So.... The dogs decided to get stupid yesterday...

[thinckley]

I have three dogs who, most of the time, are great pets.

The picture is from last summer when the little one was still very much a puppy, but from left to right we have Luna, an Akbash Pyrenees mix, Rueban, a Pit Bull mix, and Daisy, a Husky mix who just turned 1 and only about 35 lbs. Like I said, they are typically great dogs, but a couple of days ago, Daisy and Luna got into it. Like trying to kill each other into it. Daisy started it.

Last night they went at it again and I decided to intervene and throw some of that Alpha Dog energy at them. I get Daisy on her back, hand on her throat, while I'm growling and snarling, but Luna wasn't quite done yet...

Needless to say, Alpha dog exploded!! The dogs have been much better behaved since and practically tip toe around me.

They still had no problem curling up with me in bed last night also...

 

[Fox Mike]

I truly feel for you. I once made the mistake of trying to break up a cat fight. If it every happens again I will just throw a bucket of water on them and not bled quite as much.

 

[HoosierBilly1]

That looks painful. I would say that you better try throwing water at them if they fight again.

 

[blume357]

Been there and had it happen to me... last time I bled for 4 days....

 

[Wvfarrier]

I trained dogs both in the Army and as a LEO......NEVER, EVER get your body parts anywhere near a tussle. I hefty splash of water is usually sufficient to break it up. Another good trick is to fold your belt in half and then make it snap together (sounds like a loud bb gun)

 

[Watchman]

I have broken up many dog fights between my many German Shepherds over the years. I have the scars to prove it. And two semi wrecked shoulders.

Fights between females are always the worst. Males will usually quit pretty quickly when you exert your authority. Females don't care. They want to fight to the death, it seems.

I'm always out with two dogs at a time, each of my dogs has at least one, and sometimes a few other dogs they usually get along with. But sometimes one gets mad about something, and it's on.
Because I don't want the dogs to be badly injured, both for the dogs and my pocketbook, I always jump in and try to break it up as quickly as possible. This usually involves grabbing both dogs by the scruff of their necks (they have a lot of fur there, and enough loose skin to get a firm hold) and pull them apart. It takes a lot of strength to pry them apart and then hold them out on each side at arms length while they are pulling and pushing with their rear legs trying to reengage and bite the other dog. An 70-80 lb dog is very strong, especially when they're pissed.

I learned the best thing to do once they are apart is to take them both to the ground by the neck and pin them down, while screaming NO!! at them until they start to calm down. It usually takes a couple minutes before one calms down enough to release it, and swiftly drag the other to the jeep and slam them inside. Sometimes the released dog isn't done, and comes back in for round two. You have to be fast.

I usually don't even realize I have been wounded until afterwards. The OPs wounds look familiar.
What's weird is that the same dogs are friends again within an hour. Only the wounds remain.
But wounds heal, and quite frankly I have health insurance and the dogs don't. Vets are expensive. Hydrogen Peroxide is your friend. May you heal quickly!

 

[MaxMan]

Wow, we have three dogs but the lil mini doxie rules the roost, The brown dog was a rescue and easily cowed by the. Doxie but about 60 lbs and a great the Dixie but bark. The corgi, also à rescue is also subject to the doxie but they have gotten into it with the corgi backing down. Good luck. Three dogs, a catchy name for a band is in there somewhere.

 

[thinckley]

The Pyr/Akbash mix is typically head dog, but knows I'm big boss. It was the "puppy" that started things and had to be reminded who's boss, hand on throat, me growling and yelling in her ear. They settled down damn fast after was all said and done and until we left for Mexico 10 days ago there were zero repeats.

A solid week of antibiotics and they're mostly healed up now.

 

[MaxMan]

Wife was raising Jack Russell's. On one litter we kept the mom and one son. After he was grown the got into a fight. Jaws locked. Picked up one by the tail and their they were jaws locked swinging in the air. Finally the top one let go. Land Piranhas. If they were the size of Great Danes Elephants would be fair game

 

[foolslife]

At one time we had five dogs of various breeds. Trying to play with the Pressa Canario (bull Mastiff) left my hands and arms bleeding, that was just playing! He played with the cat but noine of the other dogs wanted anything to do with him.

Now we have four chihuahuas and there are no fights or playing...nada!

 

[crstrode]

It was not the dogs that "decided to get stupid".

 

[wproct]

Here's my dog story, and I personally have not owned a dog for well over 50 years. I loved to play disc golf, and my local course is in a city park and when I would play I noticed a young man who came to the park often, same age as my son, early 50's, and both legs were gone, at about the knee level. One day I had just set down on a park bench catching my breath and he came up and sat down with me for a bit. I said to him, not being nosey, but can I ask what happened to your legs. He told me that he had been bitten by one of his dogs and didn't think much about it, but he had gotten a bacterial infection and wound up losing both legs. I had never heard of such a thing up until then.