Dog fights
This is a guest post by Susan Wright, a veterinarian who writes for Dog Fence DIY. Dog Fence DIY can supply all the materials you need for your own pet containment system and guide you through the installation.
Whether you walk your dog on leash or off, there’s always the possibility you’ll be involved in a dog fight some day. This can be terrifying for both of you.
A dog fight is any interaction between two dogs where at least one of the dogs has the intent of hurting the other. It doesn’t matter what size, shape or breed the dogs are, they are still more than capable of fighting.
It may be possible to prevent a dog fight before it even starts. You can learn to interpret an approaching dog’s body language, and that can help let you know if he’s likely to be agressive.
If an approaching dog isn’t very big, don’t be complacent and think because he’s small, he’s harmless. Many little dogs are as feisty as their larger counterparts. It doesn’t matter how small a dog is, he still has teeth, and he can still do serious damage.
A confident assertive dog will stand tall, with his ears erect. His tail will be held high, and he will also stare at your dog. If a dog shows this type of behavior towards you, it’s a good idea for you and your dog to calmly walk away. Hopefully, he’ll decide he’s won that battle for dominance and won’t bother to follow you.
If a loose dog does attack your dog, whatever you do, don’t scream and yell. That’s not easy when you’re scared, but the high pitched noise may escalate the aggression and make the situation worse.
Never ever put your hands anywhere near the head ends of fighting dogs – don’t try and grab their collars. That’s a recipe for serious injury.
The best way to stop a dog fight is to startle the dogs. A loud shrill noise such as that from a can of compressed air is ideal. Alternatively, a bucket of water may be enough to distract them for a moment.
For the next step, you need a second pair of hands. When the dogs have been startled and stopped fighting for a moment, someone needs to grab the back legs of each of the dogs, drag them apart and start walking them in a circle on their front legs. This makes them lose balance, and they can’t try to attack if they’re wobbly on their feet.
It’s a very good idea to keep the dogs out of sight of each other until they’ve calmed down. You can then check them for bite wounds and punctures, and consider whether or not they need veterinary attention. Some dog fights are very noisy but there’s remarkably little damage done. If in doubt, have your dog checked by your vet; puncture wounds can be deep and he may need antibiotics and pain relief.
Dogs who have been involved in a dog fight are occasionally very apprehensive about meeting new dogs. It’s important that you help him get over this nervousness, because it may make it difficult for you both on future outings.
Arrange to get together with friends who have amiable dogs, and allow your dog to meet them under safe, controlled circumstances. If he has several positive enjoyable experiences with new dogs, he’ll be back to his confident self very quickly.
