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Dog Fights: Be Careful When Attempting To Break Up Fighting Dogs
When you have a group of dogs in a park, there is a mix of temperaments and the wrong mixture can lead to a dog fight. Though it is a rarity for two dogs to really go at it, you should look for the signs that are building up to a fight. It is easier to break up two dogs before the fight becomes full blown.
What are the signs? Their growls become deep, their chests become more purred out, and they start pushing and leaning against each other. Their tails are also straight up, they are not covering their scent glands. Also a sign or dominance and aggression that can lead to a fight is dogs mounting each other.
Dogs of both genders will do this. Female dogs mount male dogs, male dogs mount male dogs, female dogs mount female dogs and, of course, male dogs mount female dogs. Under no circumstances should this behavior be tolerated. It needs to be stopped immediately by saying, "Off" and clapping your hands to distract the offending dog. If the dominant dog has a tight hold of the submissive dog, don't reach with your hand to break them apart - the underdog can turn and bite at you.
Two dogs who are ready to fight don't bark at each other. Instead, they growl as they circle each other. There is usually a small space between them. Never put your hands into that space to grab your dog. You can easily get bit.
Since they haven't actually started fighting yet, break them apart by saying in a low voice, deeper than their growls, "Leave it! Out of Here!" and clap your hands to break their attention away from each other.
If your dog is on a leash, never try to pull him away from a fight. By pulling at him, you are anchoring him even more to the ground and he becomes more of a stationary target for the other dog. You can also get tangled in the leash and get bit yourself.
If a fight is in full motion there are a couple of things you can do. With the heel of your hand, you can pop the upper thigh of the more aggressive dog but quickly move your hand away. This hit will surprise the dog and it will also spin him away from the other dog. This gives you and the other owner a second or two to pull them away from each other.
If you are wearing a jacket or a coat, you can throw it on top of them. They will both get distracted as they try to get out from under the coat. This gives you a few seconds to pull them away from each other. Basically, you are trying to shift their focus in order to break up a fight.
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