How do you break up a dog fight?

Fools Motto

Fools Motto

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Is there a right way?

(Not my dogs)
2 small dogs occasionally disagree with each other. Usually jealousy around the owner (we are working on it). Owner usually goes in to grab 'the culprit' by the tail. I'm not so sure about this.
When I'm there, and conveniently close to a water source, I throw some over the dogs, or a yard broom to help separate. if I'm honest it does work, but there of course can be a delay in getting water/broom.
So, IS there a right way?
 
Wouldn't do any of those things although the broom is probably safest for all concerned and I suppose water would snap them out of it. Owner is asking to be bitten by the business end, by grabbing the tail IMO.

In the scraps I have seen, the most effective way was to restrict the air supply of the aggressor using a lead looped into a tourniquet then lift them out and away by lead to calm down once they let go. And never hands in/grabbing for the reason given above.

But in the case you describe, if it's that much of a problem, I'd try my best not to keep letting it happen. The treatment of the 'victor' and the 'victim' will have a consequence, every time.
 
CC, how would you go about getting the lead on? I know certainly when my two girls go at it you wouldn't have a chance.

When mine fought I tried to create a diversion, loud noise, clap hands, shout leave it etc have also heard of water being used as the shock of it makes them stop.

Dogs need to be left separate to allow them time to calm down.
 
Be careful with pepper. My father in law shook some in the face of an aggressive bulldog once, and it sneezed then dropped dead. He was rather surprised, I don't know if the two are related but I suspect they may have been!

My dad swears by a fairy liquid bottle with a bit of diluted fairy in it. The aggressor gets a squirt on the nose. I'm not sure what others will think of this but it's worked in our family for years with the farm mutts!
 
strangling it can cause windpipe damage.
I'm a tail person if I htink I can drop it quickly if it turns on me!
Or water, liberally applied!
 
I have been training my dogs with the 'leave it' command which is used for everything from leaving treats to leaving sheep. To assist when the dogs are on the leads and they ignore the command I use an air spray can. Just the sound of it re-directs both my dogs and only a few times have I had to spray them. Its a harmless spray of air so wont harm them if its sprayed in their face

I have used it recently when my older whippet took an instant dislike to a black lab and slipped his lead to have a go at it. In the midst of their 'barking' fight I sprayed them very quickly and they both backed off very shocked. I quickly explained to the other owner what it was - luckily they didn't mind..
 
Some of us with ongoing grumbling contentious household dogs for whatever reason know if we don't get involved a dog is going to lose an eye or life - anyone who is concerned re getting bitten should not touch a fighting dog as it is a risk.
 
Yes, and bites can cause puncture wounds, infections, large vet bills, trips to A&E etc etc etc. When it was my dog being attacked by a much bigger animal which had run down a field and jumped a fence to get at him when he was minding his own business, and I had been sent flying, the other dog being choked for a couple of seconds didn't really bother me to be honest.

Gina when it has been done in my presence the line was thrown under the dog and the clip end threaded through the hand loop. Quickly and carefully!!
 
Yes, I understand that as I currently have two dogs still learning to live together and have had to break up fights, but physically touching them is not something that has ever crossed my mind.
 
CorvusCorax said:
I remember someone on here thinking someone was suggesting hair spray, not air spray.

DON'T use Silvikrin!!!!
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LOL! Definitely not hair spray... Its a can of air called stop barking that you can buy from pet shops... works wonders with my two - one has even stopped chasing cats as well as sheep.
 
Funnily enough, the thing that sets my GSD off is a small air pump for one of those large inflatable exercise balls! I only have to produce it and she goes nuts to get at it! That makes exercising her rather fun as I sit in my arm chair and have her jump, backwards and forwards, over me as she tries to catch it! I keep meaning to video it as it is hilarious! Sometimes I am laughing so much I fall out of the chair with her on top of me!

On a more serious note, if you have the broom (or similar) and can push the fighting pair towards a door, push one through and shut the door. I discovered that after trying to separate two fighting dogs, followed by six weeks in hospital and an operation on my spine for a slipped disc which still gives trouble 40 years on.

Sorry, I don't know a sure fire answer to this one but anything that will give a dramatic shock to the pair is worth trying. Then grab one, lift it off the ground, and put it somewhere safe -- very quickly before the other recovers. If a fight is anticipated, it makes sense to be fore armed, in more sense than one.
 
Water is good one, but i have been an idiot in the past and grabbed there jaws and pried them off of R's leg, was not happy!
The owner then realized her dog was across the park, i kept hold of him till she arrived and asked him to be put on a lead in future as if there is an injury i will claiming the bills off her... (he is now kept on a lead and found out from other dog walkers R wasn't the only one he had a go with!)

I have heard people saying if you hit a dog in the nose? but i dont think i could do that!

But will be following!
 
Broke up one between a Gordon setter and my Golden (she doesn't start fights but will finish them) by grabbing the hips. She did turn around to see who grabbed her naturally but luckily she came to her senses and didn't bite me. Another time a friend dragged her by the tail which I think is safest way of doing it; you can easily just drag them back a short distance and let go before they think about biting you.
 
GinaB said:
Shocked people would even consider trying to touch a dog that's fighting. Misplaced aggression and you could end up with a serious bite!
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So you would just stand there and watch your pooch get shredded?
Water
lifting back legs, wheelbarrow stylee
slip lead and strangle

but to be honest in the heat of the moment you do whatever you can!!!
 
GinaB said:
I'm not saying to leave them to it, but there are other ways to stop which will help prevent injury to a person.
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I guess that would depend where you were and what you had to hand at the time of the fight..... and as someone asked how? What methods would you use?
 
lexiedhb said:
but to be honest in the heat of the moment you do whatever you can!!!
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This ^^

I have 6 dogs; 3 of them are giant breed livestock guardian dogs and they quite capable of killing. I have two young dogs, both are 2 years old; one is a Czech GSD and the other is an Akbash. They get along great now but when they were both about a year old they did have a couple of scraps which I dealt with straight away, or pre-empted and stopped them before they even began. One day a fight kicked off between them. I had no hesitation getting stuck in there as I could see, in the frenzy, that my other 4 dogs were starting to look like they might get involved too. I shouted and kicked at a couple of my other dogs to keep them away and then I grabbed the 2 young dogs by their collars/ruff and was able to hold them apart for enough time to shout for someone else on the farm to come and take one of them from me. Once separated they both calmed down. I ruled them totally for the next few days and for the past year and a half then there has been no trouble. I am with my dogs all the time and as they are all working dogs I do keep them on a fairly tight rein. Had I not intervened in that fight then at least one of my dogs would have died on that day.

Having said that, there is no way I would intervene in the same fashion with dogs I did not know. I would probably look for a stick, shovel or water spray source to try to split them up.
 
GinaB said:
Shocked people would even consider trying to touch a dog that's fighting. Misplaced aggression and you could end up with a serious bite!
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This . . . it's all too easy for the dogs to "transfer" the aggression to a person who adds themselves to the mix . . .

P
 
Spring Feather said:
This ^^

I have 6 dogs; 3 of them are giant breed livestock guardian dogs and they quite capable of killing. I have two young dogs, both are 2 years old; one is a Czech GSD and the other is an Akbash. They get along great now but when they were both about a year old they did have a couple of scraps which I dealt with straight away, or pre-empted and stopped them before they even began. One day a fight kicked off between them. I had no hesitation getting stuck in there as I could see, in the frenzy, that my other 4 dogs were starting to look like they might get involved too. I shouted and kicked at a couple of my other dogs to keep them away and then I grabbed the 2 young dogs by their collars/ruff and was able to hold them apart for enough time to shout for someone else on the farm to come and take one of them from me. Once separated they both calmed down. I ruled them totally for the next few days and for the past year and a half then there has been no trouble. I am with my dogs all the time and as they are all working dogs I do keep them on a fairly tight rein. Had I not intervened in that fight then at least one of my dogs would have died on that day.

Having said that, there is no way I would intervene in the same fashion with dogs I did not know. I would probably look for a stick, shovel or water spray source to try to split them up.
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I think that is probably the answer. Someone has to be on the top of the pecking order and it probably ought to be a human! Once dominance has been achieved, everyone can get back to being nice to each other. My two working GSDs will happily eat out of the same bowl, but the first sign of aggression was firmly nipped in the bud and has never been repeated. All I have to do now is issue a verbal warning and peace is instantaneous and that's how it should be. They are dogs!
 
Dry Rot said:
I think that is probably the answer. Someone has to be on the top of the pecking order and it probably ought to be a human! Once dominance has been achieved, everyone can get back to being nice to each other. My two working GSDs will happily eat out of the same bowl, but the first sign of aggression was firmly nipped in the bud and has never been repeated. All I have to do now is issue a verbal warning and peace is instantaneous and that's how it should be. They are dogs!
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As I recall, you also have a Czech GSD so you will totally understand where I'm coming from. There's no way you could leave these dogs to sort out any order. The livestock guardian dogs are the same except they are twice the size of the GSDs, and although they tend to do what they like and are generally very placid dogs, they are just too big and too capable to be left to their own devices when they are all together as a pack. I absolutely adore my dogs, each and every one of them, however I make darned sure I keep a state of equilibrium here with me most definitely in charge.
 
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