what breed of tame rabbits?

[illinois boy]

I was going to try starting my pup with some tame rabbits and was just wondering what breed seems to work best.

[Red Briar Kennels]

Illinois, if you were to ask 10 people, you might very well get 10 different opinions. But we've had very good luck with a particular breed called Smokey Mtn. cottontails. I don't know them by any other name. Someone might call the same breed by another name, but that's all I've ever heard them called. They look like a wild rabbit as well. Now, I hear people knock using these tame rabbits cause they don't run like a wild rabbit,......which is very true. But I'm not using seasoned hounds to run these rabbits either. We professionally train dogs here at our kennel for people, and we often use them and I feel they can be very helpful IF used correctly. We only use for a VERY SHORT time. A couple of times, maybe three. Then it's on to wild rabbits under normal conditions. We use the "tame" rabbits just to introduce the pups to rabbits and sort of get them started off in the right direction. I have often heard that people don't like using "tame" rabbits because they don't smell the same. Sniff a wild one, and sniff a "tame " one. I've never had a pup that could really act like they could tell much difference either. Some guys will tell you otherwise,.....and they might be right. But from our personal experiences, we've never noticed much of a difference. They tend to run in short bursts, but have had some that actually took the pup for quite a run. They're fairly easy to catch, and it's alot cheaper than building a starting pen. Especially if you just have a few pups to start now and then. Goodluck with your pups. I always tell folks that if the breeding is there, it's only a matter of time before they catch on reguardless,...but I do think the "tame" rabbits allow things to happen a little quicker just because you get to create the scenerio.