It takes three seconds and it changes how you walk your dog for a year. Whether your dog was bitten, bit another dog, or frightened somebody who then complained, what you do in the first hour determines the medical outcome, the insurance outcome and, often, whether the situation becomes formal.
Separating a fight
Most fights between dogs are noisy and short. Reaching in with your hands is how owners are bitten, usually by their own dog, because a dog in that state is not making decisions.
What works: a sudden loud noise or a bottle of water; throwing a coat over one dog's head; or, with two people, each taking a dog by the back legs and moving backwards and apart in a wide arc. Do not grab collars, which puts your hands directly between two sets of teeth. Once separated, keep the dogs apart and out of sight of each other rather than standing there discussing it.
Most injuries to people in dog fights happen to the owners, in the moment of separation, and almost all of them are preventable.
Immediately afterwards
- Check your own dog carefully, all over, including the far side and under the coat. Puncture wounds seal quickly and hide crushing damage underneath
- Exchange names and telephone numbers with the other owner, calmly
- Take photographs: the injuries, the location, and the other dog if you can do so safely
- Note the time, the place and what happened, in writing, the same day while it is accurate
- If there were witnesses, ask for a contact number
- Do not accept or assign blame on the spot, and do not agree to pay anything or promise anything
That last point is not about avoiding responsibility. It is that liability questions are for insurers, and a statement made in the middle of an adrenaline surge is not a considered one.
The veterinary part
Any bite that has broken the skin is a same-day veterinary appointment, even when it looks minor. Dog bites are crush injuries as much as puncture wounds: the visible hole is small and the damage under it can be extensive, and infection is common and fast.
Tell the vet it was a bite, which changes how the wound is managed. Ask for the injuries to be documented and photographed in the clinical record, and keep every invoice. If a person was bitten, they should see a doctor the same day, for the same reasons.
Insurance, which is why the paperwork matters
Every dog in Luxembourg must be covered by civil liability insurance, and this is exactly the event it exists for. Notify your insurer promptly, in writing, with the details you recorded, whether your dog caused the damage or suffered it. If the other dog caused it, the other owner's cover is the route to your veterinary costs, and the documentation is what makes that straightforward rather than a dispute.
If your dog is one of the breeds classified as susceptible to being dangerous, check the specific conditions of your policy, since some insurers exclude or price these separately. Verify that in writing before anything happens, not afterwards.
When authorities become involved
A bite to a person, particularly a child, is likely to be reported, and an aggressive dog can be the subject of administrative measures. Be cooperative, factual and prompt, and keep your own written record and the veterinary documentation.
Your dog's registration, vaccination and insurance being in order is what turns a serious situation into a manageable one. That is the practical reason to keep the paperwork current rather than intending to.
If a listed dog is involved, remember the additional obligations that attach to those breeds, including who may walk them and the requirement to report a loss within twelve hours.
After the incident: the part people neglect
Both dogs are usually changed by it. A dog that was attacked frequently becomes reactive on the lead afterwards, sometimes within days, and the behaviour then gets treated as a training failure rather than as the consequence of a frightening event.
Work on it early. Distance, counter-conditioning, quieter routes for a while, and avoiding the exact spot where it happened for a few weeks. Get professional help through your vet rather than waiting to see, because these cases respond far better in month one than in month six.
Be honest with yourself about your own state too. Owners become tense, shorten the lead at the sight of any dog and transmit exactly that to the animal. If you are anxious on walks, that is part of what needs addressing.
Reducing the odds in the first place
- Ask before letting dogs greet, and accept no as an answer
- Do not allow on-lead greetings between strange dogs in narrow spaces: pavements, lifts, doorways
- Keep toys and food out of shared spaces, which is what most scuffles start over
- Recall your dog when a new one arrives in an enclosed area
- Learn the early signals, the freeze, the hard stare, the stiff body, and end the interaction then rather than after
- Use a muzzle, trained properly, if your dog has a bite history. It is a responsible tool, not an admission
And tell whoever walks your dog about any incident, including one that seemed minor. A dog that was attacked on the Wednesday will behave differently on the Thursday, and the person on the other end of the lead needs to know why.
General information for dog owners in Luxembourg, not veterinary or legal advice. For your own dog, ask your vet, a qualified behaviourist or your commune. How this journal is written and checked.
Away from your dog all day?
PAWLY provides individual dog walks, home visits and overnight care in your own home, across Luxembourg City. Same walker every time, written report after every visit.
Keep reading
All Luxembourg articles
What a dog actually costs in Luxembourg
The households that find a dog affordable here are the ones that knew the recurring numbers in advance.
Where to get a dog in Luxembourg, and how to check
A ten-week-old puppy that has just arrived from abroad with a valid rabies entry did not have one.
If your dog goes missing in Luxembourg
Search first, organise second, and never call a frightened dog the way you would call it home for dinner.
