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It's always best to start handling your show prospects at a young age.
I do a baby check when they in the nest box, I talk to them, rub their
tummy, and forehead. When they start hopping around the cage, I let them
have play time with mom in a playpen and I take turns handling each of
them.
Some breeders carry their babies around with them while feeding and
watering every night and some have radios that will provide some
background sounds during the day.
All this is done to help the bunnies adjust to their future life with
people and give the show bunnies a better chance on the tables.
Most fuzzy lops will have a very nice pose while sitting in their cage.
It's when you remove them that they start to sit awkward.
They lean to one side, sit flattened to the table, sitting frozen and
lumpy or have one leg sticking out weird.
Teaching a fuzzy lop to relax and pose properly isn't too difficult.
Get yourself a small table that is at a comfortable height for you.
Place your bunny on the table and with you hands placed on both sides of
his hips gentle lift his backend/Hindquarter only. You lift him just
enough so that his legs are off the table (my picture is a bit exaggerated
and scanned on an angle). Then place him back down. Usually this will put
his back legs squarely under him and for whatever reason the rabbit seems
to relax more.
With young bunnies you may need to repeat this 2 or 3 times until your satisfied
they've relaxed and the feet are as best as you can get for the time
being.
The rabbit will be a bit flat at this point.
Next cup the rabbit's butt with one hand and with the other hand place your
thumb on one side of the rabbits face and your middle finger on the other
side of the rabbit's face. Place you pinky finger under the rabbits jaw.
Gently lift your rabbit up in the front.
Use the hand that's on the rabbit's butt to stop it from backing
up.
The rabbit will try to back up and sit up. It may even rear up.
Allow the rabbit to settle onto the table.
Don't fight with the rabbit or punish him.
Just repeat until he gets the pose right. If he's having a real hard time,
allow him to get the pose close to what you want. They improve a bit each
night.
Praise you bunny, give him a good pet and ear rub.
When you first start out only ask for one good pose per night.
Practice every night.
If the rabbit is catching on then by the second week you can increase to 2
or 3 poses per night.
Pose in one direction and then turn him around and pose in the other
direction.
I don't flip them over to do a tooth check and gender check during this
time.
Most rabbits dislike being flipped over so I try not to include an
unpleasant unrelated thing during a training session. You can flip them
another time or at a later time when posing becomes an automatic thing for
the rabbits.
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