COLUMN: What to do when dogs fight
Local dog trainer explains how she prefers to handle things when two dogs fight.
• Nadine Whittal, dog trainer writes:
Unfortunately, life tends to be reasonably unpredictable and we often find ourselves in situations that are uncomfortable or downright unpleasant. One of these situations is when dogs start fighting. There is a lot of confusion over how to handle a situation like this, and people handle it in different ways. Here is how I prefer to handle things.
Firstly, I try to avoid situations in which my dog might be forced to defend itself against another dog. I avoid walking my dog off-lead in places where I know other dogs will be that may not have had the benefit of proper socialisation and training. If I am walking in a park and another dog approaches my dog, I do politely ask that dog’s handler to call it back. You are well within your right to do this. People have the responsibility to respect the boundaries of others.
If your dog does land up in a fight, I try to separate them in one of two ways. I will pull the dogs off each other and physically hand the other dog to his or her owner. Now if you do this, be aware that the dogs might, not on purpose, turn around and lay into you. You need to be prepared to dodge teeth if you have to.
If you are lucky and you are more than one person walking together, one of you should run away and call your dog while the other person separates the dogs. This will hopefully encourage the dogs to move away from each other. Now none of these methods are foolproof and there is no guarantee that the dogs will let go of each other.
It is also best to take yourself and your dog out with other experienced dog handlers. That way, if you are not sure what to do, the experienced dog handler will. All in all, whatever you decide to do with your dog, you need to consider your safety and the safety of your dog. If you don’t feel that you can ensure safety, then rather avoid the activity and contact an experienced trainer to ask for advice.
As a disclaimer, no situation is foolproof. Be careful when walking your dog around other dogs and try not to put yourself in a situation where your dog may fight. Also be aware, any dog fight could turn bad for the people intervening. Teeth are sharp and should be avoided at all costs.
