Anyone who’s been in the unfortunate position to witness, or be involved in, a dog fight will know that it can be a pretty terrifying place to be. Dogs can fight for many reasons – fear, feeling threatened, territory (including of possessions), frustration, over-stimulation or pain. Although trying to prevent dog fights in the first place is clearly the best approach, it is important to know how to act if it does happen, to minimise the risk of injury to both the dogs and the people involved.
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DO:
- Use noise to distract the dogs. Any noise can work – shouting, banging saucepans together, a whistle. It needs to be loud and sudden in order to effectively distract, but if it doesn’t work you need to quickly move onto another technique.
- Spray with a hose. Again, the aim of this is a short, sharp shock so throwing a bucket of water over them or even squirting water from a bottle is likely to have the same effect.
- Throw a blanket over them. By doing this, not only will it distract both dogs but will also help to prevent them seeing each other and therefore hopefully break the deadlock.
- Use an object to break them apart. A wooden board works well here, but anything solid and big enough to keep your hands away from danger is worth trying. By placing it in between the dogs, you can provide a physical barrier to them attacking each other whilst still maintaining a safe distance. Be careful not to hit the dogs with it though – it could cause one or both to turn on you – so this is an “if the other options have failed” approach.
- Pull on the lead or harness if the above distraction techniques don’t work. Pulling hard on the lead or harness of one of the dogs can physically separate them, but it is important not to get too close and also to be aware that a dog on a long lead could actually turn and attack the handler.
DON’T:
- Panic. Although a potentially scary situation, it’s important to try to remain calm and act in a controlled manner.
- Put yourself between the dogs. Fighting dogs are very likely to cause injury to any person that gets in the way, even if they don’t mean it. Dog bites can be severe, even fatal.
- Put your hands near their mouths. For the same reasons as above and especially as hands are particularly vulnerable. Although it can be tempting to physically try to break them apart, the risk of injury is just too great.
- Pull the collar. The collar is too close to the head for it to be deemed safe to pull on. If the dogs are moving quickly, it can also be difficult to grab without risking personal injury.
- Pull the tail. Not only is pulling on the dog’s tail likely to be ineffective, but you could also cause real damage to the vertebrae, nerves or muscles. It will also be painful for the dog, and they could easily whip round and instigate an attack on you.
Some people advocate the ‘wheelbarrow’ method as an effective way to break up a dog fight. This requires two people, ideally the owners of the dogs involved, picking up a dog each by the back legs and reversing in a circle so keeping the two animals apart. However, this can be quite difficult to execute successfully. And it can also run the risk of personal injury, so should be used with caution.
What to do next
No one wishes to witness or be involved in a dog fight. But knowing how to act safely could even make the difference between life and death. If your dog has been involved in a fight, it’s important to get them checked over by a vet to assess any physical wounds. But also be aware of any psychological damage that may affect them in the future.
The reason for the fight should ALWAYS be addressed to help avoid possible future fighting. Your vet can refer you to a behaviour specialist who can help you and your dog work through any problem behaviours.
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