Learning how to break up a dog fight is unfortunately a necessary skill for every pup parent. While I hope you don’t actually have to use this information, you likely will.

In this episode, we’ll break down the ins and outs of dog fights. And while the information can feel startling and somewhat scary, it’s vital to learn what to do if your dog is involved in a fight.

Important note on safety. Any time a dog fight occurs and you try to break it up, there is a high risk of you getting bit or injured. Exercise caution and ideally, work with a local positive-reinforcement-based dog trainer to better understand how to stop a dog fight.

Here is what we will cover:

When dogs start fighting, they get in a “zone” and it can be hard to get them out of it.

One method to stop a dog fight is to use noise, distractions, or something similar to break them out of that “zone”, even if just for a moment to allow you to get your dog and move to safety.

Here are some ways you can break your dog’s attention during a fight 👇

Those are just some ideas, but the principle is to be as loud and distracting as possible to try and break the dogs’ attention. If you can get a 1-2 second pause, you can likely get your dog out of the situation.

Another safe way to break up a dog fight is to get something in between your dogs.

I understand that you likely may not have anything readily available, but in some instances, you can get creative. The idea is to create a physical barrier between the dogs.

Here are some things you could use to get space between two dogs.

Once you have an object in between the dogs you can leash/pull the dog away accordingly and hopefully de-escalate the fight.

Some people disagree with this method, while others swear by it (that’s life, right?). Generally, the “wheelbarrow method” can be a good way to separate fighting dogs.

It requires two people to work in unison, which in a high-intensity situation like a dog fight can be quite difficult. Regardless, here is how it works.

Learning about dog body language can help you avoid dog fights! Take the Dog Body Language Course (taught by Traci Madson CPDT-KA) here: https://pfrd.site/bodylanguage-course

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