How to Break Up a Dog Fight

How To Break Up a Dog Fight

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Hi everyone, I know breaking up a dog fight has little to do with teaching your dog how to be a Family Disaster Dog but I just posted the answer below at an online board about how to break up a dog fight, especially at a doggie daycare center.

I thought it would be a good idea to share the suggestions here with you too. In case a dog ever attacks your dog while out walking or when you met other dogs around town.

Here's what I posted,

I specialize in biting groom dogs and pets who have been traumatized in fights. Plus having bred and raised Pit Bulls for 15 yrs many years ago with usually 15-30 adult dogs in my yard along with 3 children, many visitors and puppies. We showed and weight pulled the dogs during the 1980's.

About once a week a dog would get loose, ha! and the fight was on somewhere in the yard. One ole boy named Hammer could get out of any chain link kennel or collar as quick as you turned around he would be on top of the chain link cover of his own kennel and trying to fight the dog below him next door! He would also jump up to grab the chain link above his head and swing there, then pull with his weight until he had a hole. Another one, once pulled another dog through the chain link fence, the fence spread to fit the dog, incredible strength.

Most of the brood dogs I had rescued from fighting rings because they had the best and gentlest bloodlines. Real ole time dog fighters did not allow a pit bull to show any aggressive behavior towards humans, if the dog did it was put down. A good pit bull will stop all aggressive behavior if lifted off of the ground by a person, the dog will let go instantly. The old bloodlines had this bred into them but this good trait is lost today.  I've also managed many pet spas, play groups, large and small boarding kennels with dogs who are strangers to each other, along with being a certified advanced level dog trainer.

I agree with the other dog trainer's suggestion above to get educated on how to handle dogs before and when you are pet sitting or boarding dogs, walking other people's dogs. Anytime there are more then 2 dogs in an area there is a potential for a disagreement. Any breed, any age or sex. It is up to the person who is in charge to keep the dogs safe, it is not up to the dogs to get along.

Having worked for 30 yrs with dogs,and myself trained at 17 how to handle animals by vets and show dog breeders before being allowed to learn anything else, I'm one who cannot stand to hear the dog take the blame when we humans are who are responsible. Even a biting dog has been provoked someway,somehow and its is up to us not to allow that to happen.

Anyhow, the wheelbarrow method mentioned above is the safest method to use to break up two dogs who have a hold on each other as long as the dogs are young enough to not get hurt when you raise the rear legs off the ground. After the rear legs are held off the ground, hold still and wait. If one dog is tied or held by rear legs by another person, step back as you hold each dog to where they are tightly locked together then hold still.

Do not shake or pull anymore, let the dogs relax as you wait and watch the mouths to open to grab another bite..right when the mouth relaxes to grab again..pull the dogs apart. If you continue to fight they will too. Hold and relax and they will too.

Once relaxed you can work with them, you can also try pushing them flat on the ground and holding them without hurting them firmly in place until they relax. That takes some practice tho.

Also the "breaker bar' mentioned above that is used on Pit Bulls and other heavy mouth dogs is very helpful and safe to use with dog fights if used correctly. One can be made from a Hickory Hammer handle from the hardware store, all you do is sand the small end down to be a smooth flat rounded edge that will not hurt the dog's mouth, we always put a cord on the other end so we could hang a few around the kennels within easy reach.

To use it, you gently wiggle the break stick in between the teeth where the natural opening is on the side of the mouth about half way up the muzzle. Get to know that spot, it is helpful for giving pills and medicine too, and other dog do things. Do not push the stick all the way through the dogs mouth,no that's not the point. Gently wiggle the stick in between the teeth until you feel the tongue then push downward with the handle of the breaker stick and the dog's mouth will open.

Tomorrow I will be posting a lesson to teach your dog to go between you and another person with supplies and in case you are trapped, how to bring you first aid, water and food.

Thanks for reading,
Amber and Daisy Mayham
Family Disaster Dogs

Warning-Test-123

 

WARNING ! WARNING ! WARNING !

 

 

 

 

 

Confusion Fear Anxiety Loss

Panic Shock Death 

 

 

 

 

911-MAYDAY-SOS

HELP!

FAMILY DISASTER DOG

CALL TO ACTION

This is a test of the Family Disaster Dog Network

In the event of an extreme emergency, natural or manmade disaster, terrorist attack, fire, earthquake, tsunami, tornado, flood, landslide or economic collapse and it’s the end of the world as you know it.

In other words, when all hell breaks loose...and you are ordered to Evacuate or Decide the Safest route is to Bug-Out, slip away or run...don’t forget you trained your dog using these lessons.

 

As your dog wakes the household by alerting and rounding up family members, you will be waking and preparing to go.

Each family member once dressed will grab their own backpacks with emergency supplies as you and your trained family disaster dog grab family go-bags and 72 hour ready packs with extra food or supplies you want to load in the car to evacuate.

Your dog will follow your commands as your family prepares to  leave instead of hiding or getting in your way, your dog will know what to do too.

Your dog will carry its own food and supplies in a dog backpack giving you more room in your own backpack and your dog has room in its pack for extra supplies for the family.

These simple steps are preplanned out ahead of time.

Critical time is saved with the help of your dog.

This scenario will be the same if you were walking out to a safe preplanned location or to the street in front of your house.

Any item you need that you have taught your dog to retrieve for you, such as flashlights or extra boots, backpacks can be fetched by your dog and dropped where you have taught your dog to take the items. For instance, in the car, truck, shelter in the back yard or out to the street away from falling objects.

Now when the warning goes off all you do is evacuate and find shelter in a safe location with your loved ones and supplies.

Be sure to write on your house that all living beings have left the building or which pets remain behind for rescuers who come to check up on you.

Your dog will know from training and family evacuation drills what to do and so will your family which will reduce stress, fear and trauma.

This alone can save your life because more people get injured from panic then anything else during a mob situation or huge evacuation.

Set up camp with your family, bring out the pre-packed snacks from your rescue pack and celebrate!

You and your family dog did it!

Your family is safe; your dog is with you.

Wait for officials to find you or fix the disaster.

Do not leave your safe location unless you have a very good reason.

The next post will outline what to do when a loved one is lost and how to use your dog to find them. Be safe, have fun preparing with your dogs.

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Fun Activities by Wendy Nan Rees

This is from my dear friend Pet Lifestyle Adviser, best selling author of pet cook books and pet radio host Wendy Nan Reese.

This article from Wendy Nan Rees fit so well with what we are teaching here at Family Disaster Dogs that we wanted to share her sound advise for all our followers and trainees.

This article also appears on Wendy's blogs, A Dog's Voyage Around the World and Wendy's Animal Talk . Be sure and subscribe to Wendy Nan Rees, Expert Pet Lifestyle Adviser for more pet tips. Thanks Wendy xo

Prepare Dogs for Earthquakes and TornadoesWith the increase in tornados and earthquakes around the world this year we thought it would be a good idea to post some fun activities to do with your dog from Wendy Nan Rees that can lead to your dog being your helper during an earthquake or tornado and in the event that a loved one is missing.


FUN ACTIVITIES TO DO WITH YOUR DOG

By Wendy Nan Rees

It is often stated that the more you play with your dog the more likely you both will stay together.
Just like a marriage or a dating relationship it’s up to us to make it a Friendship. Everything in our life is worth having and you have to be willing to put work into it to get what you want out of it!

I am asked every single day now that I have a new Puppy in training to become by personal service dog did you buy him this way or are you doing the work yourself?

My answer is, I am doing the work!

Why do I want another person to train my dog, if I am able to train him myself and I’m able to gain the bonding experiences?

Play also offers the bonding of the training and the mental triple threat to help tucker out Fido and to insure your both happiness. Exercise is as important for dogs as it is for people. It helps them stay healthy and helps prevent them from gaining weight. Well-exercised dogs are better behaved and less likely to test their limits indoors by chewing on furniture or releasing pent up energy.

Usually, those “bad” behaviors are a sign that your dog is antsy and needs a good play session or a long walk. Fortunately, exercise can be easily incorporated into your dog’s routine. Here are some ideas

As often as you can, take your dog for a walk instead of just letting him out into the yard to do his business. It’s great exercise for both of you!

• If you jog or run and your dog can keep up, take her along.
• Do you enjoy Frisbee? Let your dog play with you.

Try dancing with your dog, staircase sprints, tether ball, or monkey in the middle!

Today, they have an activity which now has a real name and many groups of people are enjoying this sport.

I personally have not tried this. I see groups of 3-4 people exercising with their dogs all the time. This fun activity it is called “Bikejoring “ and this is where you ride a bike and then Fido also pulls you along.

Now this I would love and gives me ride ideas.

Another growing sport is called “canicross” this is where you and your dog are doing a cross country course on a bike and attached by the waist using a harness that has the ability to also absorb shock.

And, a sport that is now growing again called “ Carting” this is where your dog pulls you and a very light weight cart. In some cases you race others as a group of carters out for a day of pleasure carting. This is something you can join classes to learn from beginning all the way up.

The wonderful sport of the “flying disk” and Fido catching it has kept on growing from the 70’s and today they have contests all over the world where you can learn and join in on many different levels.

Another interesting thing I learned is that there is even a sport type drink for your dog that is made to look just like our Gator Aide®. It is called Rehydrate Sports Drink for your Dog®..

Hunting and doing the field trials you do not have to kill to be involved in this sport as today they can and do use the dummy which has the scent of a bird and then you teach your dog to go fetch or point. Many of the different breeds offer different styles of how they retrieve.

Teaching Fido how to track a scent is one in particular that grabbed my interest and led to meeting Amber Higgins, founder of Family Disaster Dogs, who has since joined our team as my producer with her retired Bloodhound, Daisy.



Wrinkledpups Daisy Mayham
Expert Bloodhound


I did a little research and here is a sneak peak of what I found and suggestions for creating your own “Sent Hunt” at home.

If you are interested in learning more about scent training, I found that that there is not a standardized common name for “Scent Hunt Classes”, but rather they fall under some of the names listed below.
1. Nose Work Class
2. DOG TRAINING Utility Class – Scent Discrimination
3. Scent Tracking Classes- Dog
4. Practical Dog scent training
5. Bring the Scent Hound Out in Every Dog Classes
6. Getting Started Tracking Classes
7. Scenting with a purpose (my personal favorite)
8. K9 Nose Work Classes
9. The Dog Nose
10. Cold Nose College
11. Family Disaster Dogs

The wonderful thing about Scent work is that your dog is able to do what he loves and is naturally born to do. This is not only great exercise but also a bonding experience and gives your dog a mental as well as physical work out.

Here are a few common terms and resources you should familiarize yourself with if you’d like to start your own “scent hunt.”

SCENTING – this is actually the term for the sport and you may even choose to go onto competing against other dogs if your dog shows the interest and talent.

BOOKS-SCENT - K-9‘s Reason for being “, by Detective Steven White. It is an excellent resource that I recommend highly.

Cabela.com: A website that sells food and animal scents as well as hunting supplies.

BEGINNING LEVEL ONE STARTING OUT FOR FUN
In terms of introducing your dog to “scents”, the type of scent you use is very important and you need to consult with an expert to learn how to introduce the scents to your dog.

The best way to begin teaching a dog to scent for fun and exercise is usually with a food scents and the most commonly used ones are Anise and Birch as well as clove. They are all in the form of essential oils. Some apply the scents on cotton some others use leather straps and some use linen stripes. They are then concealed in a of box or card board.

note: If your dog is doing serious scent work like search dog work, refrain from using food scents in training. Learn More

LEVEL TWO
And now, you’re ready for your mock hunt. The Idea of the game is for your canine friends to find the hidden scent. As your dog improves their skills, they can move outside and step up to hunting a scented ball or a dummy and then, once he’s mastered the skill and honed in on his nose, you can even add an obstacle course.

When your neighbors and their dogs are ready, it’s time to compete and this is where the fun begins. Give your judges a badge, a pad of paper and a timer, and let the games begin. The team that finds the mock fox or bird first wins!!!!

LEVEL THREE
Now you move into advance obedience and the start of basic agility work to get really to start compete, remember this is open to any type of breed from my Chihuahua and my Yorkie. I have personally chosen to keep Senny home, my trained Bird lab.

LEVEL FOUR
The Cost run from $ 50.00 dollars to $ 100.00 per class / Serious for training

When it comes to completion each one has its own entry fee that you will have to see with each show. For more info please go to the National Association of Canine Scent Work

The web Site is at www.nacsw.net

Search-and-Rescue Dog Jobs

SAR dogs are trained to specialize in certain search and rescue techniques, much like people choose a major course of study in college.

Air Scent Dogs: track by smelling shed human skin cells that float in the air

Trailing (Tracking) Dogs: search by smelling the ground for a missing person’s scent.

Water Search Dogs: work along shorelines and on boats with search teams.

Human Remains Detection (Cadaver) Dogs: find dead bodies by detecting scents rising from the soil, similar to how dogs find buried bones.

A game of fetch may bore a human after a few rounds of, “Go get it!” and, “Drop it!” Golden retrievers are tireless fetchers, as are Border Collies and German Shepherds.

For some dogs, there’s nothing better than racing after a flying ball or Frisbee, capturing it, and bouncing back to the owner, who really plays the role of a human catapult.

Your dog isn’t shy about requesting a game of fetch. Usually, the “please” comes in the form of him producing his favorite ball and dropping it by your foot or in your lap.

In our Family Cappy & Senny just go wild for any kind of Ball! So we do the ball in water to help them swim and “retrieve” at the sometime it is just by chance that Capp’s Love for the ball have over ridden his normal what should I say?

Non swimming nature to make him a great Yorkie swimmer with our labs, Go Figure- it is a sight you really have to see one that draws its own crowd at the beach especially when I add a Chula into this mix.

Why do dogs go crazy for a game of fetch?

The fetch instinct is part of dogs’ DNA. In a pack, the top dog would go out hunting with other senior dogs to collect food for the entire group. He would chase after prey, fetch and retrieve food, then return home with the bounty to share. Fetch sparks dogs’ evolutionary prey instinct to find the most basic need: food. Today, dogs get all they can eat at home and fetch is playful and a way of pleasing their owners.

Now, about those dogs who love to fetch, but have no interest in dropping the ball or Frisbee? “Drop it” is a command you must teach to your dog. Again, dating back to dog instincts of the olden days, the top dog as the “hunter” got first refusal on the meat he retrieved for the pack. The one who fetched got first pick. Since your dog is fetching one item, you as the “pack member” get what’s left.

Train your dog to fetch by teaching “Go get it!” or “Go fetch!” and “Drop it,” so the game doesn’t turn into tug-of-war.


Cheers, Wendy Nan Rees




A note from Amber and Family Disaster Dogs,

First off we want to thank you for reading these great pet tips from Wendy!

I would like to add that any dog and owner who learn to do any of these fun activities can use these play sessions to prepare for an emergency event like an earthquake, tornado, flood and the worst, a missing loved one.

To learn how to incorporate these tips into a disaster plan for your home and to learn how to teach your dog to find your family members or friends if they are lost you can read the lessons online at Family Disaster Dogs.

Here is What to pack in your pet's Go-Bag, Evacuation Gear

We wish you all Happy Trails,
Barking Bar Productions

Updates

Updates for Family Disaster Dogs 


Hey Everybody, 


We've had a busy start to the year and wanted to update everyone to all the great news.


We wanted to let you know of some great websites we recently found and added to Family Disaster Dogs. Be sure and check out the pages for Emergency links and Dog Websites for good sites we recommend. If you would like to be added to the link pages, email us.


As you can see by the changes to the site, we are updating the whole site's looks as well as adding new items that can be helpful during a disaster with your pets. 

More news.......Founding Family Disaster Dog Director and author Amber Higgins is excited to announce she recently became a producer for Barking Bar Productions and Wendy Nan Rees, "Pet Lifestyle Advisor".  




Wendy is well known for her 2 minute pet tips on Wendy's Animal Talk Radio Show and as an author of 6 pet books.


Her Movie "A Dog's Voyage around the World" will be released later this year. 



Wendy’s previous successes have led to numerous television appearances, and newspaper/magazine articles. She was the “Pet Lifestyle Advisor™” on Animal Planet’s Petsburgh, USA and was featured on The Home Shopping Network. Wendy also wrote a monthly column called “In the Kitchen with Wendy” for Your Pet Magazine.

Coming up in the next lesson: 

Teach your dog to "Refind" or return to you after they make a find.

Coming soon the complete lesson package for download.

The full Edition Book which Family Disaster Dogs is based on will be available in print and download this summer.

Thank you everyone for all the great support and encouragement since our beginnings last fall. Feel free to share and pass around our posts so others may live. 

Have a great spring everyone!


Be Safe-Stay Prepared 

Teach your dog to Rescue you!