How to Deal With Aggressive Dogs When They Fight

Video Transcript

"How to deal with aggressive dogs when they fight. There are a couple of important things to consider here. One is that dogs may get into an argument just like humans may get into an argument. It doesn't really have a lot to do with aggression. It may be a misunderstanding, they are not understanding each others body language or they have just pushed each other a little too far. My two dogs play really rough. They have a good time, and every now and then they go over the edge. I wouldn't really characterize that as aggression. I would characterize it as you know an attempt to stop the other dog from doing what they are doing. So that is something to consider. Another considerations is that our skin is much more delicate than a dog's skin. And most of the times when socialized, easy going dogs get into an argument it doesn't result in an injury. Now if you are dealing with a dog who is patently aggressive, and does cause injury as often I would strongly that you suggest that you work with a professional, and be very, very cautious for the sake of the other dog, and for yourself. But in most cases when dogs fight the best bet is to remove other dogs from the area so that it is isolated just to those two dogs, and you don't get into an incident where multiple dogs join in. The second thing you would need to do would be to try to interrupt their argument without actually handling them. Any time you put your hands and arms and feet and legs into an altercation between two dogs all bets are off, they are fighting with each other. You could accidentally get bitten, because the dogs are dealing with each other, and they don't know that you are there. There are multiple things that you can use to help control the dogs. Everything is risky. Once you start getting involved in actually handling the dogs it is risky. So some dogs react well to water being poured on them, or sprayed on them it's an eruption. A loud noise sometimes can disrupt their argument, it can also heighten yelling certainly can heighten the excitement, and the anxiety between them, and it could cause the fight to get worse. So the best bet is always to know your own dog. If you know that your dog is aggressive with other dogs whether it is out of fear or an active dislike for other dogs. Be a responsible pet owner, and don't have your dog around other dogs, other people's dogs unless your dog is in control at all times. And you are working with a professional to manage that behavior. Certainly do not have a dog like that around other people or children just for everybody's safety. That doesn't mean that dog can not enjoy a wonderful, joyful life with you. It just might mean that you need to manage the situation so that nobody else gets hurt. And maybe work with the dog so that their anxiety around others dogs is lessened. One of the other ways that you can make that possible is to attend training. Go to training courses with your dog. Make sure that your dog is really good at giving you their attention when you call for them. Really good at leaving something alone when you ask them to do so. And really good at coming to when you call them. So if they get into a situation with another dog your dog is much more likely to come to you, and break up that altercation without you ever having to actually get involved in it."