To start with a warning: remember, if you try to separate fighting dogs, there is a high chance of serious injury.People often do not realise that if there is a fight, the animal is already being controlled by the survival instinct alone. And if the dog notices you at all at that moment, it is not treating you as a loving owner.
Therefore, if you have the courage to distinguish between fighting animals, be sure that you do it right.
Trying to stop angry dogs in the heat of battle with your voice is almost always futile. If you give them a time-out while trying to catch them by their collars, you will also hurt yourself – hand bites are almost guaranteed. And it is pointless and very dangerous to attack between them while covering your pet with your body (and trapping the dog in a tight embrace, thus depriving it of the ability to defend itself in any way).
It will take two people to isolate a struggling dog in such a way that no one is harmed. Each must grab one of the dogs by the back paws with thisp, as if you were holding onto the handles of a wheelbarrow. Then pull the dogs by their legs in different directions.
Each owner pulls only his/her dog. A strange dog may only be grabbed in exceptional cases: if its owner is helpless, or if the big dog has attacked a small dog, or if a puppy has been attacked.
Once the fight is over and you have pulled the dogs apart, it is very important not to let them go, otherwise the fight will start all over again. Instead, while holding the dogs, turn around yourself, or slowly turn the dogs until you make them back away from each other. This is to prevent the dog from wriggling and biting the person who is holding its legs.
Turn the dog so that it can step sideways with its front paws, otherwise it will fall and crush its jaw. As long as you move slowly backwards and turn, the dog cannot hurt you. To make sure that the fight doesn’t start again as soon as you release the dogs, one of the dogs should be dragged to a place where it can bea closed (aviary, garage, other room). Only then can the dogs be released. If you don’t, the dogs will jump on each other again, and if you release the dog too quickly, it may attack the person who was holding its legs.
The worst case scenario is when you are alone in front of a serious fight. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Don’t waste time trying to yell at dogs. It probably won’t work. Your goal is still the same – to break up the fight and not get bitten yourself. Run to get the leash (let the fight continue for now).
Dogs are almost always exclusively occupied with each other. Get close and put the noose around the dog’s ankle. If possible, tie the noose. Now pull and gently drag the dog to a fence or any other object to which the lead can be attached.