A fight between dogs is a moment of tension in which we can feel blocked, not knowing what to do.
First we will analyse some of the reasons why our dog may fight and then what we should do to alleviate these situations
Causes of fighting
A dog may fight for reasons of hierarchy, whether it’s male against male, male against female or female against female.
These hierarchical fights may be sexual in origin, that is, to decide which male mounts the female of the pack or over a specific object belonging to one, be it food, a toy, one’s own bedding or the owner’s attention. Possessions fights are often the common denominator in parks and streets
Another type of fights is to defend its territory, very similar to the previous one, although here everything that your dog considers to be its territory comes into play, which can sometimes even be the part of the land it’s using at the time
Another type of fight is when the big dog attacks the small dog. If your dog is small, you can control him. But if your dog is big , ALWAYS, ALWAYS before you let go of the lead you must be sure that your dog obeys your commands and that you are in a place where you can let him off the lead without any problem. If this isn’t the case and your dog provokes an altercation, you will have to deal with the consequences, and sometimes these are very harsh
As you can see, fighting is part of the instinct to defend one self and fight for survival that is present in all animals
How do I prevent these fights?
If you have a puppy, the first few weeks of the animal’s life are crucial. Socialisation is probably the most important part of your life with your dog. He must get used to everything from an early age to dogs, children, cars, rules, roads, people, bikes, skateboards… you will have to make an effort so that your new friends get to know and smell all those things that will belong to his environment. In this way, he will get used to them and won’t get upset by them. With this, it’s clear that the most important thing is education
In case you need a dog to protect you, these are defence courses that will teach you how to control this type of situation
What do I do if there is a fight?
In the event of a fight between two dogs, never grab the collar of your dog or the other dog. Never hit the dog. Both are useless and can bite you. At that moment they only think about the fight, so you have to be very careful
- If you are two people: each of you should take your dog. Experts say it’s best to hold the dog by the back legs, lift and pull backwards to a safe distance until your dog calms down
- If you are alone, grab the dog that is bigger or has more power. The problem is that if you don’t grab the dominant dog, and seperate the non-dominant dog, the dominant dog will be in a vulnerable and defenceless situation while the dominant dog will be on the loose
Of course, telling him off after the fight doesn’t help. As you know, dogs live in the moment, and afterwards, they don’t remember why we shout at them or punish them.
As we always say, if you have more doubts or don’t know how to control your dog, ask for advice from professionals such as veterinarians os dog trainers
