Encounters and fights between dogs

When two dogs happen to meet in the street, a park or anywhere, the occurrences are usually consequently the same.

The Encounter: When two dogs meet, they come together by sniffing each other till their noses touch, they mutually smell each other and then they get in a parallel position and smell each others behinds. As long as they're wagging their tail, there's nothing to worry about.

Insecure dogs will keep their tale between their legs and avoid visual contact with the other dog. Just because one of them has it's hair stiff and upward doesn't necessarily mean it wants to fight, to make this conclusion you have to observe all the different gestures the dog makes. The more self-assured the other dog is, the better encounter will be. If both dogs think they are equally as strong and of the same ranks, if one of them stops wagging it's tail, the other will lift his as well and it's hair will get stiff and lifted, meaning they're not friends. They start moving around in circles around each other and may trip on each others backs. If one of them lowers it's tail it's saying "I don't want to fight, let's leave at that", the other is now of a higher rank. This may turn out to be a friendly canine relationship.

Budding Aggressiveness: If neither of the two gives in, the dogs go into a "T" position - one is positioned diagonally in front of the other-, a fight may occur, in which the dog that is transversal in the "T" is on the defense (and the longitudinal, on the offensive). A fight will be inevitable if the dogs aren't separated on time. As terrible as it may sound, it's not usually very fierce, although this only happens when both dogs have learned to deal with others and observe canine behavior laws. On the contrary, an out of control fight between low instinct dogs, can be very bloody. The louder a fight is, the less danger it will be. Generally, when dogs fight with their teeth, wounds are limited to the lips. When two bitches fight between themselves, many times it's more dangerous for their physical integrity than when dealing with males (they pretend to impose themselves).

The end of the fight: The fight ends when one of the dogs gives in or quits, as long as they're sure of their instinct. Dog owners can only end the fight by separating them at the same time. The best way is by grabbing them by their back legs and pulling at the same time. Then you're in danger of being bitten by your favorite animal. You shouldn't blame the dog because when they're fighting, they are like in a trance, they can't hear or smell anything besides their rival. Next: Avoiding a dog fight