This guide outlines how to break up a dog fight safely and what things you should avoid doing.
Most dog owners share the fear that their own dog could be attacked by another dog. Unfortunately, a bite can never be completely ruled out, which is why it is even more important that you are prepared for such exceptional situations. That’s why in today’s article we’re devoting ourselves to the question of how to break up a dog fight and at the same time clarifying questionable “methods”.
ALSO READ: How to tell a dog’s age — the 6 clues
How to break up a dog fight: overview
No furry friend is 100 percent safe from getting caught in a biting fight — not even yours. It doesn’t matter whether your best friend is very social and friendly or particularly dominant and aggressive.
Don’t forget, your pet will always meet other dogs outdoors. And it can happen that the two four-legged friends simply cannot like each other. In most cases, the affected animals avoid each other and/or express their displeasure with each other through body language. Accordingly, as a dog owner, you can make a significant contribution to preventing a biting incident from occurring in the first place!
Prevention is most effective
To best avoid a fight between two dogs, you should always be vigilant when walking. This also means being considerate of other dog owners and their pets. Let’s take a typical situation: you go for a walk with your animal friend and let him run free. Now a person with a dog on a leash approaches you. Even if your four-legged companion is very friendly, you should also keep him on a leash out of consideration. Ultimately, you don’t know whether the other animal might be aggressive or intolerant.
If you visit a dog park or similar, if in doubt, do not bring treats or toys with you in order to avoid fights. Also pay attention to the dogs’ body language, as this often tells you their state of mind.
Keep an eye on dog body language
The body language of dogs not only serves as a means of communication between other dogs, it is also very helpful for us humans to understand the animals better. Aggressive and/or dominant furry friends not only growl and bark loudly, they also show their mood using body signals.
They usually assume a stiff posture and bristle their back and neck fur. “Baring their teeth” is also typical, in which they lift their lips and show their teeth. Recognizing these signs is the first step in how to break up a dog fight safely before it even starts.
You should also exercise caution if the animal is standing still and is literally fixating the other dog with its eyes — because in this case it is often ready to fight. In such situations, it is advisable to avoid the two furry friends meeting. If both animals are on a leash, this is usually possible without any problems.
However, the situation is different if only one dog is on a leash or both dogs are running freely. Because in this case it is more likely that one of them will go on the attack within seconds and attack its fellow.
How to break up a dog fight: Separate fighting dogs or not?
There is not necessarily consensus on the question of whether or not you should separate fighting dogs. While it is clear to many dog owners that they would intervene to protect their four-legged friend, others rely on the animals’ conflict management.
However, the latter is only a good choice to a limited extent, because seriously fighting dogs often fight to the death. But separating them and stopping them from fighting is easier said than done.
On the one hand, they are literally blind, deaf and insensitive to pain during a fight. On the other hand, they find it difficult to let go once they get stuck into something. But what can you as a dog owner do in such situations ?
How to break up a dog fight: best methods
Stay calm
Most dog owners react in panic and hysterics when their four-legged friend is involved in a biting fight. That’s understandable, after all, emotions tend to take over in such situations. But unfortunately loud screaming or haphazard intervention is counterproductive because it can increase the animals’ aggression.
That’s why the top rule is: stay calm! This is easier said than done, but in the worst case scenario it can save your four-legged friend’s life. However, if two furry friends are fighting, under certain conditions you can try to intervene and separate the two.
Surprise effect with water
A “cold shower” is an excellent way for how to break up a dog fight because it can provide a brief moment of shock so that the animals let go of each other. For example, a bottle filled with water that you pour onto your four-legged friend is suitable for this.
As soon as they let go of each other, separate them immediately and put them on a leash. This method is very simple, but does not always have the desired effect. This surprise effect does not work, especially with dogs that have been trained to attack.
Pick up fighting dogs
Picking up both dogs is more effective than the surprise effect. However, this can only be successful if both dog owners are calm and agree on how to proceed. Ideally, both people should lift their pet by its hind legs at the same time, so far that the front legs no longer touch the ground.
In most cases, fighting dogs can be separated this way — but not always. In absolute emergencies, there is another method that is not entirely harmless.
In an emergency, squeeze the neck
If fighting dogs absolutely refuse to be separated, the only option for how to break up a dog fight is often to cut off the air supply. This can be done by placing your hand around the dog’s neck and squeezing.
However, this can be very dangerous for both four-legged and two-legged friends. If you reach in carelessly, one of the dogs may accidentally bite you. However, if you manage to put your hand around the dog’s neck, be sure not to squeeze wildly or for too long.
If handled incorrectly, the animal can faint and, in the worst case, even die. That is why this method is only used in emergencies and is preferably carried out by experienced and trained people.
If your opponent’s dog or your own dog is wearing a flat collar, you should reach in and around with your hand from above so that you have a firm grip on it. Then you turn your hand up and pull up. This prevents the four-legged friend from biting any further.
Ultimately, this methods for how to break up a dog fight creates a leverage effect that can be increased with the strength of the biceps or controlled at your own discretion. In addition, the dog in question has no way of freeing itself from the hold so quickly because it has little freedom of movement.
However, if he is wearing a harness , you should take a leash or a belt and put it around the dog’s neck. Then you wrap it around yourself a few times and then pull up. This constricts the four-legged friend’s airways and distracts him so much that he lets go of the other furry friend.
Which methods are not recommended
Unfortunately, it often happens that when biting occurs, the rational mind is literally switched off and dog owners act emotionally. In order to protect the animal, you often resort to questionable aids and try to fend off the animal attacker.
According to reports, dog owners have used knives, stun guns or pepper spray. People also repeatedly try to get between the four-legged friends and stop them from fighting with kicks or punches.
However, such interventions have exactly the opposite effect in how to break up a dog fight. The pain inflicted makes them even more aggressive and at the same time less sensitive to pain and more willing to fight.
One could almost say that violence encourages them to fight even more. And since that’s exactly what we want to avoid, it’s so important to stay calm and leave emotions out of it as much as possible.
Conclusion: Better safe than sorry!
Fighting dogs are very difficult to separate because they often go into a bloodlust. In addition to the surprise effect with water, you can try to stop the four-legged friends from fighting by lifting them. In an emergency, it has also proven useful for how to break up a dog fight if you cut off the attacker’s air by squeezing his neck.
Vigilance and consideration are just as important as species-appropriate training. After a stressful encounter, you should definitely treat your dog to a snack at home and give him plenty of rest.
Photo by Chris F
