The safest thing for you to do if you encounter a dog fight is to stay out of it.

When canines fight, they focus entirely on the task, and if you get in the way, you can be seriously injured, even by your own dog, regardless of his normal temperament. However, if you must break up a fight, be sure to do it as safely as possible.

Safest Way to Break Up a Dog Fight

If breaking up the fight is unavoidable, try to get someone else to help you do it, so that you don’t have to manage more than one animal at a time.

• Circle behind one dog and grab his back feet or legs, and raise them into the air. Without the use of his legs, he won’t be able to continue fighting.
• Pull the dogs apart and back slowly away, continuing to hold their legs. Move in a backward arc so that the dog can’t reach around to bite you. He’ll be walking on his front legs only, so he won’t be able to maneuver with much agility.
• When you’ve reached a safe distance, perhaps 20 feet, hold the dog safely until he calms down, which is easiest if you turn him so he can no longer see his opponent.

Breaking Up a Fight with 1 Person

It’s incredibly dangerous to try to pull two fighting dogs apart when you’re alone, but if the situation demands it, proceed carefully with the following plan.

• If you don’t have a leash with you, go get one. The animals will continue to fight as you do this, but you need to take steps to ensure your personal safety.
• Approach one of the dogs quietly. When you’re close enough, quickly loop the leash around the back end of the dog, slip the free end through the leash’s looped handle, and pull the leash taut.
• Back away, pulling the dog, until you reach something you can tie the dog to, such as a telephone pole or a fence post.
• Approach the second dog from behind, grabbing him by the hind legs and pulling him away, using the same techniques you’d use if there were two people breaking up the fight. Drag the dog at least 20 feet away from the other one, and then tether or crate him.

Once you’ve successfully broken up the fight, make sure it stays that way. If these canines had their druthers, they’d leap at each other again as soon as they could. Make sure to keep the dogs far apart, preferably out of view of one another.

Check out the original article: http://petsadviser.com/behaviors/how-to-break-up-a-dog-fight-safely/