What should you carry ???

Evening all, I've just been reading Janey's post regarding Moo getting attacked. This has got me thinking ( allways bad lol ) but 1 of my fears is Kenny getting attacked by another staffy. I know i shouldnt be saying this, but any fight between dogs is bad, but staffords OMG no. If you remeber, some time back i posted a topic regarding two staffords fighting at the vets surgery and they couldnt be stopped, it was only when the vet sedated both dogs that it ended. Is there something that we can carry that will stop/part them. I've heard of people carrying a "break stick", I havnt got a clue what they are or how they are used, I heard of a water pistol being squirted up the nose and the finger up the bum:lol: . I will do anything to prevent ken getting into a fight, but if the worst was to happen, what would you do x

Them break sticks could be considered a weapon! I wouldnt risk carrying one, and ive no clue how to use one anyway!

Come to think of it, ive no idea what id do! Ill just pray he's never in that situation  

Ive just read up on the break sticks.... they sound pretty easy to use and sound really quite useful if needs be. I still wouldnt carry one round with me though.

http://www.pbrc.net/breaksticks.html

I'd only heard of them being used in dog fighting before

you have to know how to use a break stick correctly for it to be effective and that takes training, especially in the heat of the moment where you may just end up inflaming the situation.
the best method i have heard needs two people to grap the back legs of both dogs and move away backwards. this way the people are safe and the dogs are more manovorable.
tbh once the red mist decends the dogs simply dont hear commands and shouting makes things worse, keeping cool and as calm as posible while pulling them backwards is best, eventually one will let go to have another bite and thats when you should be able to break the dogs.

My rotty picked a terrier up once by its neck and pierced through. The terrier's owner was pulling her dog out of his mouth which could have been the worst thing she could have done, anyway, i stayed calm and in the heat of the moment i got my fingers in his mouth and pushed up on the roof of his mouth and he let go without a fight.

It's difficult. The break stick isnt for me either, sounds a bit fiddly tbh. I think you have to just do what you can. x

I wonder if the Personal alarm would halt a fight? They are deafening lol

kenny d wrote:I wonder if the Personal alarm would halt a fight? They are deafening lol

you can use something called a pet corrector, its basically a can of compressed air that make a loud noise. best used prior to a fight breaking out as you can distract with it and gives you time to avert the situation, seconds at best but may well be all you need. you can get from pah for less that a tenner.

The personal alarms are VERY noisey and certainly shocked/scared my two when we tested the alarm out very briefly. They are also small enough to take with you as well.

i dont know if a dog whistle would be enough to distract one even both of them for two seconds? if it didnt i dont think a whistle would help much opening his/her mouth.

i would try a bottle of water guzzled down their nose first

I don't think a whistle or alarm would make a difference in most dog fights. I know that if mine see red, and there have been a couple of incidents in the past, that a random noise wouldn't snap them out of that state of mind. Also the holding their back legs thing all sounds very good but by pulling the dogs away from one another you are risking tears and worse damage than they are already doing. This has happened to me before the idiot's dog had hold of mine by the skull and he started trying to drag it off. I would not recommend that... Dogs do respect me, and I can be quite scary when provoked! The only way I have found to snap them out of the red zone is to hold both dogs still,(depending on the severity of the fight this might mean rugby tackles and choker-holds!) make eye contact with the aggressor and shout loudly and authoritively at the dog. With me they have always let go when they realise I meant business, if only for a split second then you can pull the two dogs apart really quickly before they latch on again.

Its worked for me in the past, I know my dogs will let go cus of their respect for me but it has worked before on a totally out-of-control chavvy 'pitbull' which went for my girl. Aside from this if I had no other option a break-stick though I have been shown how to use these when working in boarding kennels and wouldn't recommend it with no training. First port of call unless one dog has a fatal grip (ie throat/windpipe) is to secure them and get them still. If they can't move they cant rip and tear all they can do is bite down harder...

Don't waste your time with a finger up the bum , all you get for your troubles is a smelly finger , ........... and yes that is from experience before anyone asks  

Dave wrote:Don't waste your time with a finger up the bum , all you get for your troubles is a smelly finger , ........... and yes that is from experience before anyone asks  

Really? I heard many people say that it works

Sazzle wrote:I'd only heard of them being used in dog fighting before

No, I know quite a few people who carry them, but I doubt that any of them would either know how to use them, or even get the chance to use one in a fight! Fighting dogs don't stand still, so unless there are at least two people who are prepared to each hold a dog still, then you'll never get the stick in the right position!

cesca1 wrote:The personal alarms are VERY noisey and certainly shocked/scared my two when we tested the alarm out very briefly. They are also small enough to take with you as well.

I've been witness to staffords fighting, and no amount of noise will make an iota of difference. They may distract before the fight breaks out, but once started they'll hear nothing!

Nosipho wrote:. Also the holding their back legs thing all sounds very good but by pulling the dogs away from one another you are risking tears and worse damage than they are already doing. This has happened to me before the idiot's dog had hold of mine by the skull and he started trying to drag it off. I would not recommend that... Dogs do respect me, and I can be quite scary when provoked! The only way I have found to snap them out of the red zone is to hold both dogs still,(depending on the severity of the fight this might mean rugby tackles and choker-holds!) make eye contact with the aggressor and shout loudly and authoritively at the dog. With me they have always let go when they realise I meant business, if only for a split second then you can pull the two dogs apart really quickly before they latch on again.

Its all well and good if you are big enough and strong enough, when Marley got into a fight i had to sit on him to keep him down and hold the other dog by the throat. i consider myself very lucky and stupid. but the fact is that some people arnt capable of mad dog wrestling and I beleive grabbing the rear legs is as best an option they will have.
I meant holding the rear legs to off balance not drag them off each other, like i said one will go for a better bite and thats when you can move them away. also while you have the legs your taking away some of the power from the fight. as ever though it does rely on both people knowing what they are doing and just tugging away will get you nowhere (as we all know when playing tug with them).

here is a good vid about it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7xrLXQNG0I

I did see somebody trying to seperate two fighting staffords (at a dog show!) by holding up the back legs of both dogs.

Yes, one let go, but (and we all know how strong the back legs of a stafford are) it then whipped around in mid air & bit the guy holding him! 

yeah i know what you mean mate, whatever the method its going to be a dangerouse thing to do. two balls of muscle going at it hammer and tongues will totally forget any bite inhibition so its a very dangerouse place to be. its eay to forget the bite force of a dog and the damage it can do when your trying to save your pooch.  id hate to be the owner of something like a rottie or mastiff as i really cant see what you could do to stop it if it was two like for like dogs.  I'd be blowed if id try and grab there back legs in a fight... blow pipe and super fast acting sedatives

It's probably something none of us can really answer until we've been through it. I suppose your gut instinct would come into play at some point!

We have two brothers, and we have had a few fights - not a pleasant experience, and a steep learning curve. We have tried a number of methods. Stupidly I tried prying their jaws apart with my own fingers ... result no driving for a week and very sore fingers- but we have found lifting their back legs the best - took a while, and very tiring, but it wore them down eventually.... our 2 are strong and stubborn boys .. Tank ran into by other half's leg and manage to bust it!! I will say 2 brothers have been hard work - and we have had dramas - but I would never ever think about giving up on either of them ...

I agree that lifting up the back legs can and does work sometimes. Breaking up two dogs fighting is always dangerous no matter what method you use! I just pray that I never need to find out what to do and that Gwen never gets attacked, this is one of my biggest fears! But if a dog did try to attack her I would do anything and everything I needed to do to get her out of the situation..she is sooo submissive though I doubt she would even fight back!

My local dog warden has told me that it is wise to take a walking stick out with me but i am afraid of arming myself, i know what i am like!

Caryll wrote:I did see somebody trying to seperate two fighting staffords (at a dog show!) by holding up the back legs of both dogs.

Yes, one let go, but (and we all know how strong the back legs of a stafford are) it then whipped around in mid air & bit the guy holding him! 

That's just what I was thinking!

snappy wrote:My local dog warden has told me that it is wise to take a walking stick out with me but i am afraid of arming myself, i know what i am like!

My boyfriends elderly grandfather used to walk Meg (our 21yr old JRT) before he passed away and she was attacked by a Stafford. The only thing he could do was get the handle end of his walking stick and put it round the dog's neck to pull it away from where she was hiding. At his age it was the only thing he could do and I don't think Meg would be here now otherwise.

One tip, Don't put your fingers in their mouths (as others have learnt like me!) or you end up with swollen punctured fingers and the little buggers still don't let go!!!

I was told that if you twist their collars whilst pulling it up to their ears they will let go cos they start to get dizzy. Anyone think that might work?
Have never seen an actual fight so ive no idea but would be nice to have a plan just in case.

My dog (not my current dog) was attacked by a horrible vicious dog that lived in our street. Mine was a colley cross, and the other was a bull type, quite big, bigger than a staffy. Anyway my husband was walking Ben when the other dog got out of its house and got hold of Ben by the leg, its owner was kicking it trying to get it to let go, my husband didnt knwo what to do, Ben was just biting at its face to get it to let go. eventually a guy from nowhere just walked up, stuck his finger up the other dogs bum, and it let go..then he walked off, just like that. Ben ended up with a leg broken in 2 places, and needing lots of stitches,.
But the finger up the bum worked this time round. Goes to show though that it takes alot to get them apart when its owner was kicking it and it still didnt let go.

scruff of the neck on both, in my experience it kind of calms it. Stern but kinda postive communication, so not shouting or anger, and it will eventually prize apart. My murphy has nothing but dislike for other dogs (no matter what) and there has been a couple instances but ive used the above. There was one time i happened to have a lighter in my hand and flicking it on and off in front of them (dont burn them obviously!) and the distraction from flashing lights and it obviously made them blink a lot and lose grip on each other. Depends on how bad the fight is as to what action to take.

or if you have a torch flash on and off as distraction

As daft and stupid as it is, if it was me i dont think i would think twice about trying to get them off eachother, knowing i will get bitten. I do think that would be my instinct. I would be mortified if Lou got in to a proper fight..scares me to death thinking about it.

mrs mcfisher it is truely terrifying, and very dangerous, but your right..instict kicks in when your baby is in danger

Especially as Louby is very tempremental - some dogs she is absolutely fine with and others she isnt, so im always on my guard. Just this morning we were at the park, and a guy had a staffy with him, it was off the lead, and the man had his back turned messing with his phone, so he didnt see me and Louby, who was on lead. His dog started runnign over, so i shouted the guy, and his dog went back to him, once his was on lead i asked if they could meet. and Lou was really friendly, doing big giddy leaps in the air, think she fancied the other dog!! But she could have easily have gone for the dog too, we never know.

yeah its that sort of responsible behaviour thats needed from people too. I understand yes its my dog whos not good with others, however i do everything to ensure he hasnt gotten near one since ive found it out but when owners let their dogs up to any other with no attention it frustrates me. Rule of thumb should be if its a new dog on a lead, ask the owner whether its friendly or not. simples eh. im glad your one of the good ones

Really frustrates me too - my dog is on lead for a reason, im not doing it out of spite to my dog...i would love nothing better for her to run all over the park, she would love it too...Just becuase theirs is 'ok with other dogs' doesnt make the situation ok.
Yes i do think im one of the good ones, but its sods law that if anything did kick off, it would be 'Louby's fault' or we would be the ones with the big vet bills.

Mrs McFisher wrote:My dog (not my current dog) was attacked by a horrible vicious dog that lived in our street. Mine was a colley cross, and the other was a bull type, quite big, bigger than a staffy. Anyway my husband was walking Ben when the other dog got out of its house and got hold of Ben by the leg, its owner was kicking it trying to get it to let go, my husband didnt knwo what to do, Ben was just biting at its face to get it to let go. eventually a guy from nowhere just walked up, stuck his finger up the other dogs bum, and it let go..then he walked off, just like that. Ben ended up with a leg broken in 2 places, and needing lots of stitches,.
But the finger up the bum worked this time round. Goes to show though that it takes alot to get them apart when its owner was kicking it and it still didnt let go.

Now could any of you do the finger up bum ? Would I? I just dont know?

Before the guy came along and did it, i didnt know anything about doing that. The guy wasnt even anything to do with either dog, which i think is harder...could i stick my finger up Lou's bum? I dont know neither?

never thought id be a part of a conversation that questioned a general consensus of "would you finger your dog?"....one in a lifetime haha

Yes, i do love her, but not THAT much x

If two dogs are going at it and are serious flashing a light or kicking it will not make it let go, they are completely oblivious to anything apart from the other dog. Once a Stafford has a grip it is very difficult to make it let go. Never tried the finger-up-the-bum trick! But can imagine that would probably work. If my dog was going to kill another one or be very seriously injured itself yes I would do it!

I did have an unfortunate experience of this when Betsy was set upon by two brothers staffie crosses. I'd read loads of stuff about throwing a coat over them and carry a pet corrector for an emergency. All dogs including Betsy had locked and I just had hold of Betsy from her harness and the other owners had hold of theirs, holding but not pulling. I just kept calm, not sure how and within seconds (felt like minutes) they did actually let go. The other owner go near his dogs mouth and got bitten.
I'm shocked by the number of "dog lovers" I've met on walks that carry chain leads to use on other dogs if they fight. Shocking.
Prevention is always better and if in doubt move on. Always trust your instinct.

pepper spray and/or a kosh

snappy wrote:pepper spray and/or a kosh

Both could get you in trouble with the police as offensive weapons!

Dave wrote:Don't waste your time with a finger up the bum , all you get for your troubles is a smelly finger , ........... and yes that is from experience before anyone asks  

 

Millyjude8 wrote:I was told that if you twist their collars whilst pulling it up to their ears they will let go cos they start to get dizzy. Anyone think that might work?
Have never seen an actual fight so ive no idea but would be nice to have a plan just in case.

Have heard of this one too. Cuts off the air supply apparently and they eventually let go. Mind you it does mean getting a bit too close to the sharp end so to speak.
Luckily, any spats Bacchus has been involved in so far have been a lot of noise without any actual grabbing on.