Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 5 days ago
To earn a certificate of attendance for continuing education credit, please view this webinar on Maddie's University: university.maddiesfund.org/products/breaking-up-a-dog-fight-on-demand
No one wants to experience a serious dog fight, but knowing how to safely and effectively break them up can save lives and prevent injuries.
One of the most important ways we can meet shelter dogs' needs and reduce behavior problems is to allow our dogs contact and playtime with their own species. Many staff and volunteers are concerned about giving dogs this vital exercise, enrichment, and important natural behavior outlet because of a fear of dog fights. While dog fights can sound scary, most are just "spit and noise" and cause little to no damage, many of us have seen fights that caused more damage, or fights where a person was also injured. Most of the ways we naturally approach breaking up a dog fight can actually make things worse, so teaching people how to break dog fights up efficiently and safely is an important part of onboarding any employees who may supervise dog interactions.
Laurie Lawless (of Shelter Behavior Integrations) and Trish McMillan (of Shelter Behavior Hub) are shelter behavior experts with decades of experience monitoring and facilitating dog play in many different contexts, but especially with shelter dogs. This webinar will review the tools and techniques they believe shelters should have on hand and employees should be taught to use, so that dogs can be cared for more safely, and so that they can have their needs met and behavior improved through social contact with their own kind.
To access the resources from this call or to ask questions of our speaker, visit https://maddies.fund/BehaviorConnectionFebruary2026
About Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection:
Join us on the fourth Thursday of every month as we talk about dog and cat behavior - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters. Each month, we hear from speakers about topics of interest to our group, such as behavior medications, modifying animal behavior, assessing and improving animal welfare, and how organizations successfully provide behavior support to dogs and cats.
All recordings and resources shared during the webcast will also be available on discussion threads posted on Maddie's Pet Forum - https://maddies.fund/monthlybehaviorconnectionMPF
To earn a certificate of attendance for continuing education credit, please view this webinar on Maddie's University: university.maddiesfund.org/products/breaking-up-a-dog-fight-on-demand
No one wants to experience a serious dog fight, but knowing how to safely and effectively break them up can save lives and prevent injuries.
One of the most important ways we can meet shelter dogs' needs and reduce behavior problems is to allow our dogs contact and playtime with their own species. Many staff and volunteers are concerned about giving dogs this vital exercise, enrichment, and important natural behavior outlet because of a fear of dog fights. While dog fights can sound scary, most are just "spit and noise" and cause little to no damage, many of us have seen fights that caused more damage, or fights where a person was also injured. Most of the ways we naturally approach breaking up a dog fight can actually make things worse, so teaching people how to break dog fights up efficiently and safely is an important part of onboarding any employees who may supervise dog interactions.
Laurie Lawless (of Shelter Behavior Integrations) and Trish McMillan (of Shelter Behavior Hub) are shelter behavior experts with decades of experience monitoring and facilitating dog play in many different contexts, but especially with shelter dogs. This webinar will review the tools and techniques they believe shelters should have on hand and employees should be taught to use, so that dogs can be cared for more safely, and so that they can have their needs met and behavior improved through social contact with their own kind.
To access the resources from this call or to ask questions of our speaker, visit https://maddies.fund/BehaviorConnectionFebruary2026
About Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection:
Join us on the fourth Thursday of every month as we talk about dog and cat behavior - supporting pets in our community and animal shelters. Each month, we hear from speakers about topics of interest to our group, such as behavior medications, modifying animal behavior, assessing and improving animal welfare, and how organizations successfully provide behavior support to dogs and cats.
All recordings and resources shared during the webcast will also be available on discussion threads posted on Maddie's Pet Forum - https://maddies.fund/monthlybehaviorconnectionMPF
