How to break up a dog fight?

This is more of a what if rather than something that has actually happened. My pup is 4 months old. I make sure he has regular socialisation with other dogs usually when we go for our morning walk where he is off lead. I've always assumed, as he is only young I shouldnt have to worry about another dog attacking him but I have been told that age doesnt really matter. So how should I deal with another dog attacking mine? I asked a dog trainer and was told if the other owner didnt intervine first I should just start kicking the other dog! Surely there is another way.

Hopefully this will never happen but I would like to deal with the situation correctly if it does happen.

do you socialise him by just letting him run up to dogs his own way, or in a managed calm way?

re the dog fight, depends on the situation.

twisting the collar and/or sticking your fingers in a dogs nostrils can temporarily block the airways meaning he has to open his mouth.

one guy i knew always carried pepper around to squirt into nostrils, as he lived in an area full of nutters that thought it cool to set their dogs

a problem, i guess, that doesn't occur much in norfolk?

you ashould also be conscious of what constitutes an attack, as most of these arent so, quite often just flare ups or normal canine ordering, which ownes often over react to.

dont scream, shout, panic, etc, winds up the dogs more and adds to the overall adrenaline/tension level of the situation

I was also wondering how you let your dog approach others,age doesn't matter some older dogs absolutely detest puppies.

Tyler and Meg both onlead have both been bitten as puppies,Tyler 3 times on one walk

Shady was attacked 8 or 9 times as a pup all resulting in injury and has been since being an adult. This is why she is now fear aggresive with other dogs and why I will never just walk her round our area as there are too many chavvy lads who don't possess leads and think its funny for thier Staffys and Staffyx Akitas to rush off after other dogs and launch into them.
I have tried kicking in the past but it doesn't work and there is no way I could have got my fingers up the dogs nostrils without getting bitten myself.
Its easy to come up with plans but when it happens everything goes out the window as you try to protect your dog.

I agree it all depends on the circumstance, if a dog runs toward yours and you are unsure of its intention just stnd in front of your dog and chase it off, most times the change of eye contact is enough, sometimes the dogs are young themselves and mean no harm, sometimes (most times) it is a doggy scuffle, a lot of noise and no real harm... stay calm, get between your dog and theirs... if however a fight breaks out and the other owner is not there try and grab the instigator by the collar, if they are REALLY going at it use your feet to shove the dogs apart enough that you can grab by the back of the neck or elso you will get a serious bite on the hands...obviuoslt this is a worse case scenario and generally doesnt go this far and if it did and the other owner wasnt there to help he is responsible for your vet bills and also having a dog out of control.. get too puppy classes to make sure you are doing everything right and your confidence will grow with the interaction of the dogs.

I personally would never put my hands near the spikey end! I would (well if it ever really kicked off you never know but what ive been told..) grab the back end and drag backwards the 'aggressor' if possible. I would assume that also by grabbing by the collar and pulling back this could intensify the situation? (thinking along the lines of dog body language/pulling a dog back whilst raising its head and pressure on the collar can make then go forward even more)

T had a bundle with a GSD at training once and the owner grabbed his GSD by the collar and he got bitten. Not by T but his own dog which turned on him.

That technique is no less likely to get you bitten - dogs can twist at an amazing speed and it is just as easy for them to bite an arm hanging on to their tail/back end.

I also wouldn't use feet unless my feet and legs were very well protected. I tried getting between two bitches fighting once and got bitten on the side of the knee - not deliberately I'm sure, one of them lunged just as my leg went in.

Where I have had to break up a fight I have gone in with two hands and grabbed the scruff of the neck, one hand each side. providing the dog is not more powerful than you (I would not attempt to intervene with dogs that were more powerful than me under any circumstances), this hold if done properly does prevent the dog from being able to twist to bite you, but it is still a BIG risk...firstly in getting the timing right - you have to move very quickly, secondly, you are still at risk of getting bitten by the other dog and thirdly you have to consider what happens once you've got hold of the dog.

In reality a single human trying to stop two dogs who are determined to fight (as oppose to one dog attacking and one dog defending) is unlikely to succeed because even if you manage to get one away, the other is likely to come after it. If there is one dog attacking and the other is just defending, then pulling away the attacking dog should put an end to it. But it should always be the 'attacking' owner who goes in for their dog.

Please do not underestimate the risks of trying to separate two dogs fighting. The adrenalin/aggression is so high that even the most human friendly dog is quite likely to bite out of confusion/frustration.

I've only broken up fights between my own dogs, my approach and shouting has been enough to make them stop but I wouldnt hesitate to grab collars of my own 3. In fact, yesterday I had to break up a fight in the boot of the car between my 2 collies (it's always my bitch who starts them!). When I flung the boot open she was still having a go at Jed so I simply grabbed her collar and pulled her off him and straight out the car. There was blood in the car so it had obviously been quite viscious.

When it comes to altercations out on walks, I try and read the body language of the other dog. If it doesnt look good, I alter my own body language to give them the message I wont have any nonsense. I normally just stand confident between the other dog and my own. My dogs have met plenty of brutes when out, sometimes a disagreement may start but again, my own approach has always been enough to break it up.

I have seen other dogs going at it big time and I have to say, it doesnt look easy to stop them but I guess if it was my own dogs, i'd risk being bitten by grabbing collars or perhaps use my corrector spray. Sometimes I take a walking stick with me which i'd use, better that getting bitten than me!

Good idea - a walking stick with a curved handle could be quite a useful aid if you could hold the other end and slip the handle under the collar. And I guess if it was a case of 'unlatching' a dog who had a solid hold on another, again a walking stick could prove very useful.

Fights that do real damage (as opposed to loud scary ones that are mostly bluster) are thankfully rare.
First, keep calm. Upping the level of violence by joining in yourself will only increase the ferocity of the dogs. Getting both owners to move away is a good first ploy - dogs will be less brave when left alone.
Noise is good - an authoritative command for instance, delivered loudly, or a distraction like a jet of water from a hose.
Kicking, screaming, punching are counter-productive. They only serve to increase the determination of the dogs not to let go.
In extreme cases the best method I know is to stand behind the `winning` dog and grasp both back legs and walk backwards. This method was used to get a pitbull off my GSD, but the guy had to dislocate the dogs` leg to do it. I used it myself to break up a fight between 2 bitches who decided to settle it once and for all.
I`d change your trainer BTW.