Intervening in a Dogfight

This is Mrs. FishKepr.

We were at a dog park today with our golden retriever and a large labradoodle came in which looked eager to play. Our dog approached her and at first it seemed to be OK. However after a few minutes the labradoodle got very aggressive and they started to get into a fight. I then did a dumb thing: I got in between them, but fortunately I was not bitten and our dog had no injuries.

What is the best way to intervene when two dogs get into a fight?

My wife has scars on her arm from getting between her dogs, 2 males when they were fighting.

I don't have any better advice besides stay the hell away from them. Big stick maybe?

most if not all dogs are sensitive when it comes to there paws, stomp on one the the attacking dogs paws it will break it up fast!

grab tail stick finger in

http://leerburg.com/dogfight.htm

Basically need two people, each grabbing the rear legs of a dog and lifting and pulling. And wheelbarrowing then in circles so they can't spin around and get you. I havent used te technique. The dog fights I've been around are always too close quarters.
Both my wife and I have been bitten breaking up dog fights. It's really not a good idea.
In my case, I thought there was an opening, broke it up, got one dog out of the way and the other dog spun around and I got hit in the arm. Nothing serious. When dogs are in the red zone they aren't thinking, just reacting.
It's much safer and easier to stop them from happening (that's easy for me to say though :) ). I doubt I'd ever put my dogs in a dog park at this point.

FWIW Labrodoodles are bastards.


Many dog fights are settled within a few seconds. The loser shows submission and the fight ends. I had a beautiful Great Dane bitch that was very friendly, but would not back down from another dog. A male yellow lab started harrasing her with nips and such. She had enough of his shit and pinned him to the ground by the throat till he submitted. It was literally 3 seconds. No blood, just nerves shaken up.

God I miss my dog. Big brindle-coated couch potato.

I've broken up some gnarly fights between my Alapaha bulldog and our great dane.

I usually have to hit the bulldog in the head a couple times, till he lets go of the great dane, then try to pick him up and run the other direction to keep the dane from biting him.

Last time, my bulldog slipped his collar and I had to throw him down some stairs, and hold him by the tail until he settled down.

Generally, I disregard my well being and do what I can to get them separated.
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I'm gonna get hurt one of these days. Not much option though, I'm pretty sure one of them would kill the other if I let it go.

A stungun/taser.

Two people are best, if wait until they grab and hold. Usually one starts to submit then grab the dominant one. If he/she won't break loose stay calm and hold pressure on the throat with your hand making in difficult to breath. Just before they go out they will let go.

When we walk our dogs we stay clear of most folks and other animals.

I have had the unfortunate luck to become reasonably good at breaking up dog fights in a solo fashion. Yes, two people who know what they are doing is the best way, but usually everyone else is either stunned into inaction or just ineffectively screaming and kicking at the dogs. Kicking is very common because the kicker feels like that is the least likely way to get bit, however that is not necessarily true.

Dog fights normally sound a lot worse than they are, particularly if one of the dogs is screaming bloody murder rather than snarling. However it is best to break them up ASAP as one or both dogs will likely get hurt if you let them go.

When you make a decision to break up a dog fight, by yourself or otherwise, you have to accept that you may be bitten, possibly even by your own dog, who, in the red zone, may reflexively snap at anything that comes near him/her as it could be another dog attacking. However if you care about your dog you need to have the fortitude to wade into the middle of the battle. You may have been inexperienced in what you did but I wouldn't call it "dumb". You did what you had to do to protect your dog and that's not intrinsically dumb and we'd expect no less from an arfcom person. Even if your dog is the aggressor you are still protecting it because the damage you minimize may be the difference between life and death in the courts for your dog. The only dumb thing you did was to go to the dog park in the first place, and then missed the precursor signals between the two dogs, but those are both a whole different can of worms for a different thread.

This is what I do to break up a dog fight by myself. Mandatory disclaimer: if you use any of these techniques and you, anyone else, or a dog is hurt, maimed, killed or any other bad thing, you made your own decision to try it and I take no responsibility for your actions or inactions! Just because it works for me doesn't mean it will work for anyone else. That said...

The way I break up a dog fight by myself is to choose to bodily pull one dog out of the fight. I try to choose the dog I believe is the aggressor such that the other dog, once disengaged, will not tend to take advantage of the situation and continue the fight while you so helpfully hold onto the other dog for them. How I physically accomplish this is to literally put the dog I've chosen into a choke hold with one arm, it's neck securely in the crook of my arm and with enough pressure on it to make the dog think about it's continued existence on this planet. I will lift it completely off the ground if possible, or at least onto its hind legs. Get a dog out of 4 paw drive and you've got a surprising amount of control. Dog's necks are not like ours and they are immensely strong. If the dog continues to flail just squeeze harder. I've never made a dog pass out but I have had them stressed enough to pop their anal gland on me The dog's head should be against your chest, low enough, and held tight enough so that it can't snap at your face. The other arm and hand are free to either a) whack the other dog soundly on top of the snout with the knife edge of your hand to get it to detach and, once the other dog is fully off the one you have, to wrap up the dog you've got under it's front paws and drag it off to a safe place.

This all does take a little strength and dexterity but unless the dogs are, say, 80lbs or larger it's not actually that tough, particularly because your adrenalin is flowing.

If things are really crazy you just grab whatever fur you can grab and haul the furball right up to you (or yourself into it). I have actually tackled a furball and rolled the entire mess, me and the two dogs, through a 360 degree ground roll, and successfully detached the other dog that way. In either case, you've got to have a really good choke hold on one of the dogs to make it work.

Lots of things can go wrong with all of this and there is no way to remove all risk if you choose to physically intervene. If the other dog goes after the both of you that is a real problem. If the other dog is a jaws-with-paws breed (Pit, Rottie, etc.) and is hopelessly clamped on then someone is going to have to get a breaking stick and lever the other dog's jaws apart. Thankfully neither case has ever been an issue for me.

One other thing that bears mentioning: you need to get your dog right back on the horse. Get it with some dogs that it likes to play with and that are really friends. You don't want your dog to develop any fear aggression lest that turn into her putting preemptive strikes on other dogs.

You have my sincere sympathy for having to witness such a thing and particularly because your dog is involved. Dog fights are No Fun and leave you and your dog feeling quite low about life

I don't have much personal experience breaking-up dog fights, but I have chased off a few aggressive dogs with pepper spray, and carry it everywhere.

This is very true.

I hope the worst is behind you. At this point, I would concentrate on prevention. Be aware of where you take your dog and the times where problem owners take their dogs out. Also learn to read the dog's body language. Any dog charging or approaching stiff-legged and tail-up will likely provoke a fight.

You basically have to worry about two things: controlling your dog and repulsing an attack from the offending dog. The first one should be easy, but it depends on the size of your dog and your own strength. You can either hold the leash short and blade to create distance or wrap the leash around a tree, pole, stop sign, etc.

The other part, which is dealing with the attacking dog, consider carrying a walking stick or collapsable batton or be alert of where the nearest stick or rock is. The batton is good because if the dogs do make contact, you can wedge the batton in the dog's mouth so it can't fully bite. You can also consider pepper spray, but I have had no great luck with Fox Labs. Wear boots when you walk your dog so if you have to kick, you will not break toes.

Bottom line is: be aware and be prepared.

The one time that I had to break up a serious dog fight by myself, it was... not fun.

No matter what I did, I could not get those two dogs apart. I tried pulling one away, the other dog followed, and the dog I tried to pull away broke away from me to go fight some more. So, I tried pulling the other dog away, same thing. There was no "dominant" or "submissive", these dogs were both out for blood.

Finally, I walked to the side of them, and waited until I could grab them each by the scruff, and after a minute or two of working, managed to get them each apart. But, they both broke free, and went back to fighting. I repeated that a couple of times, with the same results. Finally, it had been a good long while of fighting, and I decided that it was time to stop being such a nice guy.

I pulled them apart by the scruff again, then proceeded to knee each of them in the head as hard as I could, and went back and forth kneeing one then the other. After a few of those, they calmed down just enough that I could make my move, I took one by the scruff and the gut, and lifted the thing entirely over my head. When I did that, the second dog recovered enough to come at me, to try and jump at the dog over my head. I didn't feel like taking that, and a well-aimed soccer-kick to the dog's head was a sufficient deterrent that I could carry the other dog and throw it where the two couldn't get back together.

Now, that, like I said, was a serious dog fight. The overwhelming majority of fights are not like that. But if you're going to step into them by yourself, you have to understand that in some cases... it's going to be an awfully wild ride. Going into it, I knew that there was a pretty good chance that I'd get torn up a bit myself as well, but amazingly - and luckily - I didn't. The dogs were too entirely focused on each other, neither of them went after me.

The crazy thing? Once it was broken up, both dogs just settled down, and stood there panting with a happy look on their faces, like "Oh yeah... that was GOOD!". Even the one that needed taken to the vet for emergency surgery to keep from bleeding out.

pepper spray or taser

A water hose or a bucket of water. I also had some luck with the local strays with a piece of rebar.

Water works best for breaking dogs up.
A club handy works best for protecting you if you don't want to shoot them.

this, and I don't know why that mix breed is so aggressive either.

get some direct stop citrus spray! works well from a distance! you NEVER want to grab a dog in a fight that is a sure way to get bit!!! reaching down to grab the rear legs is a face bite waiting to happen DONT DO IT!!!!
if you carry a bottle of water with you trow the water(not the bottle) in the attacking dogs face, it will grab its attention and allow you to recall your dog.

leerburg.com has info and pictures of results of breaking up dogfights. pretty gruesome pics, but alot of good dogs have bitten their owners not meaning to.

I have had many, many experience breaking up fights between 60-100 lb dogs. Hog dogs. Curs and pits.

Without fail, my method has been to grab the winning dog by the collar at the back of the neck where it cannot get to me and pick it up, front end off of the ground so it can't maneuver well. I drag it to one side while kicking the shit out of the face and head of the other dog, because it will more often than not try to continue it's attack on the dog you have by the collar. You may get bitten on the foot or leg, but I never have.

It's better to have someone else available who can grab the other dog by the collar as well. By all means, separate them for a period of time and keep them separated. I used to put one in the house until they had cooled off. An angry dog takes some time to relax, put them near each other too soon and they'll go at it again.

Sometimes a water hose will stop them from fighting. Do not beat them with a stick or club, it makes them fight harder.

one of the best things you can do. is use a blanket! (or anything that can cover a dogs head)


iv breed and been around a lot of bully breeds for going on 15 years. so iv seen some bad fights over silly things, with dogs that DONT quit easily. i have NEVER been bit.

the best thing i know if to do, and is most likely not to make it worse is
throw a blanket over the heads. it protects you and the dogs from biting more/ getting bit.

if they dont jump back from seeing it coming at them ( even if they do jump back, still cover one dog). you can safely "smother" ( not to harm, (if they are locked up) but to let them know they do not have easy air) both the heads until you can get you hands on the collars and PIN them to the ground. one will let go and back away. ( if not get something to touch its tongue, its a gag reflex and they will let go) so you can separate them with out the risk of another fight starting. DO NOT pick up dogs that are fighting! (unless your dog is under 10 pounds). you cannot safely control a dog that is fighting by holding its back legs..thats how you get bit by your own dog! .. you need to dominate the dog like you would do to a crocodile. your dog will listen to you when covered and submitted.

continue to keep the blanket over one of the heads, then cover the entire body of the dog. this will calm the dog thats covered. mean while,
the other dog will calm its self due to the fact that it no longer is being engaged in a fight. get dogs completely away from each other, if indoor, put in different rooms with a latching door. if outdoor, get one dog in a vehicle or on a leash, whatever, just get it outta site of the other dog!

check for injuries.

lastly.... be a responsible dog owner, do not own a dog you cannot control on your own. iv seen too many people with dogs that control them.

if your dogs, "walks" you, chances are you could not stop the dog if a fight broke out. iv seen an owner at a dog park dragged across the grass still hanging onto the leash as the dog runs to another little dog off a leash thats running wild, and it ended up killing the little dog that was off the leash. sad story, horrible site to see ... but BOTH owners were in the wrong.

dont beat your dog.. thats the worse thing you can do, that will only breed aggression into them. 90% of the time, they are only trying protect themselves or protect YOU. the other 10% is just plain being an animal with animal instincts.

shame on you if you have to beat, mace, tazer, club, or throwing down stairs?! to control your dog!!!! you are not a responsible dog owner. i cannot believe the advice some people are giving. these are your pets that show you unconditional love to you no matter what! they rely on you for everything! then the one or few times it gets in a fight, when it NEEDS YOUR HELP you freakin beat the shit out of it???? i pity your pets. do everybody a favor and own ONE dog and find the other a home!

hope that helps. blankets and a stern voice is a REAL and FAST way to stop a dog fight SAFELY.

ahhh..... whats the difference????

Get a blanket.
Fact: most of the serious injuries occur when one dog is being restrained and the other is loose. BOTH dogs need to be restrained at the same time. alone? a blanket will still work!

I use a similar method. The scruff of the neck, and sometimes a tail to get one dog back. Then either yelling or kicking the other to discourage attacking the one you have a handle of.

read my post on use of a blanket. will save you A LOT of trouble next time!

I'm pretty sure most of the comments regarding kicking, striking, pepper spraying, etc were meant to address the OP's scenario, where another dog attacks yours in a public setting. Kinda hard to walk your dog while carrying a blanket and bucket of water.

like i said, there is a citrus product called Direct Stop. its a citrus spray. its harmless to dogs but the citrus makes them gasp.
if its a real hard dog this is not going to work, but on most dogs it will.
i have used this for several years on dogs at the kennel that do day camp and has worked every time, now my schutzhund dogs it has no effect on.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=direct+stop&gs_upl=296l951l1l987l7l2l0l0l0l1l147l241l1.1l2l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1096&bih=625&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=3344806721196891146&sa=X&ei=bHoZT8V2zpy3B8yl6ZUL&ved=0CE0Q8wIwAg

carrying a small blanket the size of a beach towel rolled up in a backpack is not an inconvenient thing to do. nor does it hinder your ability to walk the dog. with most areas that allow dogs in public places require you to clean its poo up, so having a small clean up pack is normal. iv never seen water work on a dog fight. no one has that kind of time when outdoors to fill and hump a super soaker around with them. or even better lets taze another persons dog, maybe killing it.... legal action would be taken if that happened.

regardless of whos pet is attacking whos pet... beating animals is uncalled for when it can completely be handled without being violent. if one does not have the knowledge, will, and the ability to protect their animal in a safe way at all times, one should think twice about owning it. or do not bring it where it would have contact with other dogs.

I'm one of the guys that kneed and kicked a dog. I did it *once*, to stop a fight. And not just any fight, a fight which - even though I did stop it - nearly killed one of the dogs.

You can't be prepared for every possibility 100% of the time. You do your best, but sometimes, life catches you unprepared. And when it comes to that, if your decision is between kicking your dog a few times and watching your dog get killed... you make the decision that you feel most comfortable with.

I felt horrible for days after having to do it. But I would have felt worse had I let the dogs kill each other.

I usually kick the agressor in the head with my boot.

When my late Rottie female got into it with another dog that started it, I grabbed her by the collar with the one hand and the skin in front of the tail with the other and literally lifted her out of the fight.

Afterwards she looked at me like "did you really just do that'?

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