How to Safely Break Up a Dog fight

It is important for everyone, especially those who deal with or own dogs, to know how to break up a dogfight without causing damage. During a fight, your dog will bark and growl at dogs or others. A barking dog seldom bites, but in this scenario, it’s wrong.

Dogfights are frightening, furious, and dangerous. You've undoubtedly been in a situation when your dog, another dog, or even two or more stray dogs are fighting, biting, or exhibiting violent behavior. When your pet is involved, your impulse will want to intervene and settle the situation. 

Before you intervene to stop the fight, read our article. It will help you calm and resolve the fight without getting hurt. Let’s explore the reasons and solutions for each scenario.

Why Do Dogs Fight?

Dogs are one of the oldest breeds of hunting animals. They can fight each other for many reasons. But there are some key factors, such as territorial disputes, resource guarding, social hierarchy, fear, anxiety, excitement, emotional or social issues, mating rights, overstimulation, pain-discomfort, and hormonal problems (Testosterone, Estrogen, Cortisol, Thyroid ). A single or multiple factors can be reasonable for a fighting outbreak.

A dog is social, but at the end of the day, it’s a wild animal. A dog can channel their emotions into a fight for any reason mentioned above. When a dog feels threatened or challenged by another dog, it will start showing signs of aggression or passive aggression. One may begin it, but it’s a chain reaction. As their territorial and guarding instinct, the other dog will surely respond to the situation and start fighting back.

How Do You Stop Dog Fight?

For any messed-up situation, prevention is better than cure. There are many ways to stop a dog fight. Dogfights are unexpected, overwhelming, and upsetting for any pet owner. While dogs have inherent social structures and means of defining boundaries, disputes occasionally turn hostile. Fights can occur for various reasons, including territory, fear, overstimulation, and underlying medical conditions. Knowing how to intervene safely and efficiently will have a significant impact.

You must keep calm and use intelligent strategies to end the battle. With the proper information and technique, pet owners may quickly break up disputes and prevent future fights, creating a safer environment. It is necessary to stop a dog fight calmly and strategically to avoid injuring yourself or the dogs. Here are a few effective methods: 

1. Understand The Fighting Situations

Like other disputes, you have to understand the situation first. If you observe and understand the problem, it’s 50% solved because you’ll have a mind map to act accordingly. Sometimes, what seems like a fight is a rough play. Your verbal command will be enough for your dog if it is a territorial dispute or resource guarding. 

If your dog is too stubborn to listen, just scolding and removing them from each other's sight will help. Or maybe it’s over food, and then providing enough separate food will stop it. Most importantly, you must understand the situation before thinking about resolving it. Assess the situation/determine the aggressor. Look for body language and gestures to understand the situation.

2. Remain Calm

Dogs can sense your fear and anxiety. In any problematic situation with dogs, you must remain calm and composed—remaining calm in an escalating situation commands authority. To stay calm, take deep breaths and focus on the problem. If you can think with a calm brain, your actions will be flawless and smooth, ensuring you have a safer, higher ground over the fighting canines. When a dog sees you in calm-domineer in the harshest fights, they will respect and obey your words and actions. This will always give you an edge over them to stop the fight. 

3. Clear The Scene

Clearing the scene is very important when a fight outbreaks. Clearing the scene means removing children, old people, and physically and mentally challenged people. When breaking up a dog fight, keeping the scene clear and controlled is essential for everyone’s safety. Crowds can add to the chaos and heighten the dogs' stress. Ideally, only two people—preferably the dogs' owners—should intervene directly. These individuals should coordinate their approach calmly, assigning one person to each dog to avoid confusion. 

4. Spray Them With Water

Water is a good dog repellent. Some dogs are okay with water, but most of them are not. When a dog fight occurs, spray them with water, preferably cold water.  Cold water works like magic when separating dogs. In the wild, dogs have to have dry fur to stay alive during the cold nights. Naturally, they avoid water to keep them dry. Spraying water triggers the instinct of not getting drenched in water and makes them flee the fight.

5. Make A Lot Of Noise

Try distracting the fighting dogs by making a loud noise to distract them. Loud noises are a big thing for dogs in an alert mood. While fighting, dogs tend to keep track of the surrounding environment. A sudden noise can straddle them and cause them to lose focus. This sound can be created by a horn, drum, or stick beating on a surface or anything loud enough to draw the dog's attention. After momentarily stunning them, the next thing will be to drive them away, stopping the fight.

6. Use Objects/Sticks To Separate Dogs

You must loosen the dog's grasp before pulling it away; otherwise, you risk harming the other dog. To do this, insert a break stick, a powerful flat stick, horizontally as close to the back of the neck as possible and twist it. This will cause the dog to loosen its grasp.

Throwing a large blanket over clashing dogs might temporarily disrupt their attention and help to halt the battle. It may also allow you to separate the dogs.

A sometimes successful solution is to open an umbrella between two warring dogs. Just ensure it's long enough to keep your hands away from the dogs' teeth.

I also stack things like chairs or laundry baskets on top of the dogs to separate them. 

7. Pull Backward On The Collar & the Wheelbarrow Method

As the dog releases its grasp, pull backward by grabbing the collar or harness to remove it from the situation. Refrain from pulling up to avoid sending confused signals that you're joining the conflict. As you pull, remember to use a strong, authoritative voice to communicate that you are a human.

When two people are present, the wheelbarrow tackle is one of the most secure approaches to breaking up a dog fight. With this method, each person needs to hold the fighting dogs' hind legs, lift them off the ground, and move backward to separate them.

8. Force To Flee Away From The Area

To break up a fight, determine which animal is the aggressor or which dog is attacking the other. Typically, one of the dogs will be significantly more intense. Identify the dog and remove it from the conflict. Doing this causes both dogs to cease fighting. After removing the aggressive dogs, try to calm them down, but separately.

What To Do If You Are Alone?

If you’re alone and need to stop a dog fight, follow these steps carefully to keep yourself and the dogs as safe as possible. Following these steps can help you manage a dog fight on your own with a reduced risk of harm.

• Keep your emotions in check. Avoid yelling or screaming, as this can escalate the dogs' aggression. Stay Calm and composed.

• Use a loud noise to distract. Clap loudly, bang on a nearby object, or use any available noise to divert their attention and possibly break their focus on each other.

• If there’s water nearby, spray or pour it on the dogs’ heads to startle them. A hose, water bottle, or even a bucket can work as a deterrent.

• Place an object between them. To interrupt their interaction without getting physically close to their mouths, try placing a barrier, such as a broom, chair, or bag, between the dogs.

• Do not grab collars or heads. Avoid holding the dogs by their collars, necks, or heads, as this could lead to redirection, causing the dog to bite you out of reflex.

• Once separated, lead one of the dogs away to a safe distance. Avoid quick movements that might restart the aggression. Back away slowly after separation.

• Once they’re separated, secure one or both dogs by tethering them or putting them in a separate, closed space.

• Once the dogs have calmed down, check for injuries each for injuries and seek veterinary care if necessary.

• Avoid direct eye contact with the dogs. Keep your gaze soft and focused on the task instead.

• Cover one dog with a blanket or towel (if available). This method works best with smaller dogs but can be effective for larger ones if done carefully.

• Take control of your breathing, and maintain steady, deep breaths. Dogs can sense nervousness, and your calm demeanor can have a stabilizing effect.

• Avoid high-pitched commands. High-pitched tones can increase excitement and aggression. If you need to speak, use a low, calm voice.

• Secure a barrier if available, and once they're separated, use it to create a physical divide between them.

• After separation, give the dogs extra time to cool down entirely before considering reintroducing them to each other. Keep them in separate spaces if needed.

• Call for a backup if that’s handy. If one or both dogs are still agitated, call a friend, neighbor, or animal control professional to assist.

What Should I Do and What Not to Do After Dog Fighting?

Congrats! Following our advice and tips, you have stopped your dog from fighting another. But what now? Does everything go back to normal? The answer is yes, but not immediately after a fight. If you don’t want this kind of incident to happen again and look after your dog's well-being, you must follow a few do’s and don’ts.

Things to Do After a Dog Fight

You must keep up with or add a few things after a fight to ensure you discourage this disruptive behavior.

Separate and Secure the Dogs

Once the dogs have cooled down, ensure they are securely separated. Place them in separate rooms, boxes, or locations to allow them to calm off and prevent re-escalation. 

Check for Injuries 

Pay attention to both dogs for noticeable injuries. Even little scratches can be uncomfortable or infected, so examine properly and visit a veterinarian if necessary.

Allow for Calm-Down Time

Allow the dogs plenty of time to separate and relax properly. This helps to reset their stress levels and lower leftover conflict. 

Observe Their Behavior 

Pay close attention to any symptoms of persistent fear, anxiety, or hostility. These behaviors can help address any underlying problems via training and behavioral treatments.

Contact a Professional if Needed

See a professional dog trainer or behaviorist if the dogs are consistently aggressive or fight frequently. They offer focused counsel and assist with behavioral challenges.

Stay Calm and Confident Around the Dogs

Dogs may pick up on human emotions. Maintain a calm, confident, and optimistic demeanor around them to help create a peaceful atmosphere.

Use Positive Reinforcement for Good Behavior

When both dogs behave calmly and non-aggressively, reward them with treats, praise, or caressing. This can help restore trust and reinforce positive relationships.

Provide Physical and Mental Stimulation Separately

Engage each dog in different play or training exercises to relieve stress. Tired dogs are often calmer, and keeping them occupied can help reduce confrontations.

Consider a Vet Check-Up for Underlying Issues

If conflicts occur again, see a veterinarian to rule out medical disorders such as discomfort, hormone imbalances, or thyroid difficulties, which can all lead to aggressiveness.

Things Not to Do After a Dog Fight

Don’t do the things mentioned below. Avoiding these activities will help your dog understand and cope with others.

Don’t Punish the Dogs

Avoid screaming, beating, or punishing the dogs after the confrontation. Punishment might make them more stressed and confused, increasing the likelihood of future aggressiveness.

Don’t Immediately Reintroduce

Avoid getting the dogs back together too soon. Allow them time to heal emotionally and physically; they may still be on the edge of breaking and melting down again.

Don’t Ignore Medical Needs

Even if the injuries look modest, they should be thoroughly checked. Dogs may conceal discomfort, and minor wounds may quickly decline without proper treatment.

Don’t Force Physical Contact with Them

Avoid stroking, cuddling, or holding the dogs just after a fight, as they may still be agitated and respond defensively. 

Don’t Leave Them Unattended Together

Don’t leave them together without someone’s supervision. Leaving them alone may create an intense situation and cause them to fight again.

Don’t Rush to Comfort Them Right After the Fight

Avoid treating the dogs affectionately soon after the battle. Confortinng or petting may foster aggressive behavior.

Don’t Allow Crowded or Stressful Situations

Don’t expose your dog to a crowd or avoid situations triggering trauma and stress. Doing so may invoke aggressive behavior. 

Don’t Use Forceful or Aggressive Techniques in Future Training

Avoid using punishment-based training methods, as these can increase fear and aggression. Focus on positive reinforcement instead.

Don’t Let Your Guard Down Too Soon

Monitor their interactions closely for a while, even if things seem normal. Re-establishing positive behavior may take time.

Don’t Ignore Warning Signs

Watch for growling, stiff body language, or intense stares, which can signal rising aggression. Address these signs early to prevent another conflict.

By following these do’s and don’ts, you can create a safer, calmer environment for both dogs and work toward preventing future conflicts.

Should I Leave The Area If I'm Afraid of Dogs?

We highly recommend gently leaving the area if you are afraid of dogs. Dog fighting is an occasion for many urban and city dwellers to witness animal aggressiveness. When fighting, a daily friendly dog can turn into a fierce animal. 

Cynophobia is an extreme fear of dogs. People with this anxiety condition think about, view, or interact with dogs, and they experience significant fear and anxiety. This fear might force people to avoid situations with dogs in severe circumstances. The more you’re exposed, the less fearful you’ll be, but this is not the time if you are cynophobic.

Conclusion

Though dogs are cute, cuddly, and friendly animals, it is essential to understand that they emerged from wild animals and still have traits. Now you know what to do and what to avoid. Regardless of everything, just stay calm and composed. A better approach would be to avoid conflicting situations for your dog. Proper behavioral and physical training can significantly reduce the chances.