RE: Confusing my pup??
This is how most gun dogs in the U.K. were trained for years.Gun dogs there were/are expected to pick up whatever was shot. Most spaniels and retrievers in training there today are still hunted and steadied to flush on fur and feather.Rabbit hunting is not as popular here as it once was so for the most part we don't expect our gun dogs to be as versitile as they were in the early to mid 1900s.
I'd say it's a personal choice. If you steady the dog, the rabbits will only help on the pheasants and vice versa.