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Dog Fights Q&A

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Dog Fight

If you have come to this page more than likely you have issues with aggressive dogs. A number of pages on my web site (including this one) contain emails about dog fights. I have places my personal comments under many of these emails.

In addition we offer training resources. I have produced a DVD titled: DEALING WITH DOMINANT AND AGGRESSIVE DOGS This DVD demonstrates how to break up a dog fight if you are alone.

Breaking Up a Dog Fight without Getting Hurt Podcast

Dog fights are violent, loud and dangerous events. I get emails every day on dog fights. As I wrote this description I got 2 emails. In email the family had two dogs. Their female GSD had just killed their dachshund. In the second email this family's dog had just been in a fight with a neighbors dog and done $1,400 damage.

In the mid 1990's I wrote an article on How to Break Up A Dog Fight - that article is still on my web site. This 52 Minute podcast is an update of that article. The information in the podcast has more details on making the decision of even trying to step in to break up a fight, it discusses many methods used to break up fights and it tells how to break up a fight when you are alone. There is an also extensive section on preventing dogs fights.

I try and answer every question I receive on dog training. I may often come across as a little on the blunt side. The way I see it is like this "I don't charge for answering questions, I get over 100 emails a day. I DON'T have time for people who do not read what I have already written."

I consider myself an advocate for dogs and not dog handlers. I am also an advocate for common sense dog training and not the latest fad that appears on the horizon (i.e. Halties, Clickers, Gentle Leaders etc.). Good dog training is not rocket science, it is common sense. It's about making life's rules VERY CLEAR for the dog to understand.

dog fight

Dog fights are nothing to fool with. Not only do the dogs get injured but the people who try and break them up often gets badly bit. Fights are almost always caused as a result of the handler making mistakes. This means they are people-problems and not dog-problems. There are a number of training articles and Q&A sections on this web site that you should read to educate yourself. If you write me about dog fights - expect to be told about YOUR MISTAKES not the dog problems you have.

Dog Fights are dangerous

Read the article I wrote on how to break up a dog fight without getting hurt.

The Theory of Correction in Dog Training

PRONG COLLAR WARNING:

When you use your Prong Collar, we strongly suggest you use a Leerburg Dominant Dog Collar as a safety backup.

Prong Collars can come apart when not not put on properly. If a leash is clipped to a Leerburg Dominant Dog Collar along with the Prong Collar, you will have control of the dogs in the rare occurrence that the Prong Collar fails.

To learn how to correctly fit a Prong Collar, go to http://www.leerburg.com/fit-prong.htm or purchase our Basic Dog Obedience DVD.

Dog Training is NEVER without risk of injury. Do NOT attempt these training techniques yourself without consulting a professional. Leerburg Enterprises, Inc. can not be responsible for accidents or injuries to humans and/or animals.

Question:

Mr. Frawley, I just found your website and am hoping that you can help us with a somewhat urgent situation. My husband (a vet), daughter and I have 3 dogs that are all crate trained and kept there at all times unless we are home with them. The oldest, Sally is a 12 year old mix, then there is Bugz a 4 year old Boston mix, and finally Polly the 18 month old bulldog mix. All are spayed females. Up until 2 weeks ago, all was mostly quiet with the dogs except maybe 2 challenges to Sally's dominance by Polly, which was not a surprise given the age and pack ramifications. We were careful to correct Polly properly for the aggression both times. Then 2 weeks ago week, while we were out of town, our pet-sitter/vet assistant came by one day to feed them and let them out (they know her well as she is in and out with work for my husband) and as Polly ran off to hunt squirrels by sniffing around the fence-line, the sitter bent over to pet Sally and Bugs at her feet and Polly ran in, jumped Sally and wouldn't let go of her ear. The sitter had to pry her mouth off the ear since she would not let go. Then, last week Polly went after Sally again while in my husband's study and got the other ear and it took both of us to get her to let go of it. At this point, we have tried to keep them separate for going out, and tried to prevent any dominance challenge situations and all was quiet. Then today, the sitter was here doing some work in the garage and my husband asked her to let the dogs out since the weather was so nice outside. She opened the crates and let them out and as soon as she turned around to close the door, another fight broke out leading to yet another ear bite and hold. This one took both she and my husband to separate and Sally has just returned from the vet with a partial ear amputation due to the damage.

I am sure by reading your site that we have done something wrong in the process, but we are both long time owners of multiple dog households and have quite a bit of veterinary experience and some dog aggression issues from cases we have seen. Polly is the perfect people dog and is very warm and loving and has never shown any aggression with any people or other dogs besides Sally though I know it is a possibility (they never go anywhere but here at the house or my mom's with us). The main question here is that my husband is considering putting her to sleep simply because of the viciousness of the attacks on Sally and the risk it adds if any person gets in the way. Can we fix this at this stage, and if so, how? We have thought of a muzzle when she is out and around Sally, or working shifts so that only one of them is out at a time, or getting her to someone in a rescue group that deals with dog-aggressive dogs or just wants a one dog home, knowing her history. My husband is still concerned for safety and liability issues. In addition, this is his dog and it is a very hard decision for both of us to make. We would love to spare her if possible. Any help would be very much appreciated. We are keeping them apart (Sally's drugged up and in a crate for a bit) and weighing the options.

Thanks,
Ashlyn

Ed's Response:

This is 100% a pack/rank issue. Three dogs are a dog pack. Most times people can get by with it – but then there are times like this where there is no room for error. I hate to say this but there have been more signs of this coming but your family missed them.

If this dog 100% understood your leadership this would not have happened in front of you. It very well still would have happened with your house sitters and employees because they are not the dogs leaders – being human does not translate into being a pack leader.

The solution begins with the kind of pack structure program in my DVD Establishing Pack Structure With the Family Dog. I developed this program over the past 25 years of importing and buying dogs for police service work, personal protection and Schutzhund work. Many of these dogs were truly dangerous dogs handler aggressive dogs. I was never badly bit.

This program is only the first part of the solution. Dogs like this need to be under total control all the time. They need to understand this concept and more importantly they need to accept the situation. This is accomplished with dogs leashes (in the house) dog crates and no contact with other animals.

The dog also needs serious obedience training – by that I mean correct training that establishes you as a fair considerate leader. A leader who has rules that once explained and understood are respected and followed. If the rules are understood and then ignored they must be ruthlessly enforced with dogs like this. Read the free eBook I wrote on THE THEORY OF CORRECTIONS IN DOG TRAINING. Here is where the all positive dog trainer pee their pants.

This is best handled with a Remote Collar.

Muzzles don’t solve your problem. Muzzles cover up problems. They should be used to test training. They make the test safe. I have a training DVD titled MUZZLE FIGHTING FOR POLICE SERVICE DOGS. A dog can break ribs, knock out teeth or break a facial bone with a muzzle on. They are not your solution.

If your family is not prepared to get retrained and then change the way you live with your dog pack – you should find a single dog home for this dog. But the person who takes it needs to be experienced in how to handler dogs aggression. I have a DVD titled Dealing with Dominant and Dangerous Dogs.

Good luck – if you kill this dog it’s a mistake. It’s a failure of education and effort.

Kind Regards,
Ed

Question:

I am looking for a video that covers the area of dog fights and how to break them up. Specifically, I work at a training center and I am trying to locate an updated tape to show recruits how to handle dogfights.

Ed

Answer:

That would be a little hard to produce a video on this. How would you suggest that it be done? I think the animal rights people would have a hay day with the guy who went out and let dogs get in fights just so we could show how to break up the fight - much less the fact that it would be illegal in every state that I am aware of.

Read this article on my web site - then talk to your people.

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