Rabbit Agility
by Sheri & Allison Bellairs with help from "Speedy "

 “Hi, my name is Speedy. When I was younger two girls would take me and my brothers and sisters to play. Then one day we were all put in a carrier and when we were let out I saw a cage so I ran to it. When I got in the cage they shut the door and yelled I was in first place. When I got to the next level I had to run and jump to get to the cage. Now I have to run through a tunnel and jump over a jump with my buddy Coco. Some day Coco and I hope to do rabbit agility with more jumps and a teeter totter and maybe even an A frame.”

While searching the internet, we came across rabbit agility.  Having had a dog with some agility training we thought that it sure would be fun to do agility with our bunnies.  Samantha began teaching Coco her pet Dutch rabbit to go over a homemade jump.  Coco is eager to please and took to it right away.  Allison was next to get involved with a black Dutch buck that was slated for the stew pot.  She was determined to save Speedy.
Speedy’s training began with the girls setting up a race course for the young rabbits.  Speedy got his name because he usually won every race.

Soon the two girls had a regular course of jumps running through the center of the barn.  With regular encouragement and treats both rabbits became quite good at jumping over obstacles.  Later we convinced a friend to build rabbit sized agility equipment including 2 pole jumps and an A-Frame.

The best rabbits for jumping and agility tend to be very energetic and active.  Look for a rabbit that is agile and quick.  Then spend a lot of time with your rabbit on a harness and lead.  This is a must for doing jumping/agility in an area that is not fenced.  Set up small jumps such as a 2 X 4 and encourage them to jump over it.  Slowly increase the height of the jumps and then add in things like a tunnel or A-Frame.
 
We are looking forward to sharing this fun “sport” with members of our 4-H club.  The girls are working with the rabbit club to build a team of bunny enthusiasts that will be ready to put on an exhibition at the county fair. We have found that the agility is a great way for the girls to spend time getting to know their bunnies and it keeps them active and interested in rabbit raising.  Even during the cold winter months when there weren’t any shows they spent hours in the barn running their bunnies over jumps and through tunnels.