How would you break up a dog fight?

[celloyogi]

Originally Posted by Jaynie

98% of all lip lifting, growling, and such is just for show. Don't interfere (assuming you are dealing with well-socialized dogs), and they'll work it out themselves. In my experience, the worst you could do is interfere in this kind of situation. If it continues, a mild-to-moderate verbal correction is in order. ...

I don't know if I agree with the whole concept of grabbing a dog's hindquarters during an attack. The dog could very well swing around and do you some serious damage.

I guess, in the long run, it really depends on the situation - size of aggressor, size of recipient, environment, even breed (and Dr. Shelli is right about JRTs and terriers in general. My JRT mix is absolutely fearless when confronted).

FWIW, the rotts and pits I've worked with quite often needed intervention, at least while they were getting used to being with other dogs (and safe, normal home situations). To my knowledge none in my rescue was injured with the grab-and-swing technique, but again it has to be done very quickly with no hesitation. The idea is more to remove the aggressor and in doing so immediately, or almost, diffuse the situation before it went from just past for-show to the dogs reverting to dog-ring behavior.

I completely agree with you about the majority of dog "fights" being just for show. At the rescue we only let those go on to a point because of the tendency for things to go south so fast, but the majority of the time dogs just work things out themselves. And it is funny to me that some of the most intense for-show fights I've seen have been not between rotts/pitts/GSDs, but between the tiny guys like JRTs or my former neighbor's cockers!

[BarbV]

I think its important to be clear here

There are a few situations we are dealing with

1) Loose dogs in a dog park. Ooops! No spray bottles, pillows or other accessories handy!

Reading the body language is important. Sometimes play looks like fighting...at least with my dogs it does....sometimes its hard to tell.

I'll reinforce NOT to put yourself into the fray. I suggested a stick to trip them up. Others suggested tripping up the hind legs, or pulling on the tail. I think all of these are fine as long as you keep yourself safe in the process.


2) Dogs in house going at it. If these are dogs that live together, I tend to let them work it out. In my house, Indy gets aggressive with Bacca when he sees a dog walk outside the house. Why? I've no idea. But Bacca gives back. I would like to stop this behaviour but so far nothing works.

If it was a serious aggression issue, they would either be separated and on constant watch when together.

[ClantyreSheltie]

My boys have damaged each other enough for me to believe its not just "for show". I have also seen evidence of them fighting when I am not at home. They also would fight with me elsewhere in my house. My presence or absence didn't impact the behavior.

They have been good recently, but the addition of my landlords dog is upping the tension a bit. River is starting to be possessive of me, which he generally isn't. hopefully the visitor will go home this week.

[DieDany]

Originally Posted by Jaynie

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I don't know if I agree with the whole concept of grabbing a dog's hindquarters during an attack. The dog could very well swing around and do you some serious damage.

You're right. That's why I would try to grab the dog's skin just behind its ears at the same time. I have seen this live and it really worked. Fortunately I didn't have to use it but I think this is an effective method how to separate two fighting dogs. Though my friend witnessed the fight of a JRT and a Jagdterrier (extremely hard breed used for fox bolting) as the Jagdterrier was choking the JRT and none of those methods we discussed here work. Finally the owners put them into a pond nearby and the Jagdterrier loosed the JRT as late as it started to drown. My friend (who used to have Bull Terriers once) says that she has never seen such a furious fight before

So it depends very much on the character of the dogs and I would say it's easier to handle larger dogs than for example terriers.

[Toffee's Mom]

Originally Posted by DieDany

You're right. That's why I would try to grab the dog's skin just behind its ears at the same time. I have seen this live and it really worked. Fortunately I didn't have to use it but I think this is an effective method how to separate two fighting dogs. Though my friend witnessed the fight of a JRT and a Jagdterrier (extremely hard breed used for fox bolting) as the Jagdterrier was choking the JRT and none of those methods we discussed here work. Finally the owners put them into a pond nearby and the Jagdterrier loosed the JRT as late as it started to drown. My friend (who used to have Bull Terriers once) says that she has never seen such a furious fight before

So it depends very much on the character of the dogs and I would say it's easier to handle larger dogs than for example terriers.

I disagree, not easier with large dogs... but if you do it right the dogs do not have time to take a bite out of you, as they do NOT reengage as they are too far away and don't exactly know what happened, hence you have to do it fast and determined.

The problem is when people are too close to the mouths and too close to the opposing dogs mouth also! The opposition reflex kicks in which means the more you pull on necks or collars the more they pull against that force, makes it all worse imo. It's useful in the death grip moments, when they are locked but not a snarling male fight with empty air snaps... Why I said let's be real what a REAL dog fight is, not a disagreement that is over fast.

Terriers are smaller, but a well placed pull on the legs and a swing away will definitely also get terriers.

[snkoyle15]

Gizmo and i actually had an altercation just a few months ago. i think the other dog was a boxer, or boxer mix of some sort. Gizmo and i were walking out to the mail box at the other end of our apt property. i was turning around after getting the mail out, and a girl (looked like she was maybe 12ish) was on the other end of the leash and couldnt control the dog. he was fairly large, and was charging. he was only a couple feet away by the time i fully turned around. he attacked Gizmo, the girl let go of the leash and started yelling at the other dog. I ended up kicking the other dog several times to get him to let go of Gizmo. i was finally able to pick Gizmo up after having to repeatedly kick the boxer to get him to let go. we got really lucky, no injuries, probably because of his fur. if he had had a shorter coat, he probably would have been seriously hurt. he was shaken pretty bad though. i held him the entire walk back to our apt and he shivered the whole time.

[celloyogi]

As many have made suggestions about breaking up fights that involve physical contact with the dog(s), I highly recommend no one ever attempt any of those techniques on his or her own - ask an experienced trainer or another person with experience with aggressive dogs, so they can show you in person what might work for you. While my technique has proven very effective for me, and others have techniques that work for them, there is always the potential for injury and this is especially so when the person has little or no experience.

That being said, as another poster mentioned, most dog fights don't need intervention. Often it's finding the trigger (like a new dog, certain noise, etc) and negating it somehow. (I know easier said than done!)

[OntarioSheltie]

Originally Posted by BarbV

However, if it was MY dog involved in the fight, it would be very difficult not to intervene.

I'm with you there, I don't think I could not intervene and I probably wouldn't be able to think and would do so in the worst possible way.

Originally Posted by Jaynie

One potential attacker confronted Neechee when he was about three months old, and a whopping 3 pounds. He'd never met a stranger and was disgustingly well-socialized among other well-socialized dogs of all ages. (He was my demo puppy while facilitating after-hours "pass the puppy" mixers at my vet's office.) We were at one of the big pet superstores one Saturday, when he was charged and nearly ravaged by a HUGE and hostile Newfie. I probably did exactly the wrong thing. I made a quick instinctive jerk of the leash, Neechee went flying, and was neatly caught by my then-husband). Almost simultaneously, I yelled at the newfie: "Oh no you don't!", which fortunately stopped him in his tracks. Don't know what I would have done had the newfie carried through, but I suppose I was crazy-looking enough to give him second thoughts.

But I've met some very poorly-socialized dogs lately at dog parks and pet stores and just generally in public. Dogs whose body language leaves me extremely wary.

Poor Ginny had a bad experience with a neighborhood dog when she was just a pup, she's never been the same since.

She saw a friendly neuf trying to approach her when she was small and it scared the living daylights out of her. Even though she wasn't hurt and the dog was actually being friendly, she was timid about strange, larger dogs after that, which made her a target.

Another neighborhood dog, a golden doodle who had been friendly with other dogs, started acting aggressive toward Ginny. I told the owner repeatedly and was given the brush off and told that I was being silly. I should have trusted my instincts more and kept Ginny and Sadie away from this dog, instead I tried to keep a close eye on it when it was around.

One day when I entered the park with my two girls the doodle ran up, grabbed little Ginny in its mouth and picked her up in its mouth. I yelled and I think I might have tried to kick the dog (though not hard), it all happened so fast. Someone else grabbed its collar and it released Ginny. I was so upset I was shaking. I screamed at the owner and left the park. Ginny was scarred emotionally, though not physically. She was picked up but I got to it fast enough that she wasn't shaken. Thank God that even though I'd been stupid about letting Ginny near that other dog, I was at least staying close to her and watching the other dog.

The owner of the doodle apologized to me for not listening to me in the first place. I saw the dog start to act aggressively with other dogs and I never see it at the park or around other dogs anymore.

[dblock]

The owner of the doodle apologized to me for not listening to me in the first place. I saw the dog start to act aggressively with other dogs and I never see it at the park or around other dogs anymore.



At least the owner apologized, this weekend Beau and I were charged by a pitt bull ( I pulled him to the side, the pitt bull wouldn't back off, the owner just looked at me like I was the crazy one. I was shaking like a leaf after it was done, this dog was three times Beau's size and this is exactly why he's afraid of other dogs. The first one that attack him was a boxer. This just makes me angry and rightly so.

[OntarioSheltie]

Originally Posted by dblock

The owner of the doodle apologized to me for not listening to me in the first place. I saw the dog start to act aggressively with other dogs and I never see it at the park or around other dogs anymore.



At least the owner apologized, this weekend Beau and I were charged by a pitt bull ( I pulled him to the side, the pitt bull wouldn't back off, the owner just looked at me like I was the crazy one. I was shaking like a leaf after it was done, this dog was three times Beau's size and this is exactly why he's afraid of other dogs. The first one that attack him was a boxer. This just makes me angry and rightly so.

I don't blame you, I'd be pretty upset too. In the end the doodle's owner at least used common sense. So many do not. Sorry for your bad experience.