Quote: michael_wise

I just thought it was a good discussion when it was about "rules of engagement" in a dog fight. It isn't really about that now.

It could have been a productive thread! I really never gave much consideration that he was an LEO, and don't care if he carries a gun. If this were a street situation and the dog attacked while out walking, I would have a different view.

It was a dog park where dogs are allowed to roam freely, both handlers should know what can happen, and be prepared to handle that situation, they entered willingly. IMO, there were three handlers present, I would think lifting the rear legs of the husky and dragging him away from the GSD that was on leash, putting whatever dog closest to the gate on the other side of the fence may have been a better solution then a bullet. I may be wrong,that's fine,I was open for other possible solutions to breaking up a dog fight with out killing one of the dogs.

I was offended by the needless attacks on the military and LEO's!

Anyone here broken up a dog fight? I have helped do that once (following directions) and I know two other folks who have had to.

It's probably a good thing to know about in pretty good detail so that if it ever happens around any of us, we have a plan and not much brain-room left over for mindless panic. Because it can be VERY scary, violent, and awful. In fact, for much of my life, my own idea of a dog fight was completely rose-colored. Ripped-off ears, ripped-out throats, and death were not really part of what I imagined. Never mind very bad human damage.


One woman I know, whose life revolves pretty much around Pugs, played a major role in breaking up a sudden dog-park fight. She was at a split-park dog park: little dogs are fenced away from big dogs. She was on the little-dog side.

She saw the fight start on the big-dog side and get bad, with one of them pouring blood from the face and eye and (it turned out later) an ear partly gone, and the humans not getting injured that much but having no success with trying to pull the dogs apart by their collars. So she ran over and told one of the owners to grab his dog's back legs and she grabbed the other, and they did the wheelbarrow that Ed describes so aptly.

I wasn't there, but I heard that it was a long time before they figured out what to do next, standing there with the two dog-barrows, one twisting and shrieking and still wildly trying to get at the one she had the legs of, until finally she dragged "hers" with some help out the gate, then the other dog was dragged out.

She was the one who told them not to let loose of the dog still inside, but to drag him out too even though the first one was now in his car (and I don't know if that would have occurred to me, but yeah, I imagine some pretty exciting redirected "I'm gonna bite SOME dog!" stuff might have happened otherwise).

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

Anyone here broken up a dog fight? I have helped do that once (following directions) and I know two other folks who have had to.

Unfort, yes I have. Are you looking for details more than you described or Ed outlined in his article?

 Quote: aimee pochron

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

Anyone here broken up a dog fight? I have helped do that once (following directions) and I know two other folks who have had to.

Unfort, yes I have. Are you looking for details more than you described or Ed outlined in his article?

Well, not so much details as maybe additional helpful parts of a plan to have worked out in one's mind.

 Quote: aimee pochron

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

Anyone here broken up a dog fight? I have helped do that once (following directions) and I know two other folks who have had to.

Unfort, yes I have. Are you looking for details more than you described or Ed outlined in his article?

Me too. Several pre-LB, unfortunately. The worst one involved one dog (a big Dobe) dragging the other around the yard by his throat. It took three people and a garden hose to break up the fight, because the Dobe wouldn't let go. If I had been alone, I don't know what I would have done. We ended up having to forcefully spray the hose into the Dobe's mouth and nose to get him to release, and it seemed to take forever. It was TERRIFYING. I thought the other dog would die before we got the Dobe off him.

My ex took the Dobe in a headlock to a crate and we rushed the other dog to the emergency vet. He almost died.

A REAL dogfight is scary as hell.

 Quote:

Well, not so much details as maybe additional helpful parts of a plan to have worked out in one's mind.

I'm not sure how we could have formulated an effective plan for this one. Fortunately, the people who were present were all calm dog-people who just did what needed to be done. None of us were injured because we all knew to stay away from the bitey end.

In an ideal world, the Dobe would not have ended up in the wrong run.

Honestly I think you nailed it! Looking back, I would say before jumping in there quickly make a plan of who's doing what. In a true fight, forget water - it just makes them slippery. Kicking, hitting goes un-noticed. A timed painful stimuli to both dogs may help jaw release making the wheelbarrow easier. Once apart, very good point, do not let go of them and barrier separate as quickly as possible. There's probably more, I just am blocking it right now....I think the hardest part is getting the jaw release and that takes some creativity and using what is available.

Kristel, I just saw your post and thought I should clarify my reference to water. Some think by throwing or spraying water on them will end the fight.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

Anyone here broken up a dog fight? I have helped do that once (following directions) and I know two other folks who have had to.

We don’t go to dog parks. Just the look of the over entitled owners taking up space on the benches drinking their starbucks, engaged in chat and on cell phones with their children running wildly, sends chills up my spine.

We do however; have a great semi-private beach just up the road. It’s pretty exclusive to the members of our community however; the odd passer-by makes their way down. We generally know who the responsible owners are and avoid it when being used by local yahoos. It works out pretty good.

Last weekend, a very well behaved pitt-bull mix was approached by an uncontrolled Doberman asserting himself in a very tight posture (not a regular). I called our boys and had Bob hold them. In seconds the pitt and the dobe were in an all out fight. The screaming started and the two male owners approached the scrapping dogs, hands heading for the collars.

I yelled STOP. You could tell neither really wanted to get close so they did stop and looked at me. I very loudly but calmly said grab your dogs’ back legs (thank you Mr. Frawley). One guy awkwardly asked “one or both”. I said, “Both, drag em back like a wheelbarrow”. They did and the dogs were instantly separated, no one was hurt. There was some blood on the dobie’s mouth and a large welt was starting to form on pitt’s neck.

It was so effective and what an incredible technique to actually see in operation. Also, I wanted to share because you don’t have be one doing the separating - the calm voice in the flurry of panic is also a very powerful tool. It’s tough, it’s ugly but stay composed – you’re probably the only one.

Staying calm seems to be the running theme to a successful outcome. It sure helps.

On the other hand NOT staying calm can be a disaster. I remember seeing two dogs squaring off, and just as they were releasing the tension and starting to walk away from each other, somebody started screaming and stomping her feet to 'break them up'. What would have been a non-event became a very nasty fight as a result.

I've seen a number over the years. Most I've seen were over quicker and I guess would be considered dog attacks rather than dog fights.

The worst by far was when I was 16 the neighbor's GSD and the other neighbor's golden retriever. That was just ugly, I wish I had never seen a bit of involvement with it. The one neighbor was out moving firewood being tagged along by his sixish month old golden and I had just come back from getting the mail. I saw the GSD run up the one lane street and heard screaming. By the time I got to the end of the driveway the golden was down and shrieking and the GSD by that point had redirected to my neighbor who went for the dog's collar and ended up getting his hand torn in half and another bite on the arm. He ended it by clocking the dog with his axe handle.

Without getting too graphic in the conclusion So... one guy chewed up. Two dogs dying. Me dialing 911. Scary is an understatement.

 Quote: Kristel Smart

Staying calm seems to be the running theme to a successful outcome. It sure helps.

On the other hand NOT staying calm can be a disaster. I remember seeing two dogs squaring off, and just as they were releasing the tension and starting to walk away from each other, somebody started screaming and stomping her feet to 'break them up'. What would have been a non-event became a very nasty fight as a result.

This happens! I was at a friend's house one time, we were in the kitchen, her dogs appeared ready to square off on her side deck, instead of waiting, as it appeared to me they were ready to walk away without a fight, she charged out to the deck...Now the fight started!