How would you break up a fight with a pit mix (yr. old) & a 4 month old cocker spaniel?

We have a foster pit mix and someone brought their cocker pup to an event. I could see the pit mix was very people friendly but wasn't to sure about dog aggression so I was holding the pup. I had to do something and gave the pup back to it's owner who…

    How would you break up a fight with a pit mix (yr. old) & a 4 month old cocker spaniel?

    We have a foster pit mix and someone brought their cocker pup to an event. I could see the pit mix was very people friendly but wasn't to sure about dog aggression so I was holding the pup. I had to do something and gave the pup back to it's owner who…...
    Dogs Training Discussions : How would you break up a fight with a pit mix (yr. old) & a 4 month old cocker spaniel?...

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    • How would you break up a fight with a pit mix (yr. old) & a 4 month old cocker spaniel?

      How would you break up a fight with a pit mix (yr. old) & a 4 month old cocker spaniel? Dogs Training Discussions
      We have a foster pit mix and someone brought their cocker pup to an event. I could see the pit mix was very people friendly but wasn't to sure about dog aggression so I was holding the pup. I had to do something and gave the pup back to it's owner who put it down on the ground next to the pit mix who was next to his food.Next thing I heard was the puppy screaming and the owner of the puppy screaming. I didn't know what to do -- panic stricken. So I grabbed the pit by the collar as another person was trying to pry her mouth open and was bit. How should we have handled this situation? I know there has to be a better way to do than what we did.I don't think I should have used the word fight it was an attack because the puppy was absolutely defenseless.It was not a fight. The pit mix grabbed the little puppy by the neck. I didn't let the puppy do anything. I handed the pup back to the owner and went off to do something.

      How would you break up a fight with a pit mix (yr. old) & a 4 month old cocker spaniel?

      How would you break up a fight with a pit mix (yr. old) & a 4 month old cocker spaniel? Dogs Training Discussions
    • Do NOT get your hands in a dog fight. Spray the dogs with water, blow a whistle... Do anything that will distract or startle the animals without putting yourself in their way. Even a friendly dog may bite a person if it is involved in a dog fight.

    • honestly, who has time to think when two dogs are fighting!? I have read some pretty outrageous things when it comes to dog fights. One thing I read said to calmly get two ropes, tie one dog up to a tree and tie the other dog up and pull to separate them. Seems good, but who has time for that when your pet is being ripped to pieces!? A normal person would rush right in and try to save their dog. Personally, I would have grabbed the pit around the neck and squeezed off it's air supply, and then I would probably pull or twist it's body around or gouge at it's eyes and nose. I was attacked by a dog once and I kicked it as hard as I could in the nose and gut. That worked pretty well.

    • Well, obviously (pit or not) you should never let an animal around a dog you do not fully know, especially near their food. The problems with pits is their lock jaws, and usually a dog will just snap and let go, this pit held on, meaning he wasnt just giving the warning "Stay away from my food!" He really wanted to cause harm to the puppy! You should have avoided the situation, but once a pitbull grabs hold of a dog, there's no letting go. You would either have to take it to the vet (them hooked together) or shoot the dog (i know you wouldnt want to) When my aunts dochuhund, pit bull mix grabbed hold of her Australian Cattle Dog, she had to get a crowbar to pry it open.

    • Well, since they were bred to attak, and not let go until their opponet was dead, did the puppy servive. I probably (honest) would have kicked, or hit (with a chunk of wood) the pit bull until it dropped the puppy and turned on whatever else was after him.Seriously, do you know what pit bulls were originally bred for (and are still often used for?) For dogfighting, so the pitbull was just doing what it was bred for.I would strongly recommend you have the animal humanely euthanized, as it will not stop attacking, now that it has shown it has the instinct. Please- the #1 domestic animal responsible for serious maulings and death is the pit bull. While some are -much- more aggressive than others it seems like you got one of the more aggressive ones. And if it's only a year now, when it reaches its full maturity_ will it kill a child?Good luck.

    • Some advice I was once given was to grab both back legs of one of the dogs and lift them off the ground. This keeps you away from the mouths of the two dogs (or the aggressor in this case) and generally startles the dog enough for it to let go and pause in the fighting a little. This has worked with my dog once or twice because I am 100% confident she will not turn her aggression onto me, but with a dog that I am not familiar with I would not try it because they could redirect toward you.Spraying water, making loud noises, blowing whistles, dropping books etc can be good distractions, but it depends on the dog. I am sorry this happened, witnessing a dog fight is never a pleasant experience and getting into the mix to break it up is even worse. The best way to break up a dog fight is to prevent it from happening. If you were nervous about the dog and the puppy probably letting the owner know not to put the puppy on the ground near the dog (especially while he was eating!!) would have been best. Hindsite is 20/20 though I supose.....your reaction was probably 100% reflex.

    • I would NEVER NEVER NEVER stick my hands in the mouth of ANY dog who is ticked off enough to have bitten another dog. First I have to say that the person who put a strange dog next to another dog's food is a very special brand of dumb.When it comes to dog fights/attacks (b/c breed doesn't matter except to give us an idea about the dog's size) there are a couple of ways to handle things. My F-I-L swears by throwing water in the face of the offending dog. When my Rott/Pitt mix decides she has taken enough abuse from my parents' elderly Cockapoo (and yes, the Cockapoo does attack the Rott/Pitt. The Rott/Pitt has NEVER instigated an attack or fight.) and she fights back I pull her into a "standing' position by her collar. This exposes the Rott/Pitt's belly and makes her feel vulnerable to me. That ends the fight every time.

    • Reffering to a previous answer, NEVER look the dog in the eye, this can show the dog that you are acting dominant, and you never want to challenge this when there is a dog fight occuring. What we do in dog training class along with doggie daycare, is spray an animal deterrent which has citronella in it. The spray confuses the dogs for a brief moment and they walk away. If this does not stop them, we grab them by the base of the tail and yank them away, but you then quickly get your hands out of the way, because they can turn and bite. If you did not have the spray, water may have worked. I have been bitten many times before for the safety of someone else's dog. Stomping your feet near the dog's face and screaming (like a squeal or a shreik) would have also gotten their attention. You said that it was next to food, which mean the pit mix may have food agression which is a horid habit that is very hard to break. You should have told the owner not to place the pup near the pit mix, especially if you weren't sure if it was agressive or not. I would also not have the dog in an area with other people. I would have gone to a secluded area to feed the dog, again, especially if you didn't know if there was agression in the dog.

    • Firs tof all you need to work with the dog on it's food problem. Most likely this is why he attacked. It is very important when you have a puppy to work with it. When the dog is eating you should be able to take the bowl away and pet him/her. Most animals are very territorial when it comes to their food. So maybe next time the other owner shouldn't put a puppy down next to a dog and his food. If it happens again I would try everything before getting involved physically. If it comes down to it, take one of the dogs ears and get a firm hold on it. Slightly twist and the dog with retreat. It doesn't hamr the dog..just kind of gives him a little pinch.

    • any TWO dogs around a source of food=trouble- no matter what the breeds. would not let any dog loose around another dog I did not know personally well... keep aggressive dogs on leashes with the pinch type collars... one quick snap of the leash with the pinch collar and the aggressive dog usually lets go....but i dunno anything about pit bulls so do not even know if that would have worked once it was clamped down on the poor pup...I agree with previous post that you were acting on reflex and absolutely did what you could... I have mase on my keyring and probably would have tried that out of desperation if I were in your shoes...not the best thing and would never want to hurt an animal but would do it in a heartbeat if I thought it would save another animal's life.

    • Your dog should always be on a leash until you will bet money on the fact that he will listen to your commands. When your dog is around other dogs never let him out of your sight and always be uncontrolled of you dog and ready to pick him up if a dog wants to cause trouble. If you really have problems with dog fights then you can get a dog fight stopper. I think it's like a stun gun. The noise it makes scares the dogs off. Don't touch them with it.

    • You did fine! In situations like that, you just go on instinct and try to to the most sensible thing.Is the Cocker ok? Are you ok?I'm not sure who will be financially responsible for the Cocker's vet bills, though - you or the shelter. I think it may be you. If I'm not mistaken, when you foster, you take on all responsibility for that animal.

    • I would use something to knock the Pitt in the head. A shovel handle, a rock, a brick anything I could get my hands on. And hopefully knock him out. I have been in that situation & this is how I have handled dog attacks on small animals or little kids.Who ever is on top gets beat senseless. I use a piece of garden hose cut to about 18, 20 inches long & I kept it close. Now I walk out the door with my hose in hand & all the dogs scatter.I would not suggest anyone else to use a garden hose cause the dog can turn & redirect his aggression onto you. But something to knock the Pitt out. Grabbing the colar like you did was good but lift the dog off his front feet & he has no control. There has been times when a dog I was training would redirect back to me & I would, with a leash, lift his front feet off the ground until he stopped his attack & sometimes the dog hung there until he chocked himself out. Then I just lower him to the ground until he came to.I hope the pup survived. A Pitt can kill in an instant.

    • it depends on the situation. frankly water bottles and citronella (though i have had little luck w/ this) spray aren't likely to be available in these kinds of situations. how badly was the puppy hurt? dog fights often sound horrible but rarely are. you shouldn't have fed the dog at an event especially if you don't really know the dog. and you should have also expressed your concern about the puppy.however, the best thing i have found is to grab the aggressor by the scruff (at the TOP of the neck near the head) and lift the dog so his front legs are off the ground. that way it generally will shock the aggressor into stopping, and if they redirect aggression towards you they cannot bite. hold them there for about a minute until their muscles relax (that way you know they are no longer in fight mode.)