about using a flashing light before! That's a great idea, and I will try it. I'm excited now =) Thank you!

[@kikiekikie1672]

WOW, this is amazing! I didn't know that rabbits can be trained. Thanks for sharing this :-)

[@Tinwelende]

Ya, I know. This video was made as a demonstration of how clicker training works (when exactly to make the click). He had just learnt the tricks when this video was made.

[@Tinwelende]

I used clicker training. The treats are white sunflower seeds.

[@Tinwelende]

It's quite hard to get the discoloring off, but getting the worst of the urine and poo by just washing it off is a good start. I usually just hold my rabbit's paws under running water, so that I don't have to give the whole rabbit a bath when he doesn't have to. If your rabbis is held in a clean environment it will most likely get the rest off by itself. This can be hard, though, with a rabbit that pees in the middle of the cage and then lies down in it. I took all the straw out of the cage

[@theandrejkaw]

Hello :) My bunny is 4 months old and i dont know when should i start with training. I ve read lots of texts about clicker training but still, is it too late or too early? I would like to hear your oppinion. Thank you for answer :3 Btw great job with your Filip :) really smart bunny :p

[@Tinwelende]

Yes, it's just a little bit harder, though, cause you need to recreate the EXACT same sound every single time you click. Then, in clicker training in general, another hard thing is to do the click on the very exact second of when he's performing the right behaviour. If it's "sit" with a dog - the click needs to come exactly then his butt touches the ground, etc. But just stay patient and train the rabbit in short sessions (like 5 min) at the time. Good luck! :)

[@starfire11]

are the sunflower seeds unshelled or shelled? salted or unsalted? thanks!

[@thaisferreiraufv]

I loved it! The most smart rabbit in the world!

[@Lydiabidiapumkinpie]

What a cute bunny :p I LOVE flop eared bunnies!

[@Tinwelende]

No, I don't take him out when it's raining, since it's not good for rabbits to eat wet gress, plus they can easily get a cold. I'm always keeping the cage door open, so he runs around my apartment as he pleases. Though, some rabbits chew on wires and furniture, so you need to take stuff he can chew on away before you let him out unattended. I used clicker training to teach him to spin, though I cheated in this case, using so called "luring" during the clicker training when I taught him to spin..

[@bubbaliciousNZ]

5 stars very cool Filip is one obideant bunny :) a real tribute to the love and devotion you have for one another Can't wait to bring my bunny home in a few weeks just waiting for him to wean ( Flemish giant ) How did you teach him the lie down trick ???

[@alybob1]

Filip you are so cute!! i have a mini lop doe, Momo. she is only 14 weeks now and is nearly fully litter trained. she just leaves us some little poos around, will she stop it once she is mature enough do you think? Also (assuming Filip is a house bunny) how is he with jumping on furniture and nipping? great work so far, he i just too cute!! x

[@Tinwelende]

It will take a long time for the rabbit to fully trust you, especially if you're not firm and certain in your way of handling it, e.g. if you're not very used to carrying rabbits. If you go to rabbits.rabbitspeak. com, you will find many great tips on how to communicate with your rabbit and how to read it's signals right. That will take you far in gaining trust from your rabbit. It's hard to explain how, but just search KZbin for "How to pick up a rabbit" and you'll find lots!

[@michaelajonsson9528]

Okej:) Tack för svaret på min fråga! :D Har du någon bra hemsida som jag skulle kunna läsa på? :)

[@Barbarows]

so cute , I'm sure he is better friend than most of human

[@RS54321]

What a sweet bunny! Do you give him a treat every time he does a trick or can you wean him off of them after a while? I'm concerned I'd be giving my bunny too many treats if I did this.

[@Tinwelende]

This is a mini lop. It's a breed who's bred to have floppy ears. ;)

[@xxjulieber]

Where are you from? it sounds like Sweeden. Just wondering where you adopted the bunny from? I'm looking to get a mini lop myself.

[@Sunset553]

I haven't tried much training but my Netherland dwarf 1 year old bunny knows "up" to stand up, she comes towards me if i scratch on the floor, usually comes to me when I call her name. I started getting her to jump through a hoop but that had mixed results lol. Great video. Tack tack

[@igorawr122]

Your rabbit is so smart! Could you make a video that shows your whole process of teaching him a trick?

[@SenoraNintendo]

How long did it take you to train your rabbit? My rex is just 13 weeks old so I was wondering if I could train her now. I'd love for her to be Obedient and not just run around my house destroying it.

[@nudle19]

Haha how cute! i can see that image of ur little rat popping out and in of ur sleeve. Wow that's so awesome that u are allowed to have him out on ur shoulder in class. My school would nva allow that......i think. Nva happen b4 so i dont know.

[@EvelinaAndersson89]

så himla coolt!! :-D var himla kul att se faktiskt. men hur tusan får du honom att förstå vad ligg betyder? ska nog testa att börja klicker träna mina kaniner

[@Tinwelende]

I'm from Sweden, so I can't really tell you how much they are, since I think they're a little cheaper in the U.S. Just go to a good pet store and ask about expenses. Make sure, though, that you have money saved for possible veterinary expenses too, though. Many people just buy the animals and the things they need for them and have no money left to use if they'd have to take the animal to the vet. So to have money saved somewhere for vet expenses is a must before buying an animal.

[@Verena3383]

Hi, its very cute and interessting! I have two rabbits, they are very cute but don't know any tricks. Do you think your rabbit is very smart or is this possible with any rabbit?

[@Lillable1]

My rabbit is 4.5months, he's also a mini-lop and he has the attention span of a Pea :] I have to starve him for 2 hours (Take away his food bowl) before he will do tricks for diced apple and sunflower seeds, he cares more about scent marking the whole house. Is Filip Neutered?

[@delphinedeneir8513]

What do you use as a reward?? Tinwelende

[@ItsCalledHonesty]

very cool 8D i'm trying to clicker train one of my four rabbits currently =] what is the song in the background? i really like it

[@Tinwelende]

I know. It's quite common to do that here, too. People buys pets, but don't want to spend money keeping them healthy (like taking them to the vet and such), so they take their lifes or give them away instead. It's really sad. No, it's not hard, as long as you know how clicker training works and as long as you have treats that the rabbit is willing to work for. ;) I use sunflower seeds, which Filip loves.