“It all happened so fast!” Mary admitted. Although it was now dusk, Mary still seemed shaken from the morning’s trauma. Her hands trembled as she spoke. “I was walking our dog, Baxter, when another dog just came out of nowhere! Before I could even think what to do, the leash was snatched from my hands and both dogs were fighting. It was horrible! I didn’t know what to do!”
“I came running when I heard my wife scream,” Darrel continued. “I was heading to the lake to fish. I dropped my gear and ran. Luckily, I didn’t drop my big mug of iced tea. When I saw what was happening, I couldn’t believe it! I tossed the tea at the dogs’ faces. It startled them and the other dog took off running into the woods.”
Never before
“We’ve been RVing with dogs for over 30 years. Nothing like this has ever happened before,” Mary offered. “I just didn’t know what to do.” Mary is not alone. Dog fights rarely happen in campgrounds, but when they do, it’s important to respond quickly and in ways that prevent further escalation and potential injuries—to pets or humans.
A vet’s perspective on how to break up a dog fight
As I thought about the dog fight, I realized that even non-pet owners should know how to break up a dog fight. It may help prevent serious injuries or even loss of life. I talked with a local veterinarian, and this is what he suggested:
- Stay as calm as possible. Dogs have a keen sense of fear or anxiety, which may escalate the situation.
- Keep yourself and others safe. Tell children and other onlookers to step back and stay away.
- Do not physically intervene. Your first thought may be to grab your dog’s collar. Don’t! Dogs in a fight may unintentionally redirect their aggression toward anyone who tries to intervene (even you).
- Use distraction. Loudly clap your hands, sound an air horn, or blow a whistle. Loud noises can startle dogs and divert their attention. Shouting or screaming rarely helps and can even intensify the fighting.
- Water. If you have access to a hose, bucket, or spray bottle, you can try spraying water toward the dogs’ faces. The unexpected dousing can cause the dogs to back off from one another.
- Physical barriers. You may be able to use objects at hand to break up the fight. Tossing a picnic blanket, towel, or jacket over the dogs may break their attention. A board, lawn chair lounger, or laundry basket may create a physical barrier between the fighting dogs. Even a long, automatic umbrella deployed between the dogs can distract them momentarily. Whatever object you use, make sure to keep your hands well away from the dogs’ heads/teeth.
- Outside help. If the fight continues or you’re unable to safely separate the dogs, call animal control or the local authorities for professional assistance.
Dog fight, put your safety first
Dog fights, and breaking up a dog fight, can be dangerous. Personal safety should be your top priority. Remember that breaking up a dog fight can be risky, and professional intervention may be necessary.
Have you ever witnessed a dog fight in a campground? Was your dog involved? Please vote in the poll below then share your experience in the comments below.
##RVT1114
Pepper spray. If your dog comes off leash towards us…they’re getting it.
Yup – works well.
Good idea! Have not seen a dog fight yet, but have seen overagressive dogs. Some owners don’t control their dogs. Complete lack of training, both dog and owners.
I had terriers. When they fought it was near impossible to break them apart. Even police mace didn’t work. Maybe pepper spray will work on some dogs but it may not.
👍. So does a 50 cent round.
More like a $dollar now, immediately followed by an arrest.
Agree
Yep, i do the same. Used it once as my small Terrier was about to become a very large Boxers dinner. One brief spray instantly ended the encounter as the Boxer did a 180 and was not seen again.
I’d rather avoid the dog fight. If only people would follow rules and laws… I carry a big walking stick to keep them back, but it requires watching closely at all times. And I loudly tell people to keep their dogs away. They still won’t use a leash. I’ve read so many horror stories, it’s hard to figure. Pulling dogs away by the hind legs takes two people if they can get hold of them. Campground hosts should insist on leashes, but they’d rather ignore it.
While walking my Beagle in an RV park, a Labrador broke loose from its chain and ran out to attack her unprovoked. Fortunately the Lab’s owners were outside and came running to grab their dog so it ended without any real injury. That breed is not known for being aggressive, but I bet that the owners were aware of the dog’s traits. If a dog is in unfamiliar circumstances, it should be restrained with a proper harness, not just a collar, and a cable sturdy enough to stop it if it charges.
While walking my dog in a state park, a large German Shepherd came bursting through a motorhome door and attacked my.dog, the dog broke my leash so I started beating the German shepherd with it and he let go of my dog. By the time I went back about ten minutes, the motorhome was gone.
We have a sheltie who is people friendly but dog shy. We were walking in the village with our dog on the leash and this enormous german shepherd came bounding out from behind a house charging toward us. My wife and the sheltie immediately went behind me and the shepherd jumped up toward my face, barking and biting…a well placed round house punch dropped that beast and I started kicking the sh*t out of it. The owner came out shouting at me about calling the police, at which time I pulled out my phone and called the police. The officer arrived and the the stupid owner started complaining UNTIL the dog, still unrestrained, attacked him. The cop shot the dog.
A jack russel pulled free of its owner and charged our golden retriever. Our golden’s response was to try to hide behind me. As the jack was focused on getting past me to our dog, I kicked him (more push than kick) until the owner crossed the 30 feet his jack had run and grabbed the end of the leash. The owner said his jack would not have harmed our golden. Really? The snarling full-fang jack had a mouth full of our dog’s fur and was only playing?
Irresponsible owners will never admit that their dog is aggressive and only wanted to play. We had that problem with a next door neighbors dog when it came charging from their porch while my wife was walking our Brittany (on a leash). Our dog turned and lunged at the dog and knocked him back about 5 feet. A 35 pound Brittany versus an 80 pound lab. When the neighbor said he was going to sue me, I told him there was a law about unrestrained dogs and told him to call the police. BTW, we have cameras on our house and they caught the whole incident.
This was not the first time their dog tried to attack another.
As a Jack Russell owner I know how they can be and always walked him with harness and leash. I always had issues with ding dong owners in a neighborhood I walked in out with their Goldens walking unleashed and would see mine and come bounding toward him. I would have to pick mine up. She said you don’t have to worry about my dogs, they’re friendly. I would tell them I’m not worried about mine, your dogs are the ones in danger as he will take them both on. He could be perfectly fine with most dogs, but something about the Golden’s would set him off.
I was walking my 13 year old Labrador and as we walked behind a trailer (we were in the dog walk area about 50’ behind the trailer) I saw an unleashed “bully” type dog playing with kids. It immediately ran and attacked my dog. When my dog rolled into a submissive pose, the other dog went for his neck. The dog had a chain type collar so I grabbed his collar twisted and lifted him off his feet. I held him there until the kids father came and got him. They were ejected from the park.
Love dogs. Hate dog owners.
Amen!
Happened to me about 4 years ago at a state park we frequent in FL. I was walking our 9 old rescue golden in the camping loop one afternoon. I noticed 2 men sitting outside there RV with a dog about the same size as mine between them. The dog had a leash on him/her but I didn’t notice that there was no human attached to the leash. I crossed over to the opposite side of the street and put myself between my dog and the other campers. As soon as the other dog saw my dog it sprinted over and attacked. Of course the dog had never done anything like that before. The owner came walking over and pulled his dog off of mine. Thankfully no harm to dogs or humans. They left the next morning
They all say it’s never happened before. Apparently, the rules also need to say you must be attached to the other end of the leash! I would be so furious if a dog attacked mine, I would call the police in a flash, no matter what. I’ve even been taking pictures of loose dogs to prove to whomever runs the park that it is happening.
Well, another situation I may encounter just after being struck by lightning. How about drawing your firearm, fire into the ground, when the startled dogs stop, shoot the dog attacking yours. Okay, that’s over. “Come on Fluffly, let’s go”.
And then wait for the SWAT Team and or spouse to show up and school you.
I got this advice from a dog trainer, never stick your hand in the middle of a fight to try to grab a collar. Instead grab the back legs of each dog and pull them apart, then grab the collar. I have broken up MANY dog fights like this and never been bitten
Hard to grab both dogs by anything if you are just one person.
Your trainers advice was bad. Using any part of your body to break up a dogfight is likely to cause injury to you.
I disagree. Veteran of dog park for years. Grabbing a dogs back legs and twisting has stopped numerous fights and no one has ever been hurt. If the dog is light enough you can lift it and swing it away, if it is heavy just twist and the dog is “turned.” You do this to the aggressive dog, not the one being attacked. They are so startled they forget that they were in a fight. Never saw a dog that had been stopped in this manner even growl at the person who had grabbed the legs of the dog.
We always carry an air horn designed specifically for this. Works surprisingly well. Wakes up the stupid owners too.
While walking my 25# dog in a Yuma, AZ rv park my dog got attacked by a pet that was on a leash at his campsite. The pet escaped from his collar and was on my dog in an instant. The pet was a cat and scratched our guy up pretty good. Luckily he healed up well without any abcesses or infections.
I’m working in an Iowa state park. Over the 4th of July weekend, we had an unfortunate dog fatality. We have a strict rule: “Privately owned animals shall be kept on a leash with a maximum length of 6 feet, or be kept confined.” Sadly, the combination of a small dog on a retractable leash, and a large dog being walked by someone who was unable to control the strength of that dog, resulted in the death of the small dog. It was horrible. IMHO, retractable leashes should be banned in campgrounds.
I agree completely. A while back, I posted an article about the danger of retractable leashes (on a facebook page), and boy, what an argument ensued with many people chiming in. People let those leashes out 20 feet and are on their telephone or not paying attention. I’ve had guys try to push their dogs onto mine, little ones included, the stupidity is amazing. My dog does NOT need to meet theirs. I guess they think it is cute and do not get that you never know when a dog will take a dislike to another. I think too much of my dog to allow such nonsense.
Yes! Thanks, Lorelei.
All I have to say is: All you humans who make judgments against a certain BREED of dogs should READ all the breeds in this article!
Remember it is the Pet Owner’s RESPONSIBILITY at all times to keep their animals in-check CONTROLLED. Stop accusing the Dog Breed and learn that it is the HUMANS!
There’s a great book, appropriately titled: “There are no bad dogs, only bad owners”. How true is that?
I was going to dog park with my 10 lb poodle when a beagle on leash entered before us. I asked if her dog was friendly and would play nice and she said yes, he lived to make new friends. Before I could get my dog off leash, her dog attacked. My dog was scared to death and started trying to get away tangling me in the leash. I fell and to miss landing on my dog put my wrist out. I had a bruised knee, sprained wrist and my whole left side was black and blue. Woman said he never did this and it was my dog’s fault. She left before I could get name. Searched campground couldn’t find but campground host said they left campground 3 days early.
I was walking on a trail behind the campground and two very large dogs were on a retractable leash, 20 feet out, while the owner chatted away on her phone. I got off the trail and put my dog behind me and kept him up close. While her dogs were growling and snapping, she said, oh they are friendly. But I have too many examples to write about. My dog minds his own business and is always on a six foot (or less) leash. It’s very frustrating, and camp hosts don’t care. I would definitely call the police if we get attacked, get license numbers, pictures, whatever.
I HATE Flexi leashes with a purple passion!
Yes, but what gets me are the people who purposely let the leash out so their dog can get to mine. I do not understand this at all. I always have to get mean about it to stop it. When I ask them why, they have no answer. One guy, I had to tell him on his way by me two different times with a German shepherd. I said very loudly so others could hear, “just stop it.” And a couple others were almost as bad. One guy said to me, oh what’s the big deal, your dog could chew mine up and choke on it. I said, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, just leave us alone!. These people walk among us and probably vote!!
We were camping in a park near Cody, Wy. The park rules said the usual about dogs must be leashed. I was outside my coach when a gentleman walked by with his little dog on a leash. As he was passing a coach down the way 2 unleashed dogs tried to attack his dog. Before they got to his dog he snatched it up by the leash and held it in his arms (this could have been bad for him). I heard the owner of the 2 dogs yelling at them but never saw him come out and retrieve them. Later, I was in the office/store and told the women about the attack. The man with the small dog was outside and she spoke to him about it. The coach with the 2 unleashed dogs were gone later that day.
If you can PICK UP YOUR DOG AND HOLD IT HIGH AS POSSIBLE! I did and the attacking dog back off. It worked for me. Also consider jumping over a fence, or jump on a car or truck higher than the attacking dog if possible. Use the resources available and keep an eye out for situational awareness!!! Twice I did this, once walking in a park, I held my dog up against a tree trunk above me, the other time a pack of 5 dogs tried to attack our dog in a dog park no-less! I picked up my not too light Brittany, saving her from certain terrible wounds. Please keep a keen eye out when walking your dog on a leash, attacks happen suddenly and unexpectedly.
My dogs are always leashed. If a dog comes to attack, it’s a dead dog. I got hurt a couple time keeping small dogs away from mine. No more.
This is the reason I always carry pepper spray with me when I am out walking my dog. I have been warned too many times about owners with vicious dogs who allow them to run off leash because they just don’t give a da*n about the problems that causes. Many are “proud” to own a dangerous animal. My dog is very naive and friendly and just doesn’t understand or have any experience with mean dogs and people…
I do the same.
LEASHES! For the love of all dogs, use a freakin’ leash. It’s nearly always a rule. Follow the rules and keep everyone safer!
We were taking our 2 small (14#) dogs on a morning walk on a scenic trail in Santa Fe when 2 large pit bulls dragging a small woman accosted our dogs. We were able to grab our dogs and run. We were fortunate that no one was hurt but there was no excuse for someone who was too small to control her dogs to be walking on a trail.
I’ve run into that with two youngish, fit people walking a mid-size pit. They apologized that it was his first time to hike. I had moved off the trail to let them pass, my dogs were large, 115lbs and 65lbs, I do that since they take up more room than people. My two sat calmly, I love my Pyr – the 115lb one. She turned sideways as if to tell the dog, “no worries, I’m not a threat.” Walking your dog in close confines like an RV park or city requires training. It’s not hard either! The book “How to behave so your dogs behave” is a fear free approach that truly works and allows you to enjoy taking your dog anywhere! Today, I walk two 116lb Pyrs, you can’t do that reliably without proper training
We were at a RV park in Florida, our dogs are only out when we are. A neighboring dog ran over into our campsite, they had been playing frisbee and their dog decided to pay a visit. The owner came for it quickly and realized that was good – our girl did her “this is not your yard” thing by rising and barking furiously, she simply held her ground as normally Pyrs don’t attack. My dog is well socialized, but you can’t guarantee their behavior so mine are leashed unless indoors, door latched.
I’m sure nothing is 100%, but I don’t think one can guaranty any dog’s behavior when another dog barges in at them. I’d just rather not take chances with my dog, and so many people don’t get that at all. Obviously, the people here do get it. My dog just ignores everyone and their dogs, but he would not take kindly to another dog coming at me or him. He never barks when we are out and about, but start down his home driveway, and Katie bar the door.
Mine was tied, but the neighbor refused to tie his pit-bull. The dog came over and when I tried to chase it away, it bit me. The dog died when I shot it (FFL). I called the police and had him arrested and sued him for all my medical bills. The judge also gave me pain and suffering. He’s not allowed to own another animal.
My dog was attacked while walking him in our neighborhood. It turned out ok, no blood. Asked my vet what to do, she said if all else fails to grab hind legs , pull them apart while twisting like an alligator roll. Carrying pepper spray seems like a good idea also.