Dog expert shares ‘counterintuitive’ action to take if pet threatened | UK | News

An expert has warned dog owners of the one thing they can do if their dog is attacked with the “counterintuitive” measure having the potential to save a life.

The video, shared by Anelope Pets on TikTok, has been viewed over 1.4 million times and warns dog owners that if their pet is attacked, they should not try and “yank” the other dog off as it could increase the damage being done.

Instead, the animal advice channel advises of one specific move dog owners should perform if it is safe to do so.

The expert said: “Do not try to pry the mouth off, you will get bit and honestly, most dogs… You’re not going to be strong enough.

“What you actually want to do is something that is called wheelbarrowing.

“The dog that is the attacker, you want to take their back legs and lift them up so that their head is pointing down, legs up in the air.

“This is counter-intuitive but you want to push them towards your dog because they will automatically open their mouth and then you can pull them apart.”

The expert warns that once separated, it is crucial to immediately separate the two dogs, as the attacker's prey instinct is likely to be up meaning that they will probably seek to reattack.

She said: “I know this sounds ridiculous but this is also a life saving measure, if you can put the attacked dog completely out of reach.

“I mean literally whatever you need to do so that the dog cannot attack again.”

There have been several high-profile incidents of dogs attacking smaller dogs and people in recent years.

In 2023, Natasha Johnston, a 28-year-old dog walker from Croydon, was mauled to death while walking eight dogs in Caterham, Surrey.

In February this year, strict rules regarding the ownership of XL bullies were brought into effect after several attacks, some of them fatal.