Ouch...got a dog bite today, how could this have been avoided?

In My Humble Opinion
1

So I experienced a relatively mild bite to my hand today when taking my toy poodle to the park. A (seemingly full-grown) Wheaton Terrier Puppy was playing with my dog when the terrier (3 or 4x her weight) got on top of her and she started crying in a very unusual manner. Having never heard my dog express distress like this before, I quite quickly moved in and pushed the Wheaton off, which resulted in a superficial but sore bite to my hand.

I’m a relatively new dog owner and have never been in a situation like this before, how could it have been handled better?

2

Any time you get in the middle of a dog wrestling match, even if it’s friendly, there’s a chance you might get bit. Dogs get worked up, even in a friendly match, and might not stop to see who the new participant is.

Sometimes you have to intervene anyway, as you found out.

The best thing is to announce your presence in a deep, James Earl Jones voice, announcing to everyone that they are Very Bad Dogs and they need to Stop right now. It doesn’t matter what you say, so much. Dogs react to the tone of your voice. Don’t go shrill - go deep and Masterful. Just keep repeating No and Bad Dog.

If you really have to break up a fight, try to get a second person and go for their hind legs (ie - the end without teeth.) You need two people for this, though, or the dog you don’t grab will just keep coming.

Did the bite break the skin? If it did, you’d be well within your rights to get on its owner’s case about his shots.

3

Our local dog park had a big dog side and a little dog side. It keeps the little’uns safe.

StG

4

Yes the skin was punctured in a few places. I did ask the owner about shots and although he didn’t go into detail he said the dog was up to date so I don’t have too much to worry about except learning how to handle this better in the future.

My dog is definitely smaller than 80 or 90% of the other dogs in the park so I try to be extra vigilant with watching who she goes near and keeping her away from particular big/aggressive dogs.

I suppose if I wanted to be really cautious I wouldn’t let her off-leash but she enjoys running around so much I would feel pretty crumby depriving her of that.

5

This is a great idea, I wish more parks had this. At the same time, I’m not sure that a Wheaten Terrier would be considered a big dog and I wasn’t initially at all concerned when the two of them were playing but he was just big enough to cause my dog discomfort (3x or 4x her size compared to big dogs who are easily 10x or 15x her size).

6

This may be a bit future proofing to some degree but if this should happen again or with any other animal where upon the play fight turns into some lethal attacking between the animals, do not hesitate to use serious force.

We had a pitbull that at first was quite lovingly smooching and nestling with a Dachshund, when suddenly things turned very bad and our pit had it literally in her mouth.

My boyfriend at the time(no small guy) was reaching in, almost caution to the wind trying to save the little dog but for the life of him could not get our pit to let go.

At that point I told him to kick her. His first attempt was adorable, he barely even touched her…more like resting his foot on her. I told him again KICK HER HARD or I will. So he basically football punted her several times and she finally let go.

He was pretty deflated, figured he’d broken her ribs, but he didn’t.
The Dachschund had to be rushed to a vet, though managed to survive.

The way I figured it was that kicking our pit was unlikely to kill her, but letting her continue to chomp the other dog was likely to kill it.
P.S. shock collars are awesome, makes letting animals run around without a leash so much more manageable. People think that you sit there and just zap them for some sadistic pleasure, but it’s a reactive last resort. Ever had your dog suddenly go bounding towards the highway with no way to catch it(seen the video of the dog named Fenton?) - couple shocks and the animal will think again about continuing on.

7

In any normal situation you shouldn’t have to get between two fighting dogs. It can look rough, but it usually sorts itself out in a matter of seconds. Your dog’s whimper should’ve cued the other dog to stop in a few seconds. If it didn’t (or wasn’t going to) then that points to a bit of a problem with that other dog.

When the situation is different and seriously dangerous you can tell, after you’ve seen a few scraps between dogs. It looks different. My lab has been in a few scraps with dogs before. Sometimes other owners get all hysterical about it, but there is really no need. They just sort it out and after a few seconds it’s done. But one time, she was on one side of the car park, just sitting by the car, when another dog rushed over. He grabbed her by the neck and just held her down. She whimpered, he didn’t give up. The owner ran over, he obviously recognised this too. We had to ram a stick between the dog’s teeth and down his throat to make him gag enough to let go. We had to rush my poor lab to the vet with nasty puncture holes in her neck.

This situation was weird, and totally different from a normal dog fight. This dog should absolutely not have been off a lead. In any normal situation you shouldn’t have to come between fighting dogs and if you do you should probably tell the owner of the other dog they need to make some changes. Dogs should not be attacking each other to cause grievous harm anymore than people should be doing that to each other.

8

If it hasn’t sorted itself out in a few seconds (usually the case), I grab the dog on top by the scruff of the neck and separate them that way. The danger is the bottom dog might get you while you’re pulling the top one off. It’s best just to use the James Earl Jones voice or spray them in the faces with a garden hose, if one is handy. I once separated a Husky and a Rhodesian Ridgeback with the scruff method but they were both on their feet at the time. I lifted them right off the ground - one in each hand. Adrenaline is an amazing thing. Of course, my arms were so sore that I couldn’t lift them for the next few days. I don’t recommend this method as your timing has to be perfect or a nasty bite might be forthcoming.

9

Carry a waking stick. Menacing with it, when required should be all it takes.

10

The first thing to try before you physically put yourself between the dogs is to get out your “I Am Fucking Serious” yelling voice like Merneith said. I prefer to start with a “HEY!” and it usually will startle a dog into paying attention to you and stopping whatever bad stuff they are doing.

Sounds silly but I do suggest you practice this voice, because you’ll need to use it on your own dog. It’s not your every-day correction voice, it’s meant to be startling. Not everyone seems to get it - it needs to come from your diaphragm and just be super duper loud and strict. Use it for when your dogs is sniffing its way into traffic or snarling at an innocent toddler or trying to get you to chase it with a half-dead rodent in its mouth.

If scaring the bajeezus out of them doesn’t work, then yeah, what they said.

11

So, I am 6’5" and 250#. This is what works for me. You will most likely not want to do the same if you are smaller or more timid.

The ZipperJJ voice thing can work if the dogs are not hard into each other, and is worth a try regardless.

First off, it is serious business. I won’t punch or kick a dog needlessly, but if I am breaking up a real dog fight, I am not going to be gentle, feelings of the owner(s) be damned, and if the dog goes for me, then there is no notion of fair fight.

First off, be paying attention to the dogs. Learn to read body language and know who is looking for a fight. Learn what situations intimidate your dog. A scared dog is a fight waiting to happen. Know who was looking for the fight, and who got jumped. Not just to be fair, but pulling the “he started it” dog out may be enough to end the fight, though once the fight is on, the good guy may not back off, so be ready for that. Also, it is not uncommon for the asshole dogs to be getting their ass kicked by the time you get there, so you may need to manhandle the good guy…I may be a little more gentle in such case.
If you didn’t see it start, make no assumptions about who started it. Grab the dog you most safely handle and remove them from the fight as quickly as possible.

If big dogs are seriously into it, I may try to grab for the end without the teeth and lift/throw/flip them forward. When their back legs are suddenly taken from under them most dogs back off. If I grab collar or neck skin, I also pull them up off the ground. Loosing footing disorients the dogs, and limits their options. I will usually try to literally throw the dogs away from me and away from the fight scene.
For less serious scuffles I grab for the scruff of the neck and collar if there is one, and grab hard. Unless the dog has seriously loose skin, it is very hard for them to get their teeth on you. If you see the teeth coming, and cant get out of the way, use knees and elbows or at least make a fist. Smaller dogs can’t get their mouth around a closed fist, and bigger dogs will have less leverage with their mouth farther open.

It really, really helps if you have had a big dog that likes to roughhouse. Most dog moves are instinctive, and with practice, you can see them coming.

That goes for the dog too. Dogs need to learn to roughhouse at a friendly/fun level without panic. Usually it is the dog that is intimidated that turns the fun into a fight, not the dog who is being an asshole.

To this end, I much prefer to let the dogs work out minor tiffs on their own, and I think this where many people I see at the dog park error. Dogs need to work out the pecking order, and if the people try to change that it just causes trouble.

Many dogs will back off when the the other dog yips, IF it was play to start with. You can teach this to your dog if you roughhouse with it. If it nips you a little too hard, let out a loud yelp and stop the play immediately. A few times of this, and the dog will learn that the fun ends if they nip too hard. Other dogs, this seems to turn on their prey instinct. It is a good sign if the dog backs off when the other dog yelps…they want to play, not fight.

12

As others already mentioned, a deep, calm voice and a grabbing of the necks should work in most situations, atleast if it’s just play gone overboard. I have had to rip my dog away, then physically block a dog, and while it’s no fun, you’ll dog will live, even if you have some scratches here and there.

I’ve been involved with a lot of polar dog breeds, like huskies, samojeds and malamutes, and one thing I’ve done (I won’t reccomend it), is acctually join in the fight, mouth first, and show who’s boss(stupid as it may be). Bite at their necks, trip them, and use your weight and mass. You’ll receive respect in a way you’ve never seen before, an alfa in a pack. Never do this in a serious fight between dogs you’re not familiar with, though.

13

I’ve broken up two dog fights using different methods. My dog is a 28 lb Beagle and her first attack was from a roaming 90 lb dog while she was in the front yard. It was a full bore attack with the large dog on top of my dog growling and biting. When I saw the attack, I was 30’ away in the garage doing some woodworking and had a piece of wood in my hand about 2"X4"X4"long. When I approached them, I threw the wood at the aggressor aiming for its side between the hind leg and rib cage, a sensitive area. As soon as it hit, the fight stopped and the large dog retreated.

The second incident occurred while on a leash walk when a 75lb Shepherd got away from its owner and attacked my dog. After about 15 seconds of maneuvering, I was able to grab the Shepherd’s hind leg and pull it away. Fortunately the owner was right there to take control of her dog. Basically, we worked as a team.

I don’t recommend anyone get in the middle of a dog fight. Pepper spray is very effective to prevent the fight by first attempting to spray an oncoming aggressor if possible and also to stop a fight. Aim for the aggressor’s head but don’t be overly concerned if you spray your dog as well because the effect is temporary and your objective is to stop the biting and assess any injury.

14

You can also get citronella spray, which is less damaging to your own eyes (since at some point you’ll have to be in the spayed area and handle the sprayed dog) but is really potent and dogs hate it, usually.

It may not work on a really involved fight, but if you’re paying attention and can zap them at the beginnings of hostilities it can short circuit a fight.

If dogs are involved already, the safest way to separate them is for two people to do it. Each grabs the hind end of a dog and runs backward, keep moving back til they are well separated and if you can, sort of fling the dog sideways away from you so you don’t become the target.

Most scraps are an awful lot of sound and fury, but rarely do the dogs seriously injure each other or even make real contact. There may be an occasional scrape or bruise, but mostly it’s very vocal shoving and posturing until one gives in.

15

In this particular situation (a dog the size of a Wheaton and not much bigger depending on the OP’s size and strength), clap hands, yell NO!!! and give a couple beats for a response. If the other dog doesn’t respond, approach from behind, grab collar and scruff, lift the dog up and away from you with your arm extended as far from the rest of you as you can. While scruffing and lifting, the dog should be letting go of your dog, and if it gets snappy toward you, your grip from behind should prevent any contact with teeth.

Make sure the dog is responding submissively toward you before letting go so as to prevent it from turning and snapping after you let go. Keep your arm extended away from you as much as possible the whole time. Sometimes a bit of a shake and more NO! may be required for them to get the message before you let go. Likely the owner of the other dog has arrived by this time to give you grief about how you’re handling their dumbass dog.

That’s what I would do with a Wheaton sized dog or smaller. Other advice in this thread is solid, especially with bigger and stronger dogs than that. Never get between them, and not with your hands if you can help it. Feet with shoes and pants are a little better protected and faster moving.

16

I have no confidence shock collars work to keep a dog from running into the street unless you’ve drilled the dog on that behavior over and over.

And shock collars are a bad idea for letting any dog off-leash – they are not remote controls for your dog. And it’s simply gambling with lives to allow any dog off-leash in an un-fenced situation where he or she could run into traffic, no matter what sort of collar in which you put your faith.

17

What others have said.

If it is just a dominance thing, you generally will be successful in verbally establishing your dominance.

If it is more serious, there is no way to guarantee you will be able to break it up without getting bit. In the past, my response has been to grab the collar/nape of neck. I just feel I have more control of the situation that way - as well as being able to keep the teeth away from me. When you move the neck, you have good control over where the entire head/body moves.

I can see how grabbing a leg would be effective if I grabbed the leg and then yanked/twisted it - like a hammer throw. But it you did not make a large powerful movement, I can imagine it being awkward deciding exactly what to do with this leg in your hand. With a large dog, the length and joints make certainty more problemmatic.

And if a big dog was seriously harming my dog, I would have no qualms about kickin gthe shit out of it. But doing so, expect an unpleasant response from the owner.

These types of concerns are the main reason I no longer go to dog parks. My dog is happy chasing a ball.

Final thoughts - as others have said, you have to pay attention t learning what your dog is signalling. Some dogs are louder than others, some are crybabies. You want to enhance your ability to figure out what she is trying to tell you.

And a wheaten is nowhere near a big dog. Just saying - if this situation bothered you, you need to prepare for when the next aggressive dog is a lab/golden/ridgeback/akita or whatever.

18

My dogs “scrap” often and because one is little and submissive I usually step in - a loud, deep “HEY, KNOCK IT OFF!” is usually enough because I am clearly the bigger, badder dog. When my hubby does it, it’s even more effective.

We do have an e-collar on the lab/husky/collie cross, but usually only vibrate it and use it mostly prior to that one being a bully. If you are paying attention, you can tell when they are starting to act macho and you can step in and stop it.