How do you break up a dog fight? Options

[Roy4Ever]

The title of this thread says it all.

Our dogs occasionally get into fights, and while no one has ever been seriously injured (mostly just wet, matted fur) the fights look really vicious. And when the dogs are going at it, they cling to each other with a death grip and do not let go.

How do you break up a fight like this? They are rare, but when they happen they're nearly impossible to stop. We've tried everything from hitting the dogs with an empty milk jug to dumping water on them. Nothing makes them let go. No one wants to get bit, but what else can you do but try to get in there and grab them??? Does anyone have a safe and efficient way to handle this?

My family is used to labs...having australian shepherds is a totally different game, and I think we've done pretty well so far. But we haven't yet figured out how to handle these occasional fights.

P.S. (For a funny picture, just picture two australian shepherds going at it with each other while a young female yellow lab jumps around them in circles barking because she thinks they're playing. Sigh. That's Maddie for you.)

[allaboutourdogs]

If there are two people available to stop the fight, this makes it a lot easier. Each of you must choose a dog to pull away from the fight. Then you come at the problem from the rear, where you are less likely to get bitten.

Grab your dog by the two hind legs. Lift it up as you would a wheelbarrow. In this way, you will start to separate the dogs from one another.

As you pull your dog by its hind legs, begin to slowly circle to one side. The dog must use footwork to stay on his front feet, so that it will appear to be sidestepping. This also prevents it from curling around to bite you, which is its natural reaction when you grab its legs.

In this way, one of the dogs should be removed from the line of sight of the other dog. Place it in a room, garage, fence or kennel. The other should be similarly hemmed in or tied up. Once they are removed from the fight, the dogs will calm down.

But of course, the first thing you need to prevent is for the two dogs not to have this fight. If they are really "mortal enemies" and they become aggressive whenever they see or smell each other, then you know the solution. Don't let them be near each other. That would be the best solution. No fights then.