There are three things to remember: Do not try to break up the dog fight with your bare hands. Pour/tip water from a water bottle over the dogs heads or use a hose to wet their body (being careful not to point the hose at the dogs' mouth as this could cause drowning) to shock the dogs into breaking apart.
Anytime a dog has been in a fight they should see a veterinarian to look for pain/wounds or signs of serious internal injury. If you are unable to see a vet the same day, you can clean small wounds with mild soap to keep it clean until you get vet care.
They're social animals, so it stands to reason that they tend to cooperate and try to minimize conflict. But what happens when there's a small dust-up or a fight? While they'll sometimes just walk away and leave each other alone, other times, they'll go through a process of reconciliation and make up after the fight.
Some have recommended that the dogs not be anywhere near one another for at least 48 hours following the fight, even if they live in the same household, while others recommend that getting a positive interaction between the two animals as soon as possible is the best course of action -- at the end of the day, however, ...
In a real fight, the dogs will target the stomach, throat, and front legs and the victim of the attack will often retaliate by grabbing a hold of the other dog's neck. If your dog is involved in such a fight and receives severe injuries, take him to the vet immediately.
Since dogs have the ability to sense human emotions, that means they are going to react in a similar emotional way as the energy that is surrounding them. If you are fighting with someone and you are upset, angry, and agitated, your dog will feel similar emotions as well.
Don't Let the Dogs “Work It Out”
Years ago, people used to believe in letting dogs fight to work it out between them. This is dangerous for both dogs and for nearby people. Also, the dogs may never get along after such a fight.
In short, the answer is yes, a dog can be traumatised after a dog attack. Alongside the physical scars of the wounds they have gained, the dog may be emotionally scarred from the traumatic event, and you will need to be on the lookout for behaviour that might indicate your dog has been affected in this way.
Dogs may fight for a number of reasons. Even dogs that live together or are related can and will fight. Unfortunately, some fighting dogs will not stop fighting until an injury occurs that results in one dog backing off. However, some triggers are easily identified and can be avoided.
So how do you know that your dog is apologising? Dogs apologise by having droopy years, wide eyes, and they stop panting or wagging their tails. That is sign one. If the person does not forgive them yet, they start pawing and rubbing their faces against the leg.
Signs of shock include rapid breathing that may be noisy, rapid heart rate with a weak pulse, pale (possibly even white) mucous membranes (gums, lips, under eyelids), severe depression (listlessness), and cool extremities (limbs and ears). The dog may vomit. Shock requires immediate emergency treatment.
There are, however, some external signs of internal bleeding, which can include any of the following: Your pet's gums appear pale to white. Your pet feels cool on the legs, ears or tail. Your pet is coughing up blood or having difficulty breathing.
Grudges with other dogs
To them, that other dog = bad news, even if they don't remember exactly why. Your dog isn't actively “holding a grudge” against that other pooch, but they are responding to the negative association that was formed the first time, and strengthened every time since.
Dogs in the same household can become aggressive toward each other for a variety of different reasons. Aggression may be dominance-related, territorial, possessive, or caused by fear/anxiety. Some dogs have “alliance aggression”.
New research suggests that dogs forgive to reduce uncertainty. Philosophers and psychologists working with humans talk a lot about forgiveness. By contrast, researchers working with other animals typically talk about reconciliation rather than apology and forgiveness.
While it seems dogs do forgive after a fight, there's still a lot more to learn about reconciliation in dogs. In some multi-dog households, it doesn't always work out. Shyan-Norwalt has observed dogs in the same family who did not reconcile but instead separated after every conflict. ...
Dogs are inherently social animals that live well together in groups, but that does not mean that all dogs get along. Most dogs will welcome a new sibling, but it is not always smooth sailing.
"Dogs often fight over access to a resource that is perceived to be valuable." Some dogs fight when moving through or contained within a tight space or during rough play. This aggression may be excitement-related or related to frustration or fear.
A traumatized pet doesn't mean that they'll all of a sudden become aggressive themselves, it simply means that behavior could change for some time after the dog attack. You should be prepared to see a lot of changes in your animal's mood and actions. They might also not want to go outside, not eat or drink.
Just like people, dogs feel loss after a loved one dies. They can also become depressed after a traumatic injury or an attack from another animal. Sadness is caused by events that happen in the dog's life.
If the dogs are too aggressive and breaking up the fight will put you at risk of serious injury, stay out of it. People end up with severe lacerations, crushed bones, and sometimes far worse when the dogs accidentally turn their attack on them. Use your best judgment to do what is safest for both you and the dogs.
Intervene Physically
This method of breaking up a dogfight is potentially the most dangerous if done incorrectly. Remember, you should never get in the middle of two fighting dogs and NEVER attempt to grab the collar or head of two fighting dogs as you will get bit even by your own pet.