A dog fight can be incredibly frightening for you and deadly for your dog. A number of years ago, I had two Boston Terriers that could go for days and play together, sleep next to each other…. and then something would happen to trigger one of them and a dog fight would instantly happen. It started off with someone knocking at the door as a trigger. Then the phone ringing. And then play got more unpredictable. I could never leave them alone out of their crates and there were a number of wounds that I patched. Sam even lost his eye when too much pressure was applied to his head by the other dog. It happened in an instant.
They were small dogs and I could separate them fairly easily. I could usually pick up the one on top with a fast grasp. Or grab one by the back legs and pull them up and away. Luckily, I never was bitten in the process. But it was still scary and adds a lot of stress to a dog relationship.
But what do you do if your dogs are large? Or they get involved with a dog you do not know? How do you stop a fight without hurting your dog and yourself?
Here is a good reference page…. I highly recommend you read and be prepared. You never know when an unplanned encounter can lead to two dogs escalating into a fight. When you have a plan in your mind, it helps you not panic and act quickly and decisively. As much as we want to believe that our dog is mild mannered and would never fight, all dogs will fight if put into a position where they feel they have no way out.
