Book in for Sydney Puppy Preschool in Zetland!
Have you ever wondered how to break up a dog fight?
As we run a dog daycare in Sydney with over 20 dogs in every day, preventing issues such as fights is crucial. But it’s also good to know what to do if a fight happens. Our Sydney puppy preschool focuses on educating the owners about dog’s body language so that issues can be detected early on.
Luckily, most spats between well-socialized dogs do not require any intervention at all.
Spats between dogs can appear nasty even though neither party intends serious harm. However, at the other end of the spectrum are attacks, where one dog attacks another and the victim is being seriously injured. And unfortunately, attacks like this can be fatal.
It can be tough to determine when to intervene.
Any fight involving a fighting breed should be stopped as soon as possible. These breeds have been bred to fight and not give up. That’s why fights involving these breeds have a much higher risk of serious injury.
Intervention between a dog fight always carries a risk of injury to both dogs and people, but there are a few safer methods for meddling.
Any method that allows you to break up a dog fight while keeping your distance is pretty safe.
If the dogs are on lead, you may be able to pull them apart without getting near their jaws. If one dog is locked onto the other, you need to wait until the dog tries to regrip. You’ll only have less than a second, but if you pull fast during a regrip you may be able to split up the dogs. A bottle of water or spray from a hose often shocks fighting dogs out of battle. But unfortunately, most fights don’t take place with water on hand.
As soon as you move into the dog’s biting range, you are at greater risk of injury.
If you are at the biting range, try placing an object between the dogs. Look for a long stick for example, or use your bag by dropping it in the middle of the dogs. Sometimes a strange object distracts the dogs for a second so that you might have enough time to grab their leads. Trying to slip leashes under their waists is another solution for off leash dogs, but, again, you cannot react quickly enough to avoid a bite attempt.
Finally, it is very risky to grab collars. You might get bitten!
For locked-on dogs, twisting the collar tighter around their necks cuts off their air supply,and they will eventually release.
Breaking up dog fights is always a risky business. However knowing a little bit about when and how to intervene can only make it safer for you and the dogs.
Best way to prevent dog fights is to ensure you understand the signals dogs show before things escalate.
Puppy Playground Puppy School in Zetland runs for 1 h per week for 4 weeks, on a Monday evening at 6.30-7.30pm. Cost is $190 per puppy including a puppy training gift bag.
- Learn about dogs’ body language and how to prevent behavioural issues.
- Learn the importance of proper socialisation and how to do it right with other dogs and people, sounds and objects.
