Do not put yourself between the fighting dogs. If you do, you are basically asking to have the bites redirected towards you and risk being severely injured. Although most dog fights likely won’t happen anywhere near convenient access to a hose or cold water, you never know!

Webinar: "When Sh*t Hits the Fan: Emergency Defensive Dog Handling with Michael Shikashio and Trish McMillan Again, can’t stress this enough: this should be the last resort. By getting in close to hit the dog, you are putting yourself in danger, too. So, before going this route, make sure you exhaust the other options, if possible. What Should You Do After the Dog Has Released Their Bite? Use a water or citronella spray, make loud noises and physically separate the two dogs if you can. You can also try throwing a blanket on them or using other inanimate objects to create a physical barrier between the two dogs. Dog fights that happen out of sight depend on whatever key evidence can be gathered to determine fault. If you’re a new dog owner, begin socializing your puppy and teaching your dog acceptable interactions. It’s a good idea to work with a professional on this front if you’ve never socialized a puppy before! Through this key learning time, puppies should learn that biting is inappropriate, and neither is “rude” behavior towards strange dogs.If you’ve got dogs that aren’t predictable around other dogs, know an aggressive dog that lives around the corner, or know your dog doesn’t like your cousin’s pup – just keep the dogs separate. Dog fights can get more serious. If dogs start truly biting, they can draw blood and even seriously injure the other dog.

Some dog fights escalate to a bit more serious – the dogs still aren’t latching onto each other and holding on, but they’re not just threatening each other anymore. They mean business. These fights can often be broken up by making a loud noise, using water or citronella spray, or by physically separating the two dogs. Carabiner for attaching leashes to fences or around posts. I keep one attached to my dog's leash handle or clipped on my treat pouch belt. When she's not geeking out about dogs, you can find her reading, hiking with her two Cardigan Welsh Corgis, or paddleboarding.Spray citronella spray directly into the nose and mouth of the biting dog. The smell and taste can get them to release their bite. When they release the bite, immediately move the dogs away from each other, staying in control position until they are secured. Only use that as a last resort if the aggressor dog has a rich history of biting and is actively charging at your dog. A growling/barking dog isn’t an excuse to use such extreme measures. I also like to use citronella spray for these fights – it’s easier to aim, meaning you won’t scare the crap out of the rest of the dogs in the vicinity!

Dogs teeth and jaws are so strong that they can easily cause serious injury to you if you try to intervene at the wrong times. The best way to handle a dog that likes to fight is to be proactive and train them to handle themselves better. Every dog owner should know how to break up a dog fight in a way that is not only safer for them but also will help prevent worse injuries to a dog. That being said, as much as many out there don’t want to admit it, there are dog breeds that were bred for fighting or aggressive protection purpose. If you or any other person has sustained injuries when breaking up a dog fight, seek immediate medical attention — especially if immunocompromised due to the high risk of infection from a dog bite. You need to inform the doctor that the injury was from a dog bite and will need proof of a rabies vaccine for the dog(s) involved.Dog bites happen for a variety of reasons, sometimes the dog is provoked or scared, or other times the dog is simply aggressive. Mild abrasions can be treated at home as long as you follow proper wound care. If the area doesn't begin to show improvement within a couple of days or worsens (becomes painful, swollen, warm, or moist). If the dog appears to be in pain, even with no obvious physical wounds or has issues breathing, seek immediate veterinary care. Dog fights can be very scary when they happen. Our usual instinct is to scream and run into the fight hands-first to pull the dogs apart. But doing so could lead to severe injuries to both yourself or further injury to the dogs involved. If you want to have a dog fight kit handy at home or at your place of work, here's a list of items to get your kit started. How to Break Up a Dog Fight: Hands-Off Techniques Some of the tools mentioned below are aversives (adding something unpleasant or painful to make a behavior stop). These are not for use in dog training or behavior modification for reasons explained in this article on aversive use. Only use these tools in case of emergency after a dog fight has started.

Breeds such as the various Pit Bulls, the Cane Corso, and Dogo Argentino were bred for fighting and (very sadly) were used for dog-fighting. As a result, these breeds are predisposed to aggression if not well socialized or trained as puppies.

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Be careful, though. Pepper spray can affect the entire scene, and everybody close would get their eyes burning. Preventing their dog from damaging someone else’s personal property (dogs are considered property, so a dog biting another dog falls under this requirement)