What is the easiest and safest way to split up dogs fighting?

Question

I took my Jack Russell for a walk this weekend. We were walking in a field and out of the blue, another dog (a lurcher I think), came running at him at attacked him. It was really awful, at one point my dog was pinned to the ground then he managed to free himself, but the dog had another go and sunk his teeth into his belly.We eventually pulled them apart, but it seemed to take forvever - we just couldn't grab hold of them. I've now had a £245 vet bill

Answer 1

soak them with water

Answer 2

If dogs are fighting for real then throwing water over them will not work, the only thing they are thinking of is what they are doing, the adrenaline is running so high that they haven't a clue what is going on around them, when I was in the army working with trained guard dogs (kept apart most of the time) we were taught to choke off the aggressor! by this I mean you get hold of the dog that is on top by the collar and twist it until the dog has to let go because it can't breath!! but for obvious reasons I don't recommend pet owners using this method as the aggression could be turned on to yourself, don't for goodness sake just pull a dog away as this can cause a lot of damage as it's teeth will still be in the 'underdog' and will rip it's skin, if you can find something heavy such as a branch from a tree or indeed as someone else has suggested carry a walking stick and don't be afraid to use it!!
I really hope that you never have to go through this traumatic experience again and hope that your dog fully recovers both physically and mentally.

Answer 3

You are not liable to pay the vet bill, the lurcher's owner is. There is no real safe way to break up a fight however with a small dog, if you can safely grab it's back legs do so and swing it up high by the legs to seperate them .
Was your dog on a lead at the time? Sometimes one of those rape alarms can stop a fight before it gets too bad but you really MUST report this attack to the police as it sounds as though this will come under the dangerous dogs act part of the law which covers having a dog dangerously out of control in a public place. Having said that I find it very odd that alurcher would start a fight with anything. I'va had them all of my life and they are the most laid back easy going dogs in the world.
n.b. disregard the advice about cattle prods and pepper spray since such things are illegal in the UK.

Answer 4

I know for sure that throwing water on dogs does not always work and isn't always a feasible option. One way is to grab the attacking dog by the back legs (obviously if it is too big for you to lift this won't work). Moving along, grab the attacker by the hind legs and lift it off of the ground. The dog will let go b/c it has no idea what you are doing. You have to be quick, if it goes for you use the hind legs to whip it around and keep its head away from you. I haven't used this in an actual dog fight, but in games of tug when the dogs wouldn't let go. I have seen people pour water on fights and it does nothing other than get things wet.

Answer 5

That's absolutely disgusting ! Why don't owners keep their dogs under control ? I feel sorry for you that you were the innocent party and ended up with a huge bill.It's not an easy thing to split up fighting dogs because you could end up getting hurt yourself.Carrying a walking stick might help a bit or hoping the police are driving by and can hit he offending dog with their baton.Perhaps one of those small panic alert gadgets which send out a high pitched noise might frighten the other dogs...it's worth a try because they are not too expensive.Good luck.... keep safe.
How does Sando dog trainer know your dog was on a leash ? Perhaps it wasn't and it was too far away from you to pick it up before the Lurcher pounced from nowhere !!!

Answer 6

There is no easy, safe or quick way; I always used to just dive in and scruff the pair of them. If I got bitten that was my look out.
One thing you can do is chuck your coat over your dog, then pick the whole bundle up. I've fooled a few big dogs doing that to my Russell. They sniff the ground where your dog was and don't get that he's wrapped up in the coat being carried away.

Answer 7

this is a tough situtation but i i am assuming your from great britan i dont know your laws but id say get yourself some pepperspray and if you see him coming a little squirt should do the trick if he is already locked on do not try to seperate them by their mouths in anyway you could get bit but if your dog will stop when you get the other one off grab the other dog by his back legs lift him high in the air like a wheel barrel and walk in a circular motion this also can be very dangerous he may turn on you every fight and every dog is different so try to avoid them at all cost id even get a stun gun if this is a on going problem but agian you can create a more dangerous situtaion for yourself i am not a professional i just know what i read so be careful

Answer 8

The dog obedience school I go to tells us not to shout or scream as this seems to egg the dogs on, or excite them. Use your feet and kick with the top of your foot, not your toes! You don't really want to hurt or break anything. But using the flat or top of your foot kick the dog in the side. Aiming at lifting it off or away from the other dog. It can also knock the breath out of them.
Aside from that, you need to keep scanning the area as you walk your dog. Look out for other people with dogs. In the field, birds or other animals may have fled from the dog which might have given you enough of a warning to grab your dog.
Hope this helps.

Answer 9

Wow, that sounds awful! It's happened to me before though. If it's your dogs fighting then throw water on them or squirt them with the hose. If you are out walking-- that could be trickier. I live in a rural area and there are lots of dogs out here that run loose. Me and my dogs have been attacked by other dogs three times so far, though nothing as serious as what you're describing.

What I've started doing is carrying a wood plunger handle; I loop it through my belt loop in back so I can just reach back and grab it. That way if another dog attacks I can keep hold of my dogs' leash, reach back and grab the handle-- it's thin and light, so it's easy to keep hold of, and it's long so I can reach over and whack the attacking dog with it. Also if one dog has its jaws locked you can pry its mouth open with the handle without getting bitten yourself.

One time two of my dogs-- a Staffie and German shepherd mix-- started fighting when I was out for a walk and the Staffie locked her teeth in my other dog's neck! I tried to pry her jaws with my hands and my hands got cut really badly. I finally had to let go my shepherd's leash and let him run away, and keep a hold of the Staffie, and he finally managed to shake loose. It was scary ***!

A man I know who had two Staffies used an electric cattle prod that he bought at a feed store to separate them when they started fighting. It's kind of a strange idea, but it DID work. I think the cattle prod cost about $10 (US). It may sound cruel but much better than having to take the dogs and get them sewn up after they start fighting over a little scrap of meat, ya know?

Anyway, I hope that helps. You should carry pepper spray as well, but that's not as good of an idea because the pepper spray will get on your dog as well if you use it on an attacking dog. But it IS good for people! ;)

Answer 10

I know how you feel and have had this same problem but that dog I had was killed. Since then I carry a rather long wood pole with me. Something like a broom stick and I drilled three holes through it near the end and inserted long hard nails and the cut the head off so I could sharpen both ends. Now when another dog attacks I can give him something to think about before he actually gets my dog. I even tried a cattle prod but it got a little costly keeping batteries in it. Rechargeable batteries may be the way to go if you use one of those. They do work well. It gives the dog an electrical shock and that will sure make it think about trying that again. The cattle prod does not harm the dog so it may be good for you to carry with you.

Answer 11

I was going to suggest take the waterhose to them but I dont think that is always possible. When I go for a walk with my dog I always carry a nice thick walking stick by beating the dog you will hurt them enough to separate them but not cause any permanent damage. As soon as any dog starts in my direction I hold the stick up threateningly and they retreat.