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Dog fights are a very
dangerous thing to try and break up alone!
When two dogs are in the middle of a fight, they are both in a high
survival/fight drive and are
not thinking clearly. You
should never rush in and try and grab the dogs to pull them apart. If
someone grabs them they will bite without even thinking about who or what
they are biting.
When two dogs are in
the middle of a fight, if they see you at all, they don't look at you as
their loving owner. If you
charge in and try to grab them, they will either react out of a fight
reflex and bite, or they will see you as another aggressor. When
they are in fight or flight mode they will bite you.!
The safest way to break up a dogfight requires two people:
- Each
person should grab the back feet of one of the dogs.
- The
dogs’ back feet are then picked up like a wheelbarrow.
- With
the legs up, both dogs are then pulled apart.
- When
the dogs are apart, it is critical that the people do not release the
dogs or the dog fight will begin again.
- The
two people need to each start turning in a circle, or slowly swinging
the dogs in a circle, while each person backs away from the other dog.
- By
circling, the dog has to sidestep with its front feet and as long as
you slowly continue to back and circle, the dog cannot bite you.
- At
least one of the dogs need to be dragged into an enclosure (i.e. a
kennel, the garage, another room) before either dog is released.
- If
you do not do this, the dogs will often charge back and start
fighting again. If you
release the dog to quickly the dog will turn and attack the person
who was holding its feet. (This
will happen because the dog’s adrenaline in pumping and it is in
survival/fight drive.)
If
you are alone when a serious fight breaks out, you should:
- Keep
your cool.
- Do
not waste your time screaming at the dogs as it hardly ever works.
- Remember
your goal is to break up the fight without getting hurt.
- If
you don’t have one with you, go get a leash (allow the fight to
continue while you do this).
- During
a fight, dogs are almost always locked onto one another. Walk
up and loop the leash around the back loin of one of the dogs by
threading the leash through the handle.
- Slowly
back away and drag the dog an object that you can tie the leash to.
- Then
walk around and grab the back legs of the second dog and drag it away
from the dog that is tied up. Remember
to turn and circle as the dogs release.
- Drag
the second dog into a dog pen or another room before you release the
back legs.
- Go
back and get the first dog and put it into a dog kennel.
Important
to Remember:
- Do
not use cattle prods or shock collars
to break up a dog fight. These
items will only put the dogs into a higher survival/fight drive. The
dog will probably think the other dog is causing the pain and they
will fight harder.
- If
you see two dogs squaring off through body posturing (i.e. one dog
with stiff legs and tail straight up in the air putting his head over
the shoulders of the other to show dominance) do not scream at
the dogs as most of the time the screaming will trigger a fight.
- If
you are bitten by a dog and go to the emergency room, the best
treatment is to leave the dog bite wounds open so it can drain. (A
dog bite wound normally should not be stitched closed because there is
a much higher chance of infection.)
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