Dog fights happens in seconds. One moment your pup is happily sniffing along, the next there’s growling and chaos. Dog attacks are every pet parent’s worst nightmare. They’re frightening, unpredictable, and often over before you’ve even processed what’s happening.
Knowing how to react if your dog ever gets in a fight can make all the difference. In this guide, we’ll walk through exactly what to do if your dog gets into a fight. We also take an important look at what New Zealand’s Dog Control Act says about dog fights.
In this article
Why do dog fights happen?
Before we launch into how to react during a dog attack, it’s important to understand why this happens in the first place. Our guide “Why Do Dogs Bite” unpacks dog aggression, the importance of early socialisation, the role trauma can play, and other factors.
Also note that this article is particularly about dogs attacking other dogs. “This guide “My Dog Bit Me – What Should I Do About It?” will help you understand aggressive dogs and why your dog might have bitten you.
Breaking up a dog fight
Whether it’s your two pups suddenly breaking out into a fight at your house, or a dog fight at a park, it’s important to know what to do. Here are the vitals:
Don’t get in the middle
No matter how much love there is between you and your fur kid, you shouldn’t get in the middle of a dog fight. A dog has a single-minded focus during a fight and the chances are you’ll get bitten, even by your own pup. During a dog fight biting is reflexive – so you dog may end up biting you even if they don’t mean to. Instead, do the below:
Distract them with noise
A dog hears twice as loudly as we do. This means you may be able to break their attention by making a noise. A loud shout and clapping your hands together could help if you’re in park. Use what’s on hand if you’re at home – banging pot lids together, for instance.
Use water during a dog fight
Dogs can be distracted from their fight by the spray of a hosepipe or bucket of water. Lots of water is good. Carry a full spray bottle or a squirty water bottle if you’re out on walks and trips to the park.
Use the wheelbarrow method
If the above two tactics haven’t stopped the dog fight, you may need to physically remove the two dogs from each other. If there are two people present, the safest physical method is the “wheelbarrow” technique.
Each person grabs one dog by the back legs and lifts them off the ground, then slowly pulls them backwards and away from each other. The key is to keep moving backwards in a circle so the dog can’t twist around and bite you. Once separated, get the dogs as far apart as possible immediately.
Create a barrier
If you’re by yourself, you’ll need to create a barrier between the two fighting dogs without putting yourself ast risk. Toss a blanket, jersey or something similar over the fighting dogs to confuse their senses.
They’ll then need to take stock of what’s going on, which could stop them fighting. If you have a big sheet of plastic or wood, use it as a shield by wedging it between the fighting canines if you think it’s safe to do so. Basically, whatever you can find close by that’s not your hand or body, like a garbage bin lid or long stick (be careful of eyes).
Am I in trouble if my dog bites another dog?
Our Dog Control Act states that you’re responsible for keeping your dog under control. So if your dog attacks another dog, it’s usually treated as you not having proper control in that moment. From there, what happens depends on how serious the dog fight was.
If it’s a minor incident, you might just get a fine or a warning from the council. If the other dog was badly hurt, things can escalate and you could be taken to court. In more serious cases, a judge can order that your dog be put down, but that’s usually reserved for more severe or repeat incidents.
Under the Dog Control Act, the council can also label your dog as “dangerous.” That doesn’t mean it gets taken away immediately, but it does mean stricter rules going forward, like keeping it secured at home and always on a lead and muzzled in public.
What should I do legally if a dog bit my dog?
You don’t legally have to report it in New Zealand if another dog bites your dog. There’s no rule in the Dog Control Act that forces you, as the owner of the injured dog, to notify the council.
But in reality, it’s usually a good idea. If you don’t report it, nothing official gets recorded. This means that dog could go on to bite another dog and there’d be no history. It can also make things harder if you end up trying to recover vet costs, because there’s no formal record of what happened.
When you do report the dog fight, the council can look into it and decide if the other owner failed to control their dog. Depending on how serious it was, they might issue a warning, a fine, or even classify the dog as dangerous.
So you’re not required to report it, but if your dog was hurt or you’re worried it could happen again, it’s generally the sensible move.
Pet insurance by pet people
When your dog is injured or ill, it’s important to have dog insurance so you can easily seek the right medical attention quickly. Pet insurance could mean the difference between keeping or losing your fur kid. The last thing you want to consider at a time of need is the cost of surgery or the vet visit and treatment costs.
If your dog has bitten someone else’s dog, your insurance will be essential to cover the damage (as long as doggo doesn’t have a history of violence). Third party liability is part of all PD insurance pet plans. This offers you protection in case your pet causes damage to other people or their pets or property.
Click below to start your pet’s plan today.