How to Stop Dog Fights: A Comprehensive Guide for Dog Owners

Dog fights are among the most frightening experiences for any dog owner. Whether it’s a scuffle at the dog park or a serious fight between family dogs, knowing what to do in the moment—and how to prevent it from happening again—is vital for your safety and your dogs’ wellbeing.

At Jordan Dog Training, we’re committed to providing dog owners with practical, positive, and professional advice. This guide is designed to help you stop dog fights safely, understand why they happen, and take steps to ensure your dogs live peacefully together.

🚨 Section 1: What to Do When Dogs Are Fighting

When dogs are actively fighting, your number one priority must be safety—yours and theirs. Intervening the wrong way can lead to serious injuries. Here’s what you should do:

✅ Safer Ways to Break Up a Dog Fight:

1. Stay Calm (as much as possible) Panicking, yelling, or screaming can escalate the situation. Try to stay focused and composed.
2. Make a Loud Noise. Use a loud clap, shout, whistle, metal bowl bang, or air horn to startle and interrupt the dogs. Sometimes this is enough to break their focus.
3. Use a Barrier. Slide a physical object between them, such as a broom, chair, large box, or a laundry basket. A blanket thrown over one or both dogs may break visual contact and reset their arousal.
4. Use the Wheelbarrow Method (with two people). Each person grabs the hind legs of a dog and lifts like a wheelbarrow, backing away in a wide arc. This can separate them with less chance of being bitten.
5. Water Distraction. If safe and nearby, spraying water from a hose or bucket may startle them long enough to separate them.
6. Break Stick (ONLY for specific cases). Used by trained professionals with bite-hold dogs (like Bull breeds), a break stick can release a latched jaw. This tool requires caution and experience.

NEVER: reach into the middle of a fight, grab collars, or try to pull dogs apart with your hands. Many owners are bitten trying to do this—even by their own dogs, unintentionally.

🧠 Section 2: What to Do After the Fight

✅ Step-by-Step Post-Fight Protocol

1. Secure the Dogs Separately. Physically separate the dogs into different rooms or areas. Let them decompress. Don’t try to reintroduce them straight away, even if they “seem okay.”
2. Check for Injuries. Look carefully for puncture wounds, limping, swelling, or signs of internal trauma. Even small wounds can become infected—visit your vet if you’re unsure.
3. Reflect on the Trigger. Was there food, a toy, a tight space, a loud noise, or fence activity before the fight? Identifying the trigger is critical to preventing the next incident.
4. Avoid Punishment. Punishing a dog after a fight can lead to confusion, increased anxiety, and more aggression. Instead, focus on managing future situations and changing emotional responses.
5. Keep a Fight Log. Write down what happened before, during, and after. Over time, patterns often emerge that help identify causes.

🔍 Section 3: Understanding the Root Causes of Dog Fights

Dog fights are rarely random. Most happen due to unmet needs, miscommunication, or a buildup of stress. Knowing why they happen allows us to create a plan that works.

🔁 Common Types of Inter-Dog Aggression:

• Resource Guarding – Food, toys, beds, or people.
• Territorial Aggression – Over space, especially in the home or yard.
• Redirected Aggression – One dog gets worked up by an external stimulus (like fence running) and lashes out at a housemate.
• Jealousy or Attention-Seeking – Competition for your affection.
• Fear-Based Aggression – Defensive behaviour when a dog feels threatened or anxious.
• Overstimulation/Play Aggression – Play gets too rough and escalates.
• Frustration-Elicited Aggression – Being on lead or behind a barrier increases frustration.
• Sibling Rivalry – Often seen in littermates or long-term housemates.
• Medical Issues or Pain-Induced Aggression – Dogs in pain may have lower tolerance or react unpredictably.

🩺 Section 4: Always Start With a Vet Check

Before assuming the problem is behavioural, rule out medical issues. Dogs may act aggressively if they’re in pain, ill, or experiencing hormonal changes.

• Book a comprehensive veterinary exam
• Mention the aggression specifically—this helps your vet assess things like arthritis, dental pain, thyroid problems, or neurological issues
• If your dog gets a clean bill of health, your vet may recommend working with a qualified professional dog trainer or veterinary behaviourist

🎯 Section 5: Prevention and Behaviour Modification

Once the immediate crisis is over and you understand the likely cause, it’s time to focus on long-term prevention.

✅ Positive Behavioural Strategies:

1. Manage the Environment. Use baby gates, crates, and separate feeding zones. Remove high-value items during high-energy times.
2. Supervise Closely. Don’t leave dogs unsupervised until trust has been rebuilt. Monitor play and redirect if things start to escalate.
3. Reward Calm Behaviour. Catch your dogs being good—when they pass each other without tension, share space nicely, or settle calmly. Mark with praise and reward.
4. Teach Reliable Obedience. Cues like “leave it,” “come,” “go to bed,” and “stay” can help you redirect arousal before it turns into conflict.
5. Decompress Regularly. Ensure your dogs have quiet, individual downtime away from each other to recharge and reduce stress buildup.
6. Build Positive Associations. If reintroducing dogs after a fight, do so under guidance, starting at a distance and using counter-conditioning and desensitisation techniques.

🤝 Section 6: When to Call in the Professionals

If your dogs have had more than one fight, or you’re nervous about managing them, please don’t wait.

A professional can:

• Pinpoint subtle triggers and body language cues you might miss
• Create a behaviour modification plan tailored to your home and dogs
• Help rebuild trust through positive reconditioning
• Support you through structured reintroductions if needed

At Jordan Dog Training, our trainers use positive, science-backed methods—never punishment or intimidation. We work with you to get to the root of the behaviour, rather than just treating symptoms.

🐶 Section 7: Can Dogs Who Fight Live Together Again?

In many cases—yes, with the right support, management, and time. Success depends on:

• The severity of the fight
• The trigger
• The dogs’ individual temperaments
• Your commitment to training and structure

Some pairs may never be best mates, but they can still co-exist safely and peacefully.

📌 Final Thoughts

Dog fights are scary, emotional, and sometimes traumatic—but they’re not always the end of the road. With calm, safety-focused responses, proper prevention, and guidance from your vet and a qualified trainer, it’s absolutely possible to stop fights and build a more peaceful household.

You are not alone. Many dog owners face this challenge at some point—and there is help available.

⚠️ Disclaimer

This article is intended as general information only. It does not replace professional veterinary or behavioural advice. If your dog is showing signs of aggression, consult a qualified behaviour professional and your vet. Your safety—and your dogs’—comes first.

Need support managing inter-dog tension or fights?

Visit Jordan Dog Training — we’re here to help with kind, evidence-based support every step of the way.