Shock collars can be used to stop dog fights as long as you’re using enough electrical stimulation and it’s safe enough to pull apart both dogs as soon as possible. This would work best if both dogs were fitted with some form of corrective collar, so you could apply stimulation to the two of them equally.
While the dogs are momentarily stunned, as much distance should be put between them as possible. If one dog is stunned and the other isn’t, then it might continue to attack and could even try to take advantage of the situation once it realizes that its adversary is unable to move.
Aggressive dogs who are locked in a fight with one another could be so caught up in the action that even a high corrective impulse may have little effect, however. Try placing a hard object between them so you can get them apart if this happens.
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Will a Shock Collar Help Aggressive Dogs?
Strong shock collars with an appropriately high setting can help put a stop to sudden outbursts of aggression. A sufficient amount of stimulation can distract a dog long enough that the object of their aggression might simply pass by.
This doesn’t address the underlying causes of aggression, however, which are often due to training-related problems. While a shock collar might distract a dog temporarily, they’ll exhibit the same kind of behaviors later on if they’re not taught how to deal with their emotions.
Properly socializing your dog, when its safe to do so, and training them to walk politely with a leash are among the best ways to lower their aggression level. You may wish to continue using a shock collar in these situations to provide negative reinforcement whenever your dog snaps, but it’s not going to help to reduce aggression over the long term.
Using the shock function too much can actually encourage your dog to be more aggressive, since they think they need to scare away whatever it is that triggers them so they don’t get shocked. Be judicious in your application and it should work fine.
What Is the Best Way to Break Up a Dog Fight?
Shove a hard object like a board or a piece of drywall between the two animals and then separate them. Longer pieces of lumber work best for this, since they give you more room to pull the dogs apart.
Draping a blanket over one of the dogs and carrying them away is another good way to break up a fight, especially if you don’t happen to have anything else that’s large enough to separate the dogs. You may want to cover each dog with separate pieces of cloth and carry them off in different directions so they can’t smell each other.
Spraying them with water is another good option, and it can be used to break up larger groups of dogs fighting. Set your hose nozzle on a fairly high setting if at all possible, because a relatively strong stream of water can help to distract dogs from whatever the source of their aggression is.
Keep your face and hands away from the front of the fighting dogs if at all possible, because they might snap while they’re still in a fighting mood. Consider using a muzzle or another control device to secure the dogs until you can transfer them to crates or kennels.
If all else fails, then Citronella spray can be used as an absolute last resort.
How Do I Get My Two Dogs to Stop Fighting?
Separate your dogs as much as possible so that they don’t turn everyday situations into an excuse to fight. Never reward aggressive behavior and don’t show too much excitement when correcting your dogs, since this can make a very serious situation look like a game to them.
Provide separate areas for the two dogs to sleep, since many fights start over a battle for resources. Feed them in different places so they won’t think that the other is trying to steal their dinner.
Gradually reintroduce your two dogs over time, making sure to use corrective equipment like a special collar in case of accidents. Wedge a board or other large object between the two dogs if they start to fight and separate them as quickly as you possibly can.
Eventually, you should find a series of situations that set the dogs off more than anything else. Make sure to structure their day in such a way that you avoid these as much as possible.
A majority of well-socialized dogs that are properly introduced should be able to get along over time, but this isn’t always the case with rescues who had a hard life before. Keep this in mind if you’re adopting multiple dogs.
Can Dogs Live Together After Fighting?
Healthy dogs can eventually live together after they’ve fought provided you make sure to give them separate areas to eat and sleep. Reintroduce dogs slowly over a period of time so that they don’t end up fighting over the same things that set them off the first time.
Dogs who fight when introduced and later get to know each other better usually have the best chances of living side-by-side. In some cases, dogs might have snapped because they were already feeling frisky and the presence of a new animal simply served to set them off.
Rescue dogs that have a history of violence or have ever been trained as part of a dog-fighting ring should never be introduced to other dogs by anyone who doesn’t know what they’re doing. Even if you’re an experienced dog handler, you’ll probably want to keep only one dog like this at any given time.
Dog hybrids, who have some wild canines genes, normally can’t be kept around other dogs if they’ve ever fought with one another. These dogs need a large amount of space and have to be kept apart.
My name is Ken and I’m one of the staff writers at Petloverguy.com. I’ve cared for pets most of my life starting with hamsters, turtles, and snakes. Then moving up to parakeets, guinea pigs, and even ducks.
I currently live with two yorkies and a chihuahua mix.