Adequate dog training and understanding dog behaviour help prevent animal attacks or dog on dog aggression. Still, there may be uncontrollable incidences wherein a simple dog walk, snack time, or play escalates into a fight. Knowing what to do to break up the furry babies prevents injuries to the animals and the owners.
Here the steps and tips to follow.
Breaking Up a Dog Fight in 4 Easy Steps
1. Stay Calm
Yes, stay calm and collected, but act swiftly and correctly. The goal is to stop the fight to prevent injury on the dogs and yourself. You should never force your hands anywhere near their mouths, even if they are fighting over a toy.
2. Distract the Dogs
Throwing water over the fighting animals is an excellent way to refocus their attention to drying themselves. You can also block them from attacking each other by throwing a blanket over them.
Making a loud sound, such as dropping a thick book, can also take their attention off their opponent.
3. Separate the Dogs Using a Barrier
If it’s possible to get in between the dogs without actually getting in between them, go ahead. Place a barrier between them. You can use plywood, a chair, a low-lying table, a bucket, or a large bin. Make sure you don’t let them get near your arms, legs, or face, so you don’t end up getting bitten.
4. Use the Wheelbarrow Method
If you know the dogs (or if the dogs know you) and if there are at least two people present, you can try doing the wheelbarrow method to break up the fight. It restricts the dogs’ movement, refocuses their attention to balancing themselves, and physically separates them.
This is how it’s done:
- Grab the hind legs of the dogs.
- Lift the legs off the ground high enough, so they balance on their forelegs.
- Pull the dogs away from each other.
It’s better if there is no fight at all. Prevention is better than cure. Here’s how you eliminate the possibility of two dogs fighting:
- Don’t feed dogs next to each other. Most often than not, dogs fight over food. Use a barrier in between, or feed them in separate rooms. Don’t let them come together until they both have finished eating, and you have cleaned both of their bowls.
- Snacks can also start a fight. Both dogs may want to receive a treat first. But the same rule applies—separate them first before giving treats.
- Bones and toys triggered a possessive instinct on dogs. If you can, provide both dogs with the same toy to play with. If not, always be on the lookout for any sign of aggression, e.g., a long stare at each other, shaking, stiffness, flattened ears, growling, raised barks, and bared fangs.
If you need help in understanding your pets better or training them to be less aggressive to people or other animals, reach out to us at Growl Snarl Snap. We’d be happy to create a better relationship between you and your furry one.
