Problems At Feeding Time

[Homeriver]

Hi everyone. Firstly I have to say that I have only had labs for just over a year now but am absolutely loving them. What a great family pet, especially with my kids. So far we have had no major dramas, a few things chewed, but probably less than when I had my working dog pups. Have found them very easy to train and they love to be involved in whatever's going on. I have recently bought a beautiful black male pup. He's about 3 months old. He gets along with my one year old bitch very well. Except when it's dinner time. She will growl at him and he gets very intimidated and stops eating. I seperate them at feeding time now but they both eat so fast knowing the other one is waiting somewhere, that sometimes they make themselves sick. Has anyone else had similar problems and will I have to always have them seperated to eat or is it something they might work out as they get older?

[kelpiecuddles]

I always seperate mine as they d much the same things. I would also suggest feeding in a slow down bowl or similiar

[persephone]

It is safer to feed them in seperate areas where they cannot see each other :)

You will also find less chance of gulping using bowls like these ..or by feeding the majority of their meals as meaty 9softish) bones like lamb flaps/chicken frames or turkey wings (all whole)

[sheena]

I have always separated my two. They can't even see each other eat. The guy is fed outside & the girl fed inside & when they are finished I let them lick each other bowls. Certainly a sure way of stopping any food aggression form starting & they don't feel they need to rush their meal. As KK says, there are food bowls available which will slow them down. :)

[Mystiqview]

I have always separated my four. I don't necessarily do out of sight. I have also had some dogs talk (growl) while they eat.

Depending on the growl and the severity of it, try to also not make a big deal of it in the way of fussing while they are doing it. The more fuss, the more the big deal to the dogs. You also want at some point to be able to feed both dogs in the same area without having to drastically separate them. If they ever have to go to a kennel or if you are out/travelling, you may not always be able to separate them as you can at home. So they both have to get used to it.

It is also good for the pup to learn manners from your older bitch. Depending on your your dogs, you can also often find if the pup does come near the older ones bowl, the older dog will give up the bowl. I have had that many a time with my older dogs when I have had litters of pups, there could be a whole string of sware words said by the older dog, but when push came to shove, the bowl was given up.

You can also try flood feeding them, this can be done in two ways. Many bowls with food spread between them, or spread the whole dinner over the floor. Many bowls are harder to resource guard than one.

Use one of those slower bowls as linked to slow them down. The other thing you can do it wet the dry kibble before feeding, so it is going in heavier and softer and will not bloat so much in the stomach.

[RiverStar-Aura]

Definitely separate and rather than buying those special bowls as they can be pricey, try putting their kibble/food in an upside-down muffin/cupcake pan.

[Pockets]

Personally if it was me and this was causing an issue, I would feed one out of view of the other in the morning and then the other out of view at night, that way they are not into this gulping thing when the both get fed at the same

Time.

[Christina]

I have 6 dogs & can feed them all in the same room although sometimes I may not.

What I do is wait until a puppy is at least 6 months old before it is fed with the adults.

Any adult dog coming in is also fed seperate for the first few weeks too.

All dogs are taught to sit for their food although I don't always make them do it once they are trained, only sometimes then to remind them.

Food is placed at least a metre apart & I say each dogs name to come & get their bowl.

Watch them at first & say No or Ah Ah or leave it, whatever the discipline word is that they understand if they go near each others. Dry food fed later in the day they will share in 3 bowls between them without a problem.

After a few months they should be fine together.

Never had a fight over food but bones/chews/pigs ears they would kill each other.

Its each to a crate on their own & remove all signs of them after.

[sheena]

I have 6 dogs & can feed them all in the same room although sometimes I may not.

What I do is wait until a puppy is at least 6 months old before it is fed with the adults.

Any adult dog coming in is also fed seperate for the first few weeks too.

All dogs are taught to sit for their food although I don't always make them do it once they are trained, only sometimes then to remind them.

Food is placed at least a metre apart & I say each dogs name to come & get their bowl.

Watch them at first & say No or Ah Ah or leave it, whatever the discipline word is that they understand if they go near each others. Dry food fed later in the day they will share in 3 bowls between them without a problem.

After a few months they should be fine together.

Never had a fight over food but bones/chews/pigs ears they would kill each other.

Its each to a crate on their own & remove all signs of them after.

My two tried to kill each other over a stick the other day :laugh: while out walking.

[Nekhbet]

Dogs will fight because they see themselves as the possessors of the resources. It's not their food, it's your food and you are allowing them to eat it. I can give bones to all of mine and they all know to go their separate ways and finish it, no snatching (the pug occasionally gets ninja'd by the old girl but it's not in malice)

It's all about counter conditioning. You can tether two dogs separate from each other or put up a barrier they can see through and not get through. Each dog gets a bowl when it's calm and it can eat. When the dogs are finished the bowls are picked up and put away. They will gulp the first few times but when the realise there is no way the other dog can access the food they will slow down. You gradually move the dogs closer and closer to each other (don't shove them right under each others noses) and if a dog refuses to eat its own food and tries to stare down the other it's own food is removed and no more for the day.

You can either be harsh about it or live with the risk you slip up one day and you have a dog fight over something silly because your dogs have never learned they have no right to bully or snatch. Up to you. But 4 Malinois can eat with two little dogs present and there's never a snarl let alone a full blown fight.

[Ivory & Beau]

I feed two Labradors, a Pointer and a Belgian Shepherd together, everyday, twice a day. Plus they all eat bones together.

The youngest Lab has a "no scoff" bowl and it has helped her gulping big time. She even sits and waits till told to eat her food now.

The new bowl has helped the pack dynamics ten fold. Tinker doesn't finish her food in a few seconds and then won't bother the others while they are still eating.

Though I always stand in the middle while they eat but more out of ease and I can lean on the gate post while they eat!

Each dog goes to their respective place every meal time to wait.

[OSoSwift]

My Whippets are fed in sight of each other but they are carefully supervised. Anyone tries to go to a others bowl, they are pulled up quick smart.

My other dogs were always fed well away from each other, couldn't get near each other. The bloodbath wouldn't have been worth it.

[sandgrubber]

I feed my three labs together. I fill all three bowls at the same time and set them down simultaneously. The puppy finishes last. I've never had any trouble with growling or stealing, although I think it would be less peaceful if they were feed sequentially rather than simultaneously. You do not want the pup finish first and come over to the older dog to see if there's anything to be had from the other bowl.

[cavNrott]

Personally if it was me and this was causing an issue, I would feed one out of view of the other in the morning and then the other out of view at night, that way they are not into this gulping thing when the both get fed at the same

Time.

Many, if not most of us feed our dogs twice a day.

[Ivory & Beau]

Personally if it was me and this was causing an issue, I would feed one out of view of the other in the morning and then the other out of view at night, that way they are not into this gulping thing when the both get fed at the same

Time.

Many, if not most of us feed our dogs twice a day.

My pack would kill me if I did this :laugh: If I don't feed on the dot, everyday; I get told about it ...

[megan_]

So people are encouraging the OP to feed a resource guarded and a puppy together ( hey I do it no problems!). ?

Personally, I wouldn't do it. A friend of a friends staffyluv killed their cattle dog after 8 years of eating together supervised. When a resource guarder attacks the pup being in the room watching isn't going to help them.

Make life relaxing - feed them separately (physically wither in crates or with closed doors) and out of sight. That way you're not standing guard tensely as they eat. If they gobble food give them treat toys - it will make feeding more fun anyway.

[denali]

Mine all eat together. They are very good and will only swap bowls once all 3 are finished.

They have been taught they're not allowed to steal from a young age though. And i stand there watching to make sure nothing happens. But so far so good!

Kokoda does growl at Deniki when he has a bone, but i just give Koda's out the back and Niki's out the front. Probelm solved!

(they can get from the front to the back, but they dont. Silly dogs :laugh: )

The muffin tin is a very good idea :)

I read in a magazine to use a cricket ball or an upside down cup in the bowl. But when i tried it the cup just tipped over.

I had more success using multiple cups right way up and putting biscuits around and in them.

But i feed raw now, and dont have the issue of fast eating :)

[Leah82]

I feed ours separately. We've never had any aggression issues but Sarah takes longer than Collie and she's a bit of a nervous eater so once he's finished he'll hover around her and as soon as she moves away from the bowl slightly he takes advantage and moves in to finish it off, which is not great because usually Sarah hasn't finished eating.

If they ate at similar speeds then I'd probably feed them together but it's just not worth the worry for us or the dogs

[Mystiqview]

So people are encouraging the OP to feed a resource guarded and a puppy together ( hey I do it no problems!). ?

Personally, I wouldn't do it. A friend of a friends staffyluv killed their cattle dog after 8 years of eating together supervised. When a resource guarder attacks the pup being in the room watching isn't going to help them.

Make life relaxing - feed them separately (physically wither in crates or with closed doors) and out of sight. That way you're not standing guard tensely as they eat. If they gobble food give them treat toys - it will make feeding more fun anyway.

Not encouraging to feed two resource guarders together. But as one is a puppy, the puppy also needs to learn manners. Like the older dog needs to learn not to resource guard.

It is not just an immediate problem. If either of the dogs need to be kennelled, either together or separately, or one is down the vet, there will be a dog either with it, or very close to it. So a long term solution needs to be addressed.

The problem with a forum, is we can only advise on what is written by the poster, if the poster is posting on behalf of another, the information can not include all the necessary information. We also cannot see the actual interaction between the two dogs in question.

If the poster is really concerned an out the issue,they really need to get a behaviouralist to come out and watch the interaction and advise a suitable course of action.

[OSoSwift]

Nope I said mine do now and are closely supervised and there is no going to others bowls or wandering past. They finish eating they get sent to their bed do the others can eat.

None of mine growl at each other.

My previous dogs were fed separately physically and out of sight. As I said the bloodbath would not have been worth it.

My dogs now are whippets, my previous dogs were Dobes. They did end up fighting but not over food.

Edited April 10, 2014 by OSoSwift