What to Do in a Dog Fight!

If you frequently take your dog to the park, if you live a city with many other dogs, or if you have multiple dogs at your house you should be prepared to properly handle a dog fight.

The first thing you will want to do in the event of a dog brawl is remain calm. The dogs will sense your excitement and the intensity will escalate 10 fold. They may cause some injuries, but usually these will be minor so just remain calm. Your dog will survive and so will you. Remember, the alpha dog is always the calmest. So first things first, chill out!

The second thing you want to do is get them apart. You will may find yourself in panic mode as you grab the dog by the collar and pull him/ her back away from the other dog. This is exactly what you should not do. What you do instead is calmly pull the dog upwards and then back by the top of the collar. This will help to demobilize the dog and it will make it harder for the dog to reach around and instinctively bite you. If you are unfortunate enough to get bitten by your own dog, do not scold the dog. Realize they were in a frenzy at the time, and most likely by the look of its face, you both will know instantly that they just really screwed up.

Video by Leerburg Enterprises on how to use the hind leg technique.

If the fight is just too out of hand, like two pit bulls viciously going at it, then you may want to grab the attacking dog by the hind legs, and hold the hind legs up like a wheelbarrow. If you are unsure of which dog is more aggressive, then you should try to get help and have someone else grab the hind legs of the other dog. When you grab the hind legs and hold them up like a wheelbarrow the dog will instantly stop fighting and they will not be able to reach around and bite you. You should only need to go this route if absolutely necessary. It is a sure way to gain control of an uncontrollable dog.

After you separate the dogs, lay the dog on its side and put your hands on its shoulder and hip, holding it to the ground. Do this until the dog calms down. Someone else should be doing this with the other dog. Once they both calm down, if there are no serious injuries, just walk away and let the two dogs be alone together. I know it sounds crazy but it is the best thing you can do for them. The chances are 90% that they will not start fighting again.

The most important thing you do in a dog fight is not separating the dogs and calming them down but what you do immediately after the fight. The worst thing you can do is keep the dogs separate and scold them, put them in the cage, or scream at them. While the people watching the fight may expect you to do this, those people just do not know any better. By immediately putting the dogs back together you are helping the dogs psychologically to move past the fighting and they will be much better off the next time they come in contact with another dog. Way too many dogs are deprived of social contact with another dog because the owner freaked out over a fight or two. Dogs will be dogs. They will fight, they will play, and they will love. You should not let a few scuffles prevent your dog from ever experiencing the joy it gets when it plays with another of its kind. You can assess the situation and make sure the dogs do not hurt each other. Then you should walk away and let them work it out.

note: Some dogs can be vicious. These types usually do not put on a big scary show, they just go for the kill. If your dog falls into this category, use the wheelbarrow technique above and use your best judgement at re-introducing. Most of the times it will be fine and work out well. I have reintroduced pit bulls after bloody fights from minor puncture wounds and they were instantly licking the wounds on each other after the re-introduction. However still  be mindful that there is that .001% of dogs, mostly fighting breeds, that are not going to work out well in a reintroduction and it is your job to be the responsible dog owner. There are dog trainers that are experts at dealing with this killing personality type in some dogs. Go on yelp and find them. 

Here is a video of Ceasar Milan reintroducing seemingly vicious dogs after a fight. Notice how he pulls the collar up and not straight back:

If fighting results in injuries to other dogs or people, and if the fighting is consistent, you may want to move onto a trainer who specializes in aggressiveness, and possibly use a corrective collar. This should only be last resort for dogs who have serious behavior problems. In most cases though, dogs are all talk. They put on a show, not unlike humans when they have their little road-rage incidents. Few, if any(out of the billions), are actually crazy enough to act on it. So don’t be fooled by your dogs act.