What is the best way to safely break up dog fighting?

Safety First: What NOT to Do The most important rule when breaking up a dog fight is to never put your hands, arms, or any other body parts between the fighting dogs. When dogs are highly aroused in a fight, they can easily mistake you for the other dog and inflict severe bites, even if they would never intentionally hurt you. Additionally, avoid grabbing the dogs by their collars, as excited dogs will often instinctively turn and bite whatever is pulling at their neck.

You should also resist the urge to scream or yell. While it is a natural reaction, yelling only adds to the drama, heightens the dogs’ arousal, and will likely make the situation worse.

“Remote-Control” Separation Techniques Instead of using your hands, use environmental objects and “remote” tactics to interrupt the fight safely:

• Physical Barriers: Throw a heavy blanket over the dogs, or wedge a large piece of cardboard or a broom between them to physically block their access to one another.

• Water Tactics: Throwing a bucket of water, spraying them with a water hose, or spraying a bottle of club soda/seltzer water can shock the dogs enough to interrupt the fight. In desperate situations, owners have even used fire extinguishers or pushed fighting dogs into a swimming pool.

• Startling Noises: A sudden, very loud noise—like a marine foghorn—can sometimes startle the dogs into separating, though this usually only works once.

• Citronella: Spraying a deterrent like citronella can also help break their focus.

Safe Physical Intervention (The “Wheelbarrow” Method): If you absolutely must physically separate the dogs and remote tactics are failing, do not reach for the front of the dogs. Instead, it is best to pull the dogs apart by their back legs or tails. Ideally, this requires two people (especially with large breeds), with each person grabbing the back end of one dog and pulling them away simultaneously.

The Aftermath: Cooling Down Once the dogs are separated, it is critical to keep them apart so they can calm down.

• Immediately remove the aggressor to a neutral spot behind a closed door or gate.

• If both dogs are safely trained in basic obedience and won’t immediately resume fighting, you can put them in strict “down-stays” as far away from each other as possible (while still in sight) for several minutes to half an hour. Do not praise them during this stay; it is meant strictly as a cooling-off period.

• Ignore the dogs after releasing them, or keep them securely confined in separate crates or rooms until the tension has fully dissipated.