Breaking Up Dogfights

Dog fights don’t occur if your dog is well trained. This is true even of the so-called alpha breeds with hard-wired instincts. If your dog is so hard wired that you can’t train it then it is not suitable to be a pet.  

If you know your dog is a fighter then you need to take him or her to obedience school. If your dog suddenly turns into a fighter with no prior history of fighting it means that you have lost control of him. A dog that is suddenly irritable like this might also have a physical problem so it may be time to take him to the vet.  

Keep in mind too that dogs don’t have to be vicious to get into fights. A dog that is nervous or submissive can simply irritate other dogs with its presence.   A nervous dog also makes other dogs nervous because it is obvious that you don’t have control of it. This can inspire a strange dog to ,take charge.,  

The reason it is so important for you to get control over an aggressive or nervous dog is because dogfights can be expensive. If he harms another animal or person you could be sued and your dog could be put down.  

However you can’t always prevent two animals from squabbling.   The first rule of thumb — If your dog does start to fight with another dog don’t try to get between the two of them!   They will snarl and bite at anything that gets in the way.   Your own dog could harm you. To put it in a nutshell the fighting dog is not your pet anymore , it is a wolf.  

If you do not want to make the fight worse or get hurt then you might have to stand by and let the fight take its course.   The second rule of thumb to remember , you need two people to do this or you could get hurt.   Your best course of action is to get the owner of the other dog to grab it by the hind legs and pull it away from the fight while you do the same thing. Be prepared to be kicked and scratched in the face while you do this.  

Don’t try to drag the dogs away by their collars, as you will risk getting bit.  If you are near a water source, you can try to throw a pail of water over them or spray them with a hose. The shock of this is usually enough to get the two scrapping dogs to separate. If one dog has his jaws clamped on another’s neck as is often the case with a pit bull then try pouring a glass of hot water into the dog’s mouth to make him release his jaws.

 Unfortunately so often when it comes to dog fights only one winner emerges which is why it is so important to make sure your dog is obedient and well socialized before you take him out for walks.