What is what to do when your dogs fight?

Here's information about what to do when your dogs fight:

When dogs fight, it's crucial to react quickly and safely to minimize injuries. Here's a breakdown:

• Immediate Separation: Your first priority is to safely separate the dogs.

  • Avoid getting bitten: Never put your hands or body directly between fighting dogs. This is the most common way people get injured.
  • Loud Noise: Try a startling noise like a loud shout, a blast from an air horn, or banging pots and pans together. Sometimes this will distract them long enough to break the fight.
  • Water: Throwing a bucket of water on the dogs can sometimes startle them and break the fight.
  • Physical Barrier: If possible, use a physical barrier like a large piece of plywood, a trash can lid, or even a chair to separate them.
  • The "Wheelbarrow" Technique: If you have help, each person can grab the hind legs of one dog and pull them backward and away from each other. Keep them separated and moving backward until they are far enough apart.

• Assess Injuries: Once the dogs are separated, check them carefully for injuries. Even small puncture wounds can be serious due to the risk of infection. Take any injured dog to the vet immediately.

• Keep Them Separated: After a fight, keep the dogs separated in different areas of the house. This prevents further conflict and allows them to calm down.

• Identify the Trigger: Try to determine what triggered the fight. Common triggers include:

  • Resource guarding: Protecting food, toys, or a specific location.
  • Territoriality: Defending their space.
  • Fear: Reacting out of fear or anxiety.
  • Frustration: Pent-up energy or lack of mental stimulation.
  • Pain: A dog in pain may be more irritable.
  • Redirected Aggression: Aggression towards something else is redirected towards another dog.

• Management and Prevention:

  • Avoid triggers: Once you know the trigger, manage the environment to minimize the chance of another fight. This may involve feeding them separately, removing toys, or keeping them apart when visitors are present.
  • Training: Work with a qualified professional dog trainer or behaviorist to address the underlying cause of the aggression. This may involve obedience training, desensitization, and counter-conditioning.
  • Supervision: Always supervise the dogs when they are together, especially in the early stages of management and training.
  • Consider Neutering/Spaying: This can sometimes reduce aggression, especially in male dogs.

• Professional Help: If the fighting is frequent, severe, or you are unsure how to proceed, seek help from a certified professional dog trainer or veterinary behaviorist. They can assess the situation and develop a tailored plan to address the problem.

• Rehoming (as a last resort): In some cases, if the aggression cannot be managed and the dogs cannot safely coexist, rehoming one of the dogs may be the most humane option. This is a difficult decision, but the safety of the dogs and the people in the home must be the top priority.