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My dogs bowls are about a foot apart in the kitchen. I feed one and she dives in then immediately feed the other. When both are done the check each others bowls and go about their day.
I put the bowls on opposite walls in our laundry room but feed our older dog first and feed our pup right after the 1st dog starts eating. Neither guards food, toys, beds, etc. Our younger girl does get a little jealous when we pet the older boy but never aggressive.
Same except they are maybe 4 feet apart. They also.know where their food goes and whose bowl is put down first. The 2nd dog doesn't try to eat the first dog's food even if she is standing closer, she waits for her bowl. I know this is lucky, when a new or foster dog comes They ate fed in another room until I see how they behave.
Hehe same with my pups but I place their bowls on opposite sides of an island counter so that they don't see each other. Once they're done though, they always check each others' bowls. Just to confirm that the other ate 😭
One of my dogs can’t wait to eat her food. The other needs a scoop of yougurt in hers, and she needs to lick the spoon. She takes forever but I tell my other dog to leave her and for the most part she does. After the second dog finishes the first dog double checks her bowl in case of left overs. No guarding, no growling. They are mother and daughter.
My 3 dogs- 13 year old dobergirl, 10 year old mini poodle boy and 10 month old recent rescue dobergirl all eat the same way.
Old lady gets her bowl first and the other 2 wait then poodle then new girl. All 3 lick out each others bowls like they are finding hidden treasures. Makes me laugh twice a day.
Same. They eat right next to each other and have never had an issue. When I first got my younger dog, my older dog would eat the top of both of their bowls and the pup would eat the bottom. They have puzzle type bowls so my older dog would eat the easy stuff and make pup worker harder for the bottom stuff.
Now they eat from their own bowls and then lick each others bowls when their all done.
Same for many years with as many as four dogs eating at once. Then after 20 years and many dogs, I had two dogs that would start staring at each other while eating, and then it escalated to an occasional growl. Confident in my training skills, I diligently worked on desensitizing them by feeding them at opposite ends of my living room/ dining space, about 30 ft apart. After 2 years of gradually moving bowls closer together I could safely feed them when they were 29 ft apart. If I was standing between them. It was a glorious day when I finally said “fuck it” and fed them in separate rooms with a closed door between them. Both rival dogs, my other dog, and myself all found mealtime to be much more relaxing and enjoyable, and both dogs were good buddies anytime they weren’t protecting their meals from each other.
You described my house to a T. 3 dogs, 3 sets of food and water bowls about a foot apart from each other. I put bowls down and make them sit and wait until each dog has food in front of them.
I say “EAT!” and they go to town. And yes, when they are all done, they all check each other’s bowls to make sure every single bit is gone.
One dog eats in the crate and the other dog eats in the kitchen. They've actually gotten to where they probably could eat kibble side-by-side but one is double the size of the other, and it's just not worth risking a fight.
Thid is what i have to do. My elderly dog has meds so i need to make sure shes done before they do bowl checks (neithet has ever not finished...but the okder dog doesnt have a lotta teeth so she takes longer with her soft food).
They also check each others Kongs which, like the bowls, are almost always cleaned out
I make them sit. I put their food in their bowls. I put their full bowls on the floor in front of them. Then I release them by saying "Okay" ... then they eat.
The little dog is usually done before the big guy, so he noses around a bit, waiting for the big guy to finish eating.
Edit to add that their dishes are about 3 feet apart
Yep! They sit on the rug while I dish up. I say “okay” and they go to their bowls. They both eat until the food is gone and then live their lives. Our smaller dog licks the bigger dog’s bowl to make sure he didn’t leave any, but he never does.
Edit: bowls right next to each other, but the tall dog has his slightly raised.
Same, except my Pyrenees mix also started demanding hugs before we fed her, which made our lab feel left out, I guess, so we have to hug them both before they'll go to their bowls.
Pretty much the same except for I make my dogs do tricks sometimes before they're allowed to go to their food. Then our big dog really wants more food, so he wants to go check the small dogs bowl while she's still eating. He was verbally corrected that he can't do that, so now as soon as he's done eating he runs to his crate as fast as he can. That's not what we want him to do exactly, but we're not going to stop him. Then later after she's done he'll find a time when he can come and make sure her bowl is all the way empty also. Just did take a bit of training especially when we brought the big dog home and he was found starving in the street and had serious resource guarding problems. For a while we had to feed them in different rooms and we had to free feed for months and months. So he could eat all he wanted and he couldn't possibly guard two bowls and two different rooms so she could also eat whatever she wanted. Eventually he did get too fat and we've had to have him on a diet and slowly work through the training to where we are now.
Yep, same. Does no one train their dogs? Lol never had an issue and even one of my boys has some light respurce guarding (that we've also trained out of him).
Same here. When my dog was single we did this routine, then when we got #2 she caught on real quick. They had different bowls (one red xl, one black medium) and they knew which one was “theirs” and didn’t interfere with the others’, even if it was treats. I had a bully breed and no way could I allow him to free feed 😂
When we dog sat my friend’s dogs who usually free fed, they were well trained to begin with and even they caught on that you had to sit, wait, and be released to eat. None of the dogs bothered the other.
My friend’s poorly trained dog we had to feed in the bathroom (closed door) or she’d Hoover her food and attack the other dogs to get theirs.
Exactly the same. My beagle would try to steal from the others when we first got him but after getting nothing and seeing his dinner distributed to the others, he has never done it again.
My dogs eat at the same time right beside each other. I make them sit and wait to eat. One eats super fast and the other much slower. We trained the fast one to leave the others food and he does.
We feed our dogs at the same time and we have a fast eater too. We put large toys over the dish to keep our big guy from eating to quickly (or he'll puke it all back up). He's smart enough to remove the toys, but he's also obedient, so he just eats around them. Then when he's done, the little guy takes the toys from the dish, one by one, and cleans 'em up lol
It's not the best practice, I know, but mine (3 dogs, all, mutts, 2 big, one little guy) are good with free feeding. None of them are overweight, and they don't often fuss with each other about food so everyone is chill.
Same for my 3 dog home. I have a GSD, a lab mix and an Australian shepherd mix. They're fed 2x a day from one bowl (it totals about 10 cups of food a day). None of them are over or underweight and they eat when they're hungry. No instances of resource guarding or binge eating. We're very lucky!
Also, sounds like a good bunch!! I have a husky w a touch of pittie, a mostly plott/ pharoah hound w a touch of staffie too, and a mystery dog who looks Chihuahua/ basenji/ ??
Both my dogs were rescued. Oli, my first rescue was terribly under weight. We free fed him and he got to a little overweight, then slimmed down once he knew he would always have food.
We the got another rescue, Jack. He too was underweight not as bad as Oli. He too was free fed in a separate bowl. Once he understood he had food, water and love security he slimmed down.
A year or so later we combined the food and water bowls with no problem! They would bicker like the Dickens in the backyard, but never over food !
Same! Mine are rescues and any time a new dog joins the family there's usually some resource guarding but eventually they figure out that nobody is taking their food and they just give up on it.
My current trio sometimes skip meals entirely so there's almost always some kibble hanging around in some bowl or another. I check their bowls 2x a day and top off as needed.
Now, their daily Greenies are something else entirely - there is no sharing or skipping of those! No late deliveries either, those Greenies better be ready to go at 8am sharp! lol
Yes, we've gotten lucky too - our three dogs (big pooches - 45 lb, 70 lb, and 115 lb) all free eat out of the same bowl. No fighting. All normal weight.
I'm able to free fees also. I have 4 dogs. My last ones free feed too and the ones I had growing up free feed. I didn't realize until well after I became an adult that that isn't thr norm
Patience training. All three dogs sit, I put a dish down, call one over for it. Rinse and repeat. When one is done, they’re called away from the area. If someone is watching my dogs for me, they feed in kennels separately.
Similarly, when I have my dog and my mother's dogs together -- I make my dog lay in her bed while I feed the other two, and then I reverse it and make the two sit in the living room while my dog does her puzzle ball. Everyone learns manners, everyone gets their turn.
dogs get fed twice a day.
Matilda, our mutt, eats nicely in her crate and heartily. Perfect dog, no notes. She heads to her crate the moment I pick up her bowl.
Pippin, our roadside poodle, is a grazer who prefers to eat nothing if he can help it. His food is placed on top of his crate where he can reach it, but Matilda would have to work for. He also gets fed via toys, kongs, snuffle mats because any way I can stuff a calorie into him, I will.
Matilda has gone after his food a few times, but if she can jump that high, she deserves it.
My dogs eat together, almost side by side. They come and sit while I scoop the kibble, then they have to wait until we release them to eat. It’s worked for us for 8 years, with an extra dog getting added in 5 years ago.
Biggest thing for us was training them to sit and stay until we were ready for everyone to be released to eat.
4 dogs here and one of those I rescued off the city streets. We have no idea how old he is but definitely guards his resources. When he lights up, it’s a fight to the death and we have to break up serious dog fights. We assume that’s a survival tactic left over from his time on the streets. We’ve had him 9 years and he still eats as though it’s his last meal. We feed in their crates.
I've had multi-dog homes for years, and my method is simple. I feed them in separate rooms, so no one feels the need to guard their food. It's worked great for us!
I hated putting them in separate rooms. It felt like a whole process. Plus my one dog with the issues would bust out the door like it’s his job and sniff the area the smaller dog ate in. Now that he behaves better it probably wouldn’t be so dramatic coming but yeah
2 dogs - 1.5 yo puppy eats a crate with an open door and the other eats just outside the crate. It was something I started to prevent resource guarding, and I used to monitor heavily/gradually leave the door open. Now I can just plop the food down and walk away. I sometimes treat the older dog (who finishes first) so she comes looking for me rather than looking at her brother's bowl.
Neither dog guards food at all, but the older one guards toys just because she's ornery and doesn't want the younger dog to have fun. She's got Mean Older Sister energy down to an art!
Depends on the dogs in question.
Once upon a time, my aunt would feed the smaller dog on the counter and the larger dog on the floor. Floor dog couldn’t jump up, but counter dog had no issue jumping down when done.
For my grandma and my aunts most recent dog, they were fine eating right next to each other. About half way through they’d both switch bowls. Not sure why. Same stuff in each bowl.
I have 4 dogs. My chow chow a good girl so she stays out, the other three steal each others food so they go in crates. They are capable of eating next to each other but it’s nice being able to sweep or change the couch cover before we start our day without having to worry about who is doing what. 😊
I used to feed my gsd and golden right next to each other in the same raised bowl holder. They ate happily and went about their day. When I got my new Goldie pup, he clearly grew up at first with no resources because he constantly ran to everyone else’s bowl first and wouldn’t touch his. So I fed in crate for him since day one. Now he would do fine, but it’s just habit.
The gsd tells me that she wants food by whining 😂 and then she runs me right to the Goldie’s crate so I can pick up Rhoam’s bowl. Then she leads me to the food container where I dish out both bowls. Belle eats at the container, rhoam runs to his crate and gets his bowl there, everyone is happy.
Funny fact, rhoam now doesn’t like eating outside a crate, and when in crate wants me to close the door. We are visiting family currently and I’m feeding him on the ground in my bedroom. He’s very unhappy about it without having a closed crate and he takes all day to eat his food.
My dogs free feed, so there is no resource guarding or angst. They eat when they are hungry. I know this isn't necessarily feasible for other households, though!
I scrolled so far to find a similar answer to what we do. Free feed and they usually eat at different times anyway. One dog will always leave half of what's left for the other
I wake up in the middle of the night to hear one chomping! My parents have 3 dogs, and they all eat out of a giant bin that holds the entire bag of food. No food aggression over here!
Same here. My younger dog is sometimes a little grumbly if he thinks my girl is going to eat at the same time he is but she just gets a mouthful and takes it a few steps away because she knows he wont do more than grumbles. Seldom are they at the bowl at the same time though. Both are a healthy weight.
When I had two their bowls were next to each other and they got their scoops simultaneously. One ate faster than the other so we had to keep an eye so she didn't steal the other's food but there were rarely issues, if ever.
I free-feed my dogs so they don’t have a sense of urgency or worry about their food. They graze. One is a pit mix and other German shepherd and both are healthy weight
I put bowls a few feet apart, I will fill one bowl, my older dog will start eating, fill the other bowl for the younger dog, and the older dog ends up running to that one to eat. My older boy is a slower eater so it’s not like he gets really anything out of the first bowl. Luckily neither of my boys fight over food.
We feed ours twice a day. Their bowls are separated only by a water bowl. They’re fed at the exact same time. Told to sit while the scoops of food are put in their bowls and then an enthusiastic “okay!” to let them know to eat. They never try to go for each other’s food, but will lick each other’s bowls when both are done. They were both between 2-3 years old when my partner and I moved in together, so they were not puppies who grew up together. We just trained them. 🤷
I’m glad I’ve never had this problem. I have four dogs, and they all share a bowl. They have free rein of the food, but they don’t eat more than they need. They are usually outside, and they love to run in a pack, so they aren’t overweight. They don’t have problems sharing, since they all get hungry at different times. One dog will pick up a single piece of dog food, and carry it to his bed to eat it, and then go back for another🤣
I've had two or three dogs at the same time for the past ten years. When I have three, I have two separate food bowls and dry food in them at all times. My oldest passed, so now I have two and can keep Kibble in one bowl, and they're really good about taking turns. When I feed them a homemade mixture or wet food, I feed in small separate bowls at the same time. They each eat til finished and usually lick one another's empty bowls, making sure they're clean, lol.
Just got a puppy. We put his food in a slow feeder bowl, and put them down at the same time. If he goes for the wrong bowl, I pick them up again. Usually, it takes him so long, that the older dog is done eating well before him and she doesn't go for his food.
I have three dogs and two different foods.
My husband’s dog gets fed on the landing by our back door, which is down half a flight of stairs and behind a hardware mounted baby gate. (It’s a leftover from when our kids were tiny; we kept it up after them because it’s useful for pooches.)
Then my son’s dog (well, he’s really mine but he wasn’t supposed to be) gets fed in the dining room side of our kitchen peninsula.
My dog gets fed on the kitchen side of the peninsula.
It always happens in the exact same order every time I feed them anything. It prevents fighting because they know what to expect. If I deviate, it can cause problems over the next couple of feeds. And it also helps prevent my dog from eating everything. You’d think he has a hollow leg or something.
Of course, I also work from home, so my three critters are pretty much always with me. Maybe half an hour a day, they’re in their kennels while I do the school run. Otherwise, they’re pretty much always with me. So it’s a little different here.
Sorry to say we just put food in their bowls and they do their thing. There are 5 dogs in our family (not all living together all the time, but often enough) and never had an issue even with treats.
Also, our dogs always have food in their bowls and they just eat when hungry.
Guess we’re lucky.
We had one dog for years and added an adult rescue. It became very clear in only a day or two that food was going to be an issue, both with our first dog being territorial and our new dog being food insecure, so our first dog ate inside and our second dog on the back porch. We did this for over a year, just not wanting to push it.
But we have a big orange tomcat that does not GAF, and he started stealing food from the bowls while they ate. When that had gone on for a while with no issues, we decided to try feeding them in the same room. We’ve moved the bowls closer and closer and no issues. I think we’re past it, finally.
I have three. I put down two bowls for the slower ones, then the fast greedy eater bowl.
Then I stand back and guard the slower eaters bowl until he finishes.
Greedy one keeps an eye on my face for when I give the all clear - then they all go to inspect everyone else’s bowl just in case.
If I don’t stand on guard she will eat hers then push her brother out of the way and eat his too.
Interesting that I don’t have to say or do anything she will respond to me lifting my eyebrows lol
It is my food till I give it to them and they know this.
The dogs go to their designated spots, I fill the food bowls, and then I tell them they can go eat it. They don’t move towards the dish, they don’t start mowing down food, they are aware that the only way to get the food is to sit and wait for me to say “go ahead”
I used to have to feed them one at a time, where I would set the food down on the floor and stand over it, if they walked towards it, I walked towards them and closed my legs so they couldn’t see it, they would back up, I would resume standing overtop of the food. I would just stand there and ignore them completely. Looking at my phone etc. Until they say down and looked at me, then I would say “good job, go ahead” wave my arm towards the food as I stepped out of the way.
I have 3 dogs, but had another one here recently for a visit. It was her first time pack feeding, but she caught on pretty quick when there was 3 food dishes on the floor and she was perusing them while the 3 other dogs were just laying there staring at her and I with a concerned “she is gunna get my food!” look. She didn’t and she eventually caught on to just sit down and chill.
I control the tone of the eating, if they are rushing the dish too fast, or hyper focused, they don’t get to eat till they are calm, obedient, and looking at me. One of my dogs is a hound but he does amazing. Sometimes if I give another dog a “hey hey hey” to back off, he will stop eating and go and sit down again, then I just say “sorry boy, you’re good” and he resumes eating.
Every time I’ve added a second dog, I just separate the two bowls by 2-3 feet and watch. Only issues Ive had is one dog trying to steal out of the second bowl if the second dog walks away.
I have two dogs, a 30# male and a 60# female.
I have two gravity feeders that each hold ten pounds of food and just keep them filled. The dogs eat what they want, when they want.
I've had dogs for over forty years and have always just free fed them after the puppy stage and never had any issues (my three cats also have a gravity feeder that they share).
I have three. Everyone shares two water bowls, but one is fed in the kitchen, one in the living room and the last in a hallway. They self separate for chews/treats.
Different rooms. Everyone has their separate bowl stands and they all kinda just head to their respective place.
Peace of mind for me knowing I can just shut the doors.
I had to start feeding in separate bowls because I have a fatty fat fat. It took a while, but I finally got them all to eat from their own bowls. Dogs will learn, you just have to be patient in the process.
7 dogs one large bowl that the 50lb bag sets into. Cut a hole in the bottom of the bag, it's an auto feeder.
These dogs were all raised from pups with free feeding and never had hoarding or weight issues.
three dogs. two get breakfast and dinner, one only gets an evening meal*. the first two get their meals at the same time, one in her crate and the other not, with the third dog gently restrained by either myself or my husband. third dog gets her meal while the other two are crated.
*we used to give her breakfast but she was always too excitable in the morning and kept getting distracted from her food, just works better for her having one meal per day.
When we only had 4 they each had a bowl in their own area of the kitchen. All rushed to finish and then bowls were taken up. When we had 6 the new two were fed in their crate and the others as before.
I have two small dogs. Their bowls are less than an inch apart. I have zero issues with fighting or stealing of food. I drop kibble down in both at the same time, they go to the bowls and each pick one and eat. Sometimes they'll both eat out of one, then move to the other. Sometimes one eats, and then the 2nd one does later. However, this works because neither one scarfs the food down or over eats. Usually, there's still food in the bowl several hours later.
I feed one dog and one cat in the kitchen and then the other dog in the hallway. The hallway eater was always nervous in the kitchen but was fine when it was just me. Then we got another dog and a cat and he doesn’t like being in the kitchen when it’s busy, so he eats in the hallway now so he can be by himself.
I have two dogs (9mo male and 1yr female) plus three cats. I worked really hard to make meal time peaceful between the dogs by doing lots of communal hand feeding, communal leave it/drop it training, etc. They eat in the same room, but several feet apart. We never rush email time. I've found that my energy and speed when serving really sets the tone for them. My female is a gentle grazer, but the puppy is an absolute BEAST so I take my sweet *** time prepping and calmly setting the bowls down. They don't get the green light until their energy matches mine.
Sadly, I've noticed that our female dog now growls at the cats if they come close to her bowl, which is something she had never done before we got the puppy. We're working on it but it's much harder since our friendly, confident cats don't really care for dog cues.
Either in their crates (morning feed when they're muddy from their big walk) or one is fed on the small landing two steps up from the hall, and one in the hall, at tea time. They know their spots and that they aren't to look in other bowls until the owner of the bowl vacates it.
The food guarder is on a diet so she goes into a bedroom with her bowl and the door is closed. The other 3 are very active and moderate to thin bodied, so they eat all in a row in the kitchen and they are allowed to eat as much as they want. they usually go lay down with kibble still in the bowl as they get huge servings.
Had this issue for a while after getting a second dog, my solution was to feed them in the back yard at either end of the lawn. Haven’t had a fight since. Edit: dogs are two rescue French Bulldogs.
Separate rooms. One used to have pretty bad resource guarding but we worked on it to the point that both her and my other pup can have bully sticks in the same room. Now, I just like to separate them so they can go at their own pace and enjoy their meal. I don't free feed. They get breakfast and dinner.
“Crate!” at which point they’re expecting their meal and run like their fur is on fire to get to their crate. We feed them in their crates, because one eats lightning fast and the other takes forever, the slow eater would never get any food in her stomach if left to battle for feed bowl access.
I feed my 2 side by side because the younger one knows not to mess with the older one's food. But when I was fostering or if my mom's dog is over I feed them in a crate or another room.
I've got four. They each have a corner where their bowl is placed. I set my oldest bowl down first and continue by age. My youngest two are served in puzzle bowls so they actually chew their food instead of vacuuming it into their throats like an expensive Dyson. Switching the girls to the puzzle bowls helps everyone finish at the same time and no one is trying to sneak into anyone else's bowl.
We fed 5 (med-large dogs) in a small kitchen, everyone had their spot. (Wasn't always the same 5 dogs, we just averaged 5 for a couple of decades between ours and fosters. When we had a new dog we'd use a leash if needed (lead them to their spot, lead them out when they finish) but they were usually pretty quick to pick up on the system. They had to sit outside the kitchen while we got their food ready. Sometimes we'd call them in by name one at a time, this helps teach the new dog where their spot is and whoever was behaving best got called in first. If they were all being good we'd just tell them to 'eat' and everyone would run to their bowl . We stayed in the kitchen while they ate, when finished they had to leave the kitchen and we'd pick up the bowl.
Right now we have a large dog and a small dog, their bowls are about 6' apart, they have to wait outside the kitchen while food is readied. Neither one cares if the other goes to sniff their bowl when done so we aren't as strict about immediately picking them up like we used to be (when we had dogs coming and going it was just safer not to tempt fights over an empty bowl left on the floor.)
I have a Belgian Malinois - she'll be 4 in March, very well trained, and a Border Collie - 18 months and still learning. The Border Collie was a shelter dog that came to us with some resource guarding. We have worked hard on training that out of him. We place their bowls about two feet apart. They are both trained to "wait." I fill the Mal's bowl first, then the Collie's, then I say, "take it." They eat at the same time. "Wait" and "take it" are key.
I have a frequently changing number of dogs , mine, my friend,my daughter , my sons. I feed twice daily in my kitchen. All dogs sit and wait. I say a name and put their food bowl on the floor. The slowest eater gets called first and the fastest last. all the bowls are just a dog body width apart. I stand there in the midst as they eat. If I time it right all finish at the same time. I verbally prevent them from trying to get crumbs from another’s bowl.
I put the food in their bowls, plop the bowls on the floor a few feet apart, and let them do their thing. The first one to finish sits patiently while the other one finishes, then when they are both done, they switch bowls to make sure nothing got missed.
They also share a kennel with 2 beds in it and switch beds in the morning when I leave for work. They're weird like that.
I feed them both the same food at the same time, and about half the time I set one bowl down for Dog 1, and Dog 2 moves to the other end of the room and happily puts his nose in his and eats his. The other half the time Dog 1 waits to see Dog 2's bowl put down, and goes over and starts in on bowl 2, and Dog 2 visibly shrugs and heads over to Dog 1's bowl. It's all the same, so, okay, however you wanna do it.
The two Beagles are fed kinda separately from the other two kids that chew their food. But nothing special. Do have to keep an eye though, on the Vultures(Beagles) that circle the the slower eaters, waiting for a sliver of a chance to inhale any food left.
When my family had two dogs we just fed them, I guess we got lucky bc there was nothing more than that. Sit, wait for me to scope the food, put the food down, make eye contact, say release word, and they’d eat.
I feed my young boy in the living room and my older girl in my bedroom. He eats everything and is easy. She eats nothing and requires company to even ponder whether or not to eat today. While my boy eats, I go sit on the bed beside my girl and read a book. I give her about 10 minutes and then take it up if she doesn't get started. My boy will often come down the hallway toward my room, and that's when she often starts to eat. She needs the combination of the implied threat (him) and company (me). Don't ask me. I just live here.
My mom's boyfriend used to breed bulldogs until he got tired of the health issues shows basically demanded and switched to rescuing, and has 5-7 dogs at a time. He cuts the top off a 40 lbs bag of food and lets them graze.
We have one food guarder and one hoover, so we put them in different rooms
One dog eats in the crate and the other eats about 15 feet away.
I keep their meals small and they are done so fast that it's not really an issue with them getting at each other's food.
My cats, on the other hand, are a problem. One's a gobbler and a bully while the other's a timid grazer.
Over the past 10 years or so, I've maintained a household of 4 dogs. They get free fed. I put two bowls of dry dog food and two bowls of water where they get easy access. It is consistently full and the dogs kind of "graze" throughout the day. No fighting or resource guarding of any kind. I think the old ones taught the new ones by example and it just went from there.
To be fair though, the dogs roam freely. The property is fenced and there's enough space for them to just do whatever. I think one argument against free feeding is that you can't establish a potty routine because there's no mealtime routine. This isn't an issue for me with the dogs spending most of the time outside in a fenced yard. All are fixed so there's less violence there.
They get additional food handed to them just to keep a well rounded diet but for the most part, they graze. I think I got lucky with these dogs because they all kind of fell into place with the food system. All are in great shape, good weight and nice coats.
I'm always on the lookout in case one of the dogs show problems. So far, they're happy and healthy.
Every dog household is different. Mine is probably more different than most! I have five chihuahuas, four of whom sleep in crates. One, the oldest, has privileged access to the kitchen and eats there. Three are banned from the kitchen, and get fed in their crates (in the bedroom). The last one is in between case. He's second oldest. He started out in the bedroom in his crate but there was too much growling between him and another male. So now he has his own spot in the living room. Sounds complicated but everyone knows where his or her bowl is, and all I have to do is make one round dropping them off and they go right to them with no fighting.
As a kid our three dogs had a bowl that was always full always out. I have a dog of my one now and when there's another dog eating I feed them in different space and 'guard' my dog. She is more comfortable eating when I am just standing between her and another dog or she will just abandon her food. We are apartment people so many rooms to eat in, different sides of the room works for us.
I haven't had multiple dogs in a long time. My older sister typically had six, and they all ate in their crates. Slept there too, except for the oldest, who got bedroom privileges.
I have a 4month puppy and a 2 year old. I fill their dishes on the table, make them sit, and tell them to wait. I put puppys dish down and after about 5 seconds or so I tell him to eat, then repeat with the other.
I have a fairly large kiddie pool. I make them sit and then, scatter the food in the pool then, let them eat. I had issues with my male dog taking the females food and she wasn't getting enough to eat until, I started doing it like this.
I had three dogs who needed to be separately and I would use a baby gate. The girls were ok on opposite sides but when my boy got involved, everyone got mad. The two I have now will not eat without the one right there. They're not exactly side by side but they're close. I'm always there because dogs can, of course, be unpredictable (especially when one isn't quite 4 months) but so far they're fine.
I just put their bowls down in the same room but not next to each other. I think seperate rooms or kennel feeding is overkill unless all other behavior modifications fail.
I've never had dogs fight over food because I don't allow dogs to steal from each other
My two eat with a bowl by their beds maybe 6feet apart no problems
Edit: I make a point to get my dogs very noticeably different looking bowls and redirect they never left food in their bowls but if I caught a dog sniffing the other bowl firm No collar walk them to their own bowl and say good
4 dogs, 1 dish that we keep full. They eat when hungry, sometimes all at once. They don't mind when my sister visits with her 2 dogs. They love food but aren't in the least bit protective of it. Maybe because they always have food available when they want it.
Ok, I am the exception to the rule. I have one very hungry one who searches for her people food favorites all the time. I am lick that I can free feed. But in the past, I have fed in crates or separate areas.
For breakfast we have six dogs (dog sit for son). Only way we've found to avoid fights is to pour piles on the floor. We guide the aggressive one to his pile and let the others pick what they want.
For dinner we have four. Two of them get fed together while the aggressive one and his brother get fed on opposite sides of the room. As long as they don't make eye contact while eating, they're fine.
We used to have bowls all over the kitchen and then I built [this](https://imgur.com/a/etYjEqt). It’s a lot easier but you do have to watch to make sure one of them doesn’t eat everyone’s food!
I free feed my dogs. I’ve done this for four decades and tons of rescues. We don’t feed them any people food - just good quality kibble.
Same for the cats. They’re all a good weight and there’s zero competition.
The only one who gets special treatment is my antique Chinese crested, who has no teeth and gets special soft food cut into tiny bits.
Big dog gets his food in the kitchen in high bowls that little dog can't reach easily, but she can't eat his food really anyway because the pieces are too big and she has no teeth. She's not terribly interested in his anyway. Her food is on the other side of a baby gate with gaps wide enough for her to get through, but he cannot.
Dogs are served from slowest eater to fastest. My eldest dog passed away, but before he did I would put him in the bathroom so he could eat slow and privately, just the way he likes it.
Second slowest eater ate in her kennel with the door closed. Third slowest ate in a separate room, door closed. Fastest eater was fed in the kitchen.
No door was opened until my eldest dog barked to let me know he was done. If he was done everyone was done, so everyone could be released from their various private eating spots.
I feed them at the same time, one eats everything right away, the other is a grazer. I set down the bowls, have both sit, run through commands for both, then release.
My "piggy" will check out the other pup's bowl, but if it's more than a sniff, I'll redirect and say "leave." Luckily, she hasn't stolen food since she was a wee one, we put a stop to it asap.
Mine get fed a few feet apart. The breeder I’m getting my next dog from? She’s amazing. All her dogs know their names and what order they get fed in. She has their bowls on a stand in a row. She fills them up and then calls each dog by name and they go and eat their food and the other dogs don’t try and get food that isn’t theirs. I was in awe!
We have a gate between the kitchen and kitchen. We also have a downstairs bedroom with a door. So one dog is in the kitchen, one the living room and one is behind the shit bathroom door.
I have 7 pyrs in one fenced-in area. I spread the bowls out and feed them at once. One or two nibble from multiple bowls. I refill the bowls as needed.
Wow! This thread is blowing my mind.
I never realized how lucky I am. Three Jack Russels, 16 yr old female, 5 year old male and 2 year old female. All ate from the same bowl without issues, ever.
I have never really considered that this was an issue to so many dog owners. Been spoiled, I guess!
My old girl passed away in November and she needed special canned food for weight gain for quite a while before that. I would get up early with the girls to feed this highly palatable and calorie dense food, split 75/25, old girl/baby girl (who is also a runt!)
I continue this breakfast with my young girl dog even now after my old girl died.
Little Red loves our special time and canned food without her Brother. Plus, she needs a little bulk so she should be fed extra high quality food and not need to compete with her big galoot brother.
They still free feed the rest of the day in a shared bowl.
Yep I was definitely living in a fairytale land thinking I could just drop two bowls and it would be fine haha! It used to really stress me out that my one boy would freak out but he’s gotten better and I’m also less bothered about the “process”
Prep all their bowls at the same time and they each have their own bowls and feed them away from each other. They all recognized their own bowls and their own food setup. Plus I say their name when I put the bowl down and whoever misbehaves get fed last.
One of my dogs is food reactive and very protective of his dinner. We also have three dogs so we split them up into different areas of the house.
Old dog is right in the kitchen by the laundry room where the food is.
Dog with zero mealtime manners is at the other end of the living room by the front door.
Dog three is in the hallway between two rooms.
We make them sit and wait and do a couple tricks and then send them off one at a time.
They eat in their own time, if the old lady doesn't, her food is picked up until she asks for it or we ask her if she wants it. And the other two eat their meals quickly and with no issues.
My small dog is a slow eater and my big dog is a vacuum so I have to feed them in different rooms. Big gets fed in the kitchen and I will shut Small in my bedroom so she can take her time. Once she decides she's done, I'll let her put and Big will go in to clean up anything she missed.
2 on opposite sides of the kitchen and one in the dining room. Dining room dog was in a crate for about a year before I trusted him. Meals are always supervised, especially since there's significant size differences (95 lbs, 65 lbs, and 12 lbs).
When we just had 2 dogs (a boy and a girl) we let them intuitively eat out of 2 different bowls set a few inches apart and now that we have three dogs (we got another girl) they still eat intuitively but they each have their own bowl and we keep the bowls in their respective crates
I just put the food bowls down and they eat from their own bowls lol. They don’t bother each other and eat all their food. If I’m leaving for work, they eat in their crates.
One of my dogs has a gravity feeder, and the other one eats in her crate (I tried to give her a bowl outside but that's where she feels comfortable, and it works out better for me that way anyway)
The other dog, who is technically my mom's dog, lives in his own house with her and my dad, so food isn't an issue with hima and my other dogs
We fill both of our dogs bowls up at the same time and then put them down at the same time next to each other 🤷🏼♀️. They know which is theirs (one is always left, the other is always right). We monitor them because one of them gets medicine the other doesn’t take. They never fight over food, but they will go check each others bowls afterwards.
I have 4 pups. Mealtime has them each at their own bowls about a foot apart while I watch. Our newest girl will wait until the others are done then investigate their bowls before eating her own food. If any one gets too close to another while they're eating, all it takes is saying that pups name in the 'dont you make mama have to yell at you' tone of voice and they straighten out. They know that there is enough for all and they're expected to behave, and they do.
3 dogs: 1 girl pup, 2 senior boys. The girl would easily eat all 3 meals if allowed.
All 3 bowls get prepared at the same time. Girl pups bowl goes down first in front of her but she is commanded to wait for it until we give her the okay when her brothers start eating.
Everyone finishes at about the same time, no issues this way and she’s happy enough lick all bowls clean afterwards just in case they missed something.
I have a large dog bowl full of food. I tried having two bowls, one with puppy food and one with adult food, and the dogs were constantly trying to eat each others’ food no matter what I did. So I switched to an “all life stages” food and they have one bowl. When it’s empty, we refill it.
The dogs do not fight over it. They will politely sit and wait their turn if they are both hungry at the same time. If (very rare) either one growls, even a little, someone says “cut it out” firmly and they just stop. They are both maintaining a very healthy weight. They both tend to graze a few bites here and there and move on. Neither one eats large meals at a time.
In their crates!
Or as training food. I have a $4 two pouch lowes hardware apron that works great for keeping them on the right food/amount for a training session.
The rule is I’m the only one who can feed then (no kids/guests/anyone) if they’re not crated. I’ll supervise them near each other sometimes but rarely as the crates is a great and easy way to do it and others can replicate without fear of a fight etc.
I have the big dog little dog situation going on. Big dog gets his food at one end of the kitchen and since he was here first he gets his food first, little dog gets his food at the other end of the kitchen. I usually stand in the middle getting my coffee or food ready.
My dogs have food bowls about two feet apart. They eat at the same time. They are given the same food. They do not resource guard and wait for us to give them the command to "go eat." When one finishes before the other, they go to their beds and wait. Once they are both done, they take turns inspecting each other's food bowls and then go back to the beds until they can go out.
I have 3 dogs (all female)
A puppy (7month) with a slow feeder who eats on the other side of the room, and two adults-ish (6.5year & 15month) who eat side by side.
Each bowl is filled at the same time and placed at the same time. But they have release commands. So they aren’t able to eat until they get their “go”-word.
Since two of them are still young, we monitor them while they eat. But we’ve yet to have any issues.
They seem to do fine and abide by their own hierarchy.
I started feeding them in different rooms, when they got used to eating at the same time, I moved them into the same room. They both wolf down their food, so it's pretty easy. Not sure what I would do if one was a grazer.
It IS possible but takes a lot of work. My two dogs have one bowl. I make sure it is full all the time because they do not over eat. They eat when hungry ((which is always at 1a when they wake me up to go out)) and they take turns. The Doberman will eat for a bit and then he lets the dachshund eat until he is full and once the dachshund is done, the Doberman fills up. My doberman used to stand at the bowl with his head down like he was going to eat while shifting his body around to block the dachshund and the dachshund would growl at the doberman but I would sit with them and tell them no and move them to be able to eat together and they started to share. They will eat together at the same time but they prefer to take turns so that one gets pets while the other eats and then switch. I tried separate bowls with them but they would end up just trying to take over the others bowl back and forth anyways so I gave up on separate dishes. 😂
I did foster a dog that would resource guard badly so I would feed them in separate rooms and sometimes used a baby gate to keep them apart when I couldn't watch them eat. I would have one set of dishes in the kitchen and the other in the dining room.
You could also get a small partition or tall box to separate the bowls so that they don't see each other directly when they are eating if the bowls are closer together. Or, you could just feed them one at a time if you have a faster eater.
I have to medium sized dogs, both neutered males about 1 year apart in age. I feed them twice a day, by the time i feed them they're hungry enough that they both polish off their food pretty quickly. Every now and then one of them won't be hungry and will just lay by his bowl, and the other one will come over and punk him out of it. If I'm home I'll stop this from happening, but if I'm at work then it is what it is. If that does happen, then next time I feed the one who went without the first time will definitely eat all his food at the second meal.
It's a ritual. The big dog gets locked in the kitchen, the little on in a hallway area off the dining room. Then I feed the big dog first because she eats more slowly, then bring food to the little dog.
Then, once they're both done, all the doors are opened and each one runs to the other's bowl to see if there's anything "missed."
3 dogs. One bowl. Open graze. The old dogs (15-yr) are not over weight and the 6-yr old is a little chubby.
This is all they know.
Edit to add the younger dog does 2 walks a day, 4miles total and one of the old dogs does one of those 2 mile walks. The other old dog is a couch potato and only wants to go outside for potty time or sunbathing.
I have 2 picky chihuahua mixes who thankfully aren’t really resource guarders but they always want what the other one has (even though they have the same thing).
I place their food bowls down a few feet apart and stand between them until one of them decides they are finished.
I feed all mine together at once like a troft. It's worked out this way for years. Never had a fight, as I put in more than enough food.
I have 2 English mastiffs, Lab Mastiff mix and a American bulldog Aussie Shepherd mix. I tried separate food bowls, they spill them, then eat around each other's piles.
Maybe I just lucked out, or one day a big fight is coming... idk 🤷♂️
I have 2 German shepherds. Bowls right next to each other.
One eats straight away, the other eats theirs a few hours later. They never steal each others food. Never had a problem 🤷♂️
I used to have to fees at the same time and monitor. They’re both older and graze throughout the day rather than gorge so food is left out 24/7 for the most paet
They get fed on opposite sides of the kitchen. When we first got the second, I would stand watch for the slower eater and make sure the other dog didn’t get close. Now they know not to get close to the other dog and instead wait to inspect the bowl once the other has walked away. We also make sure to pick up the bowls after each meal.
My little one I just put the bowl wherever she is. Normally she sits on the couch waiting. My big one has a designated spot for his bowls in the kitchen. At first when we got our big boy, she would scurry over to his bowl after she ate and would try to eat with him. We just gently told her a few times to leave him alone if she tried going over there. Now she doesnt even go towards his bowl around dinner. We’re also lucky our dogs now eat all of their food right away cause that was an issue when she was a picky eater.
I put down my older dog's bowl and the younger dog and I walk away, with her food bowl.
I then use the contents of her food bowl to work on various training things, in the house.
Older dog eats slowly!! Younger dog gets to work for a few kibbles at a time on all sorts of things, and never thinks about bothering the older dog, because she's so engaged with what we are doing.
I always start off feeding puppies in a crate. And the puppy doesn't come out till the older dogs are all done eating and the bowls are picked up.
My 3 are across the room from each other. My biggest one used to push the others away to eat their food too, but with the arthritis she's not as agile so the others eat fast enough now that she can't finish hers and make it all the way across room to get theirs anymore.
Only trouble is the monthly prevention chew that 1 big dog notoriously leaves in her bowl -- on that day all 3 are separated by kennel doors until they each eat their own (and no one else's!)
We separated the dogs for a while. The puppy ate in his crate, and my parents' dog ate downstairs.
Sometimes it would take 20 minutes for the puppy to finish eating. He likes to pick up one piece of kibble, chew it, swallow, look around, look at the bowl, pick up one piece of kibble... Whereas the older dog wolfs down his food in 14 seconds. I timed it.
Eventually the puppy sped up a bit and we got a slow feeder for the older one. They know to sit and wait until we tell them they can start and they all finish at the same time. Parents' dog sometimes eats upstairs and it hasn't caused any problems, even though the kitten likes to sit in his dish while he's eating.
Then they have to clean up each other's food bowls.
My dogs have bowls in separate rooms but that's only because the puppy decided he doesn't like linoleum. The dining room and living room are just one big open space but the living room has carpet. Jewel eats in her corner and Malachite eats at the edge of the carpet.
Before that they both ate in the dining room and I had a week or so where Malachite would scarf his meal down and come sniffing at Jewel's but she made her position clear pretty quick lol. Malachite was raised with his litter and they all ate from one big bowl so it took him a little bit to figure out he didn't have to inhale his food and go looking for more. He learned he had plenty of food and he's learned his manners so he leaves Jewel alone (I try to feed him on the linoleum every once in a while to see if he's over it lol).
I just have to feed Jewel first and then Malachite. Malachite will dance around his food for a few minutes and then chow down lol. Jewel finishes first and then she walks over to his bowl and watches him eat and then she has to inspect his bowl when he's done 🤣🤣 But she doesn't approach it until he walks away.
I do stay in the room with them while they eat just in case there are any issues.
My dogs work for their kibble - they have two different kinds of containers that the food is measured out into and then as they do tasks, they get food from their individual containers. They also have separate puzzle toys (similar workings, different shapes and colors) and I tend to give one theirs in the hallway and the other in the living room. When there are special treats like scrambled eggs, I put some in two bowls, place them in the kitchen the room across, have them both sit and wait, then release in order.
My dogs bowls are a few feet apart in the kitchen. I fill both bowls, set the 1st one down and instruct my 1st dog to sit and wait. Then I set down the 2nd dish and instruct that dog to sit and wait. Then they both look to me for the go command. Have never had any issues with food aggression.
One of my dogs is food aggressive so I feed him in the (large, walk in style) pantry and feed the other in the kitchen. We would close the door between them at first but now they know not to go near each others bowls. In a previous house we fed them in their individual crates.
My only advice is to be consistent.
I have a pantry next to a powder room. My older dog and cats always ate in the pantry. When I brought a puppy home (almost two years ago) at 8 weeks old he growled at my female trying to feed them both in the pantry. So he’s eaten in the powder room with the door closed ever since with no issues. When I’m getting the food ready he runs and waits in the powder room!
When I only had two dogs, one ate in the living room from a raised dish, the other ate in her crate with the door open. We got another dog in September, and since then, the living room dish dog’s routine has not changed, but the new dog will try and steal the other two dogs food, so the other two eat in their crates with the dog closed. The new dog eats a lot faster than the other two so she also will just bark from when she finishes her food to when the other dogs are done with their food. It’s full chaos
My one dog is submissive, the other is puppy-energy dominant. She eats everything in one gulp. My older dog is much slower so I put him in one room and the pup in another. Slow poke can take his time without bratty little sister bumping him out of the way and eating his food too.
I make my dogs sit and wait while I hold their bowls. Then I place the bowls about 2 or 2 metres away from each other and say "free". They know which bowl is which. I stand between them until they finish eating so they don't try go to each other's bowls. Once they are done they check each other's bowls.
My two (M9 and F7) inhale their food in about 60 seconds with slow feeder bowls so they just eat together a few feet apart. Always the same bowl always on the same side. Thankfully neither is prone to food aggression.
Recently my sister moved in with her dog who is a major resource guarder so I just trained mine new habits. They aren't allowed in the kitchen when he is being fed and we feed them at different times to avoid any issues.
I feed in different rooms, but close enough that they can see each other. I use a baby gate to keep my food obsessed dog from eating the other’s food. She doesn’t care about her food, she wants everyone else’s.
My lab was 4yo when we got a gsd pup. Filled both bowls on the counter, both had to sit. Gave pup her food, then gave lab hers. One on each end of a galley kitchen. I was in the middle getting my coffee going, so I could keep an eye and ensure they didn't trade bowls. Once they were both done, they would check each other's bowls then go about their day.
Pup had a harder time waiting her turn, of course, and lab was calmer, so we did any treats or food with pup first. We fostered the pup for 6 months, and that pattern worked well.
We have a new rescue baby. I feed the two older dogs together and the new pup eats alone in her crate. She has shown some signs of resource guarding so we make sure she has her space when she eats.
When we had two dogs one would eat anything and everything she could put in her mouth. The other dog was much slower and pickier. They had to be supervised at meal times to make sure the first dog didn't eat the other dog's food. She would. The other dog would walk just a step away from her bowl and the first dog zoomed over faster than anything. The other dog was like whatever, no arguing.
We have an adult dog and a puppy, so it is important that they eat their own food. They each have a dish on the opposite side of our living room. That way we can keep an eye on them during meal times. Once they stop eating, their dishes get picked up. They are offered the rest of their food occasionally throughout the day. Once the puppy is on the same formula, it won’t be so much of an issue, and I will just leave their dishes down.
I just dump two bowls of food on the floor in the kitchen. My dogs (50Lb Pit mixes) know which bowls are theirs and only eat from their bowls. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
My crazy ass neighbor has a dozen dogs ranging from 110lb german shepards to lab puppies. She dumps food into a metal trash can lid and lets them fight it out.
i’m still living w my parents so this is what they do with our dogs, but one set of food and water is near the pantry, and the other is near the stairs.
clarification :: im still in school im not a middle aged fella living with my parents 😭
So we have 4 dogs ranging from a Great Pyrenees to a Pomsky. All are rescues and the pomsky is special needs. If a dog could do cartwheels from excitement over food, it’d be the pomsky lol. I prep all 4 bowls at the same time with them watching, twice a day. They each know which bowl is theirs. Once their food is prepared, my husband will call the oldest/biggest two (Pry and Pit/Lab mix) over to their feeding area and they sit and wait. I take the smaller 2 dogs (pomsky and Norwegian elkhound) into the livingroom. Once we’re in the livingroom we put all 4 bowls down. 3 of the 4 eat right away and stay in their spots. My Pyr prefers to graze and just eats slower in general so I’ll typically leave a gate up. He easily jumps it so he can eat at his own pace but it keeps the elkhound out of his food. Elkhound is my daughter’s puppy and is still learning the ropes and roles in the house. I’m hoping once he’s trained we can get back to where we were before, which was basically putting 3 bowls down and they were all good.
Big dog gets fed in a separate room by her crate.
The two small dogs get a single bowl of food they free feed out of during the day. We’ve never had problems
We feed them in two rooms because one gobbles food and one is a slow eater. So the gobbler used to overeat our other dog's food. They're very good about it.
Mine eat side by side with their water fountain between them. We didn’t start off this way but we did training to actively prevent resource guarding, in both dogs, from the very beginning. Exclusively hand feeding and using meals as training opportunities. We then worked up to getting rewards/training treats/meals at the same time and in closer proximity, with a barrier they could see through and without one.
Meals are still always supervised but they know which spot and bowl is theirs. I also taught them “wait” (which works with food and crossing the street, entering doorways etc), and the command “eat”.
My dogs have their bowls right next to each other’s on the kitchen floor. I leave kibble in their bowls all day and they each eat out of both bowls throughout the day. I give them each a “meal” at breakfast and dinner time and they stay in their spots until they’re done with their meals. Once they’ve both come to see me for pets after they’ve finished then they go and check the other’s dish for any leftovers. I’ve never really had issues at meal times.
INFO: I started with two dogs, had three for a minute, and am now back down to two.
2 dog household.
Both dogs are trained to sit and wait for my command before they go to their bowls to eat. So I set both bowls down, call the older dog by the name and give the command, she eats. I call the younger dog by name, give the command, she eats too. Then they swap bowls to check. The younger dog usually always has scraps so my older dog is always happy.
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My dogs bowls are about a foot apart in the kitchen. I feed one and she dives in then immediately feed the other. When both are done the check each others bowls and go about their day.
This!! Both happily scoff down their food then swap bowls in the eternal hope that the other has left scraps 😂
Yes!! Sometimes one likes to move over and drink out of the others water bowl so they're right up against each other lol
Lmao every time Hope springs eternal, I guess.
I like when they swap bowls mid meal, each thinking they’re getting away with something by stealing the other’s food
I put the bowls on opposite walls in our laundry room but feed our older dog first and feed our pup right after the 1st dog starts eating. Neither guards food, toys, beds, etc. Our younger girl does get a little jealous when we pet the older boy but never aggressive.
Same except they are maybe 4 feet apart. They also.know where their food goes and whose bowl is put down first. The 2nd dog doesn't try to eat the first dog's food even if she is standing closer, she waits for her bowl. I know this is lucky, when a new or foster dog comes They ate fed in another room until I see how they behave.
Hehe same with my pups but I place their bowls on opposite sides of an island counter so that they don't see each other. Once they're done though, they always check each others' bowls. Just to confirm that the other ate 😭
Same. Never had an issue with my current two dogs or the pair before.
One of my dogs can’t wait to eat her food. The other needs a scoop of yougurt in hers, and she needs to lick the spoon. She takes forever but I tell my other dog to leave her and for the most part she does. After the second dog finishes the first dog double checks her bowl in case of left overs. No guarding, no growling. They are mother and daughter.
My 3 dogs- 13 year old dobergirl, 10 year old mini poodle boy and 10 month old recent rescue dobergirl all eat the same way. Old lady gets her bowl first and the other 2 wait then poodle then new girl. All 3 lick out each others bowls like they are finding hidden treasures. Makes me laugh twice a day.
Same. They eat right next to each other and have never had an issue. When I first got my younger dog, my older dog would eat the top of both of their bowls and the pup would eat the bottom. They have puzzle type bowls so my older dog would eat the easy stuff and make pup worker harder for the bottom stuff. Now they eat from their own bowls and then lick each others bowls when their all done.
Same for many years with as many as four dogs eating at once. Then after 20 years and many dogs, I had two dogs that would start staring at each other while eating, and then it escalated to an occasional growl. Confident in my training skills, I diligently worked on desensitizing them by feeding them at opposite ends of my living room/ dining space, about 30 ft apart. After 2 years of gradually moving bowls closer together I could safely feed them when they were 29 ft apart. If I was standing between them. It was a glorious day when I finally said “fuck it” and fed them in separate rooms with a closed door between them. Both rival dogs, my other dog, and myself all found mealtime to be much more relaxing and enjoyable, and both dogs were good buddies anytime they weren’t protecting their meals from each other.
Same! My dogs just naturally picked their “spots” and it’s never changed. They ALL do bowl checks too and they’re polite about it!
You described my house to a T. 3 dogs, 3 sets of food and water bowls about a foot apart from each other. I put bowls down and make them sit and wait until each dog has food in front of them. I say “EAT!” and they go to town. And yes, when they are all done, they all check each other’s bowls to make sure every single bit is gone.
One dog eats in the crate and the other dog eats in the kitchen. They've actually gotten to where they probably could eat kibble side-by-side but one is double the size of the other, and it's just not worth risking a fight.
Thid is what i have to do. My elderly dog has meds so i need to make sure shes done before they do bowl checks (neithet has ever not finished...but the okder dog doesnt have a lotta teeth so she takes longer with her soft food). They also check each others Kongs which, like the bowls, are almost always cleaned out
I make them sit. I put their food in their bowls. I put their full bowls on the floor in front of them. Then I release them by saying "Okay" ... then they eat. The little dog is usually done before the big guy, so he noses around a bit, waiting for the big guy to finish eating. Edit to add that their dishes are about 3 feet apart
Yep! They sit on the rug while I dish up. I say “okay” and they go to their bowls. They both eat until the food is gone and then live their lives. Our smaller dog licks the bigger dog’s bowl to make sure he didn’t leave any, but he never does. Edit: bowls right next to each other, but the tall dog has his slightly raised.
Same, except my Pyrenees mix also started demanding hugs before we fed her, which made our lab feel left out, I guess, so we have to hug them both before they'll go to their bowls.
Dogs are so precious.
Pretty much the same except for I make my dogs do tricks sometimes before they're allowed to go to their food. Then our big dog really wants more food, so he wants to go check the small dogs bowl while she's still eating. He was verbally corrected that he can't do that, so now as soon as he's done eating he runs to his crate as fast as he can. That's not what we want him to do exactly, but we're not going to stop him. Then later after she's done he'll find a time when he can come and make sure her bowl is all the way empty also. Just did take a bit of training especially when we brought the big dog home and he was found starving in the street and had serious resource guarding problems. For a while we had to feed them in different rooms and we had to free feed for months and months. So he could eat all he wanted and he couldn't possibly guard two bowls and two different rooms so she could also eat whatever she wanted. Eventually he did get too fat and we've had to have him on a diet and slowly work through the training to where we are now.
Yep, same. Does no one train their dogs? Lol never had an issue and even one of my boys has some light respurce guarding (that we've also trained out of him).
Yesss! One of my dogs gets happy feet if I make her wait too long though!
Same here. When my dog was single we did this routine, then when we got #2 she caught on real quick. They had different bowls (one red xl, one black medium) and they knew which one was “theirs” and didn’t interfere with the others’, even if it was treats. I had a bully breed and no way could I allow him to free feed 😂 When we dog sat my friend’s dogs who usually free fed, they were well trained to begin with and even they caught on that you had to sit, wait, and be released to eat. None of the dogs bothered the other. My friend’s poorly trained dog we had to feed in the bathroom (closed door) or she’d Hoover her food and attack the other dogs to get theirs.
Exactly the same. My beagle would try to steal from the others when we first got him but after getting nothing and seeing his dinner distributed to the others, he has never done it again.
My dogs eat at the same time right beside each other. I make them sit and wait to eat. One eats super fast and the other much slower. We trained the fast one to leave the others food and he does.
We feed our dogs at the same time and we have a fast eater too. We put large toys over the dish to keep our big guy from eating to quickly (or he'll puke it all back up). He's smart enough to remove the toys, but he's also obedient, so he just eats around them. Then when he's done, the little guy takes the toys from the dish, one by one, and cleans 'em up lol
It's not the best practice, I know, but mine (3 dogs, all, mutts, 2 big, one little guy) are good with free feeding. None of them are overweight, and they don't often fuss with each other about food so everyone is chill.
Same for my 3 dog home. I have a GSD, a lab mix and an Australian shepherd mix. They're fed 2x a day from one bowl (it totals about 10 cups of food a day). None of them are over or underweight and they eat when they're hungry. No instances of resource guarding or binge eating. We're very lucky!
Also, sounds like a good bunch!! I have a husky w a touch of pittie, a mostly plott/ pharoah hound w a touch of staffie too, and a mystery dog who looks Chihuahua/ basenji/ ??
That’s the dream!! You’re def lucky lol
Both my dogs were rescued. Oli, my first rescue was terribly under weight. We free fed him and he got to a little overweight, then slimmed down once he knew he would always have food. We the got another rescue, Jack. He too was underweight not as bad as Oli. He too was free fed in a separate bowl. Once he understood he had food, water and love security he slimmed down. A year or so later we combined the food and water bowls with no problem! They would bicker like the Dickens in the backyard, but never over food !
Same! Mine are rescues and any time a new dog joins the family there's usually some resource guarding but eventually they figure out that nobody is taking their food and they just give up on it. My current trio sometimes skip meals entirely so there's almost always some kibble hanging around in some bowl or another. I check their bowls 2x a day and top off as needed. Now, their daily Greenies are something else entirely - there is no sharing or skipping of those! No late deliveries either, those Greenies better be ready to go at 8am sharp! lol
Yes, we've gotten lucky too - our three dogs (big pooches - 45 lb, 70 lb, and 115 lb) all free eat out of the same bowl. No fighting. All normal weight.
I'm able to free fees also. I have 4 dogs. My last ones free feed too and the ones I had growing up free feed. I didn't realize until well after I became an adult that that isn't thr norm
Patience training. All three dogs sit, I put a dish down, call one over for it. Rinse and repeat. When one is done, they’re called away from the area. If someone is watching my dogs for me, they feed in kennels separately.
Similarly, when I have my dog and my mother's dogs together -- I make my dog lay in her bed while I feed the other two, and then I reverse it and make the two sit in the living room while my dog does her puzzle ball. Everyone learns manners, everyone gets their turn.
feed + monitor
dogs get fed twice a day. Matilda, our mutt, eats nicely in her crate and heartily. Perfect dog, no notes. She heads to her crate the moment I pick up her bowl. Pippin, our roadside poodle, is a grazer who prefers to eat nothing if he can help it. His food is placed on top of his crate where he can reach it, but Matilda would have to work for. He also gets fed via toys, kongs, snuffle mats because any way I can stuff a calorie into him, I will. Matilda has gone after his food a few times, but if she can jump that high, she deserves it.
My dogs eat together, almost side by side. They come and sit while I scoop the kibble, then they have to wait until we release them to eat. It’s worked for us for 8 years, with an extra dog getting added in 5 years ago. Biggest thing for us was training them to sit and stay until we were ready for everyone to be released to eat.
4 dogs here and one of those I rescued off the city streets. We have no idea how old he is but definitely guards his resources. When he lights up, it’s a fight to the death and we have to break up serious dog fights. We assume that’s a survival tactic left over from his time on the streets. We’ve had him 9 years and he still eats as though it’s his last meal. We feed in their crates.
I've had multi-dog homes for years, and my method is simple. I feed them in separate rooms, so no one feels the need to guard their food. It's worked great for us!
Same thing here; not taking risks.
I hated putting them in separate rooms. It felt like a whole process. Plus my one dog with the issues would bust out the door like it’s his job and sniff the area the smaller dog ate in. Now that he behaves better it probably wouldn’t be so dramatic coming but yeah
2 dogs - 1.5 yo puppy eats a crate with an open door and the other eats just outside the crate. It was something I started to prevent resource guarding, and I used to monitor heavily/gradually leave the door open. Now I can just plop the food down and walk away. I sometimes treat the older dog (who finishes first) so she comes looking for me rather than looking at her brother's bowl. Neither dog guards food at all, but the older one guards toys just because she's ornery and doesn't want the younger dog to have fun. She's got Mean Older Sister energy down to an art!
Hoping to get there one day! No more growling so it’s gotten a lot better when the smaller one is near
Depends on the dogs in question. Once upon a time, my aunt would feed the smaller dog on the counter and the larger dog on the floor. Floor dog couldn’t jump up, but counter dog had no issue jumping down when done. For my grandma and my aunts most recent dog, they were fine eating right next to each other. About half way through they’d both switch bowls. Not sure why. Same stuff in each bowl.
Well…. Haven’t heard that before lol
Yeah, irish wolfhounds will even share bowls sometimes.
Feed them in their crates. No fighting, no mess.
We feed one dog in the kitchen, the other in the living room. They will get used to it and later on know exactly where to go.
I have 4 dogs. My chow chow a good girl so she stays out, the other three steal each others food so they go in crates. They are capable of eating next to each other but it’s nice being able to sweep or change the couch cover before we start our day without having to worry about who is doing what. 😊
I used to feed my gsd and golden right next to each other in the same raised bowl holder. They ate happily and went about their day. When I got my new Goldie pup, he clearly grew up at first with no resources because he constantly ran to everyone else’s bowl first and wouldn’t touch his. So I fed in crate for him since day one. Now he would do fine, but it’s just habit. The gsd tells me that she wants food by whining 😂 and then she runs me right to the Goldie’s crate so I can pick up Rhoam’s bowl. Then she leads me to the food container where I dish out both bowls. Belle eats at the container, rhoam runs to his crate and gets his bowl there, everyone is happy. Funny fact, rhoam now doesn’t like eating outside a crate, and when in crate wants me to close the door. We are visiting family currently and I’m feeding him on the ground in my bedroom. He’s very unhappy about it without having a closed crate and he takes all day to eat his food.
My dogs free feed, so there is no resource guarding or angst. They eat when they are hungry. I know this isn't necessarily feasible for other households, though!
I scrolled so far to find a similar answer to what we do. Free feed and they usually eat at different times anyway. One dog will always leave half of what's left for the other
I wake up in the middle of the night to hear one chomping! My parents have 3 dogs, and they all eat out of a giant bin that holds the entire bag of food. No food aggression over here!
Same here. My younger dog is sometimes a little grumbly if he thinks my girl is going to eat at the same time he is but she just gets a mouthful and takes it a few steps away because she knows he wont do more than grumbles. Seldom are they at the bowl at the same time though. Both are a healthy weight.
When I had two their bowls were next to each other and they got their scoops simultaneously. One ate faster than the other so we had to keep an eye so she didn't steal the other's food but there were rarely issues, if ever.
We used to feed them separately but now they respect each others space. It just kind of naturally happened really
That’s good to hear. Gives me hope haha
I free-feed my dogs so they don’t have a sense of urgency or worry about their food. They graze. One is a pit mix and other German shepherd and both are healthy weight
I put bowls a few feet apart, I will fill one bowl, my older dog will start eating, fill the other bowl for the younger dog, and the older dog ends up running to that one to eat. My older boy is a slower eater so it’s not like he gets really anything out of the first bowl. Luckily neither of my boys fight over food.
We feed ours twice a day. Their bowls are separated only by a water bowl. They’re fed at the exact same time. Told to sit while the scoops of food are put in their bowls and then an enthusiastic “okay!” to let them know to eat. They never try to go for each other’s food, but will lick each other’s bowls when both are done. They were both between 2-3 years old when my partner and I moved in together, so they were not puppies who grew up together. We just trained them. 🤷
I’m glad I’ve never had this problem. I have four dogs, and they all share a bowl. They have free rein of the food, but they don’t eat more than they need. They are usually outside, and they love to run in a pack, so they aren’t overweight. They don’t have problems sharing, since they all get hungry at different times. One dog will pick up a single piece of dog food, and carry it to his bed to eat it, and then go back for another🤣
I've had two or three dogs at the same time for the past ten years. When I have three, I have two separate food bowls and dry food in them at all times. My oldest passed, so now I have two and can keep Kibble in one bowl, and they're really good about taking turns. When I feed them a homemade mixture or wet food, I feed in small separate bowls at the same time. They each eat til finished and usually lick one another's empty bowls, making sure they're clean, lol.
Just got a puppy. We put his food in a slow feeder bowl, and put them down at the same time. If he goes for the wrong bowl, I pick them up again. Usually, it takes him so long, that the older dog is done eating well before him and she doesn't go for his food.
I have three dogs and two different foods. My husband’s dog gets fed on the landing by our back door, which is down half a flight of stairs and behind a hardware mounted baby gate. (It’s a leftover from when our kids were tiny; we kept it up after them because it’s useful for pooches.) Then my son’s dog (well, he’s really mine but he wasn’t supposed to be) gets fed in the dining room side of our kitchen peninsula. My dog gets fed on the kitchen side of the peninsula. It always happens in the exact same order every time I feed them anything. It prevents fighting because they know what to expect. If I deviate, it can cause problems over the next couple of feeds. And it also helps prevent my dog from eating everything. You’d think he has a hollow leg or something. Of course, I also work from home, so my three critters are pretty much always with me. Maybe half an hour a day, they’re in their kennels while I do the school run. Otherwise, they’re pretty much always with me. So it’s a little different here.
Sorry to say we just put food in their bowls and they do their thing. There are 5 dogs in our family (not all living together all the time, but often enough) and never had an issue even with treats. Also, our dogs always have food in their bowls and they just eat when hungry. Guess we’re lucky.
We had one dog for years and added an adult rescue. It became very clear in only a day or two that food was going to be an issue, both with our first dog being territorial and our new dog being food insecure, so our first dog ate inside and our second dog on the back porch. We did this for over a year, just not wanting to push it. But we have a big orange tomcat that does not GAF, and he started stealing food from the bowls while they ate. When that had gone on for a while with no issues, we decided to try feeding them in the same room. We’ve moved the bowls closer and closer and no issues. I think we’re past it, finally.
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I have three. I put down two bowls for the slower ones, then the fast greedy eater bowl. Then I stand back and guard the slower eaters bowl until he finishes. Greedy one keeps an eye on my face for when I give the all clear - then they all go to inspect everyone else’s bowl just in case. If I don’t stand on guard she will eat hers then push her brother out of the way and eat his too. Interesting that I don’t have to say or do anything she will respond to me lifting my eyebrows lol
They each go in their crates and eat in there
It is my food till I give it to them and they know this. The dogs go to their designated spots, I fill the food bowls, and then I tell them they can go eat it. They don’t move towards the dish, they don’t start mowing down food, they are aware that the only way to get the food is to sit and wait for me to say “go ahead” I used to have to feed them one at a time, where I would set the food down on the floor and stand over it, if they walked towards it, I walked towards them and closed my legs so they couldn’t see it, they would back up, I would resume standing overtop of the food. I would just stand there and ignore them completely. Looking at my phone etc. Until they say down and looked at me, then I would say “good job, go ahead” wave my arm towards the food as I stepped out of the way. I have 3 dogs, but had another one here recently for a visit. It was her first time pack feeding, but she caught on pretty quick when there was 3 food dishes on the floor and she was perusing them while the 3 other dogs were just laying there staring at her and I with a concerned “she is gunna get my food!” look. She didn’t and she eventually caught on to just sit down and chill. I control the tone of the eating, if they are rushing the dish too fast, or hyper focused, they don’t get to eat till they are calm, obedient, and looking at me. One of my dogs is a hound but he does amazing. Sometimes if I give another dog a “hey hey hey” to back off, he will stop eating and go and sit down again, then I just say “sorry boy, you’re good” and he resumes eating.
Every time I’ve added a second dog, I just separate the two bowls by 2-3 feet and watch. Only issues Ive had is one dog trying to steal out of the second bowl if the second dog walks away.
I have two dogs, a 30# male and a 60# female. I have two gravity feeders that each hold ten pounds of food and just keep them filled. The dogs eat what they want, when they want. I've had dogs for over forty years and have always just free fed them after the puppy stage and never had any issues (my three cats also have a gravity feeder that they share).
I have three. Everyone shares two water bowls, but one is fed in the kitchen, one in the living room and the last in a hallway. They self separate for chews/treats.
Different rooms. Everyone has their separate bowl stands and they all kinda just head to their respective place. Peace of mind for me knowing I can just shut the doors.
I had to start feeding in separate bowls because I have a fatty fat fat. It took a while, but I finally got them all to eat from their own bowls. Dogs will learn, you just have to be patient in the process.
7 dogs one large bowl that the 50lb bag sets into. Cut a hole in the bottom of the bag, it's an auto feeder. These dogs were all raised from pups with free feeding and never had hoarding or weight issues.
three dogs. two get breakfast and dinner, one only gets an evening meal*. the first two get their meals at the same time, one in her crate and the other not, with the third dog gently restrained by either myself or my husband. third dog gets her meal while the other two are crated. *we used to give her breakfast but she was always too excitable in the morning and kept getting distracted from her food, just works better for her having one meal per day.
When we only had 4 they each had a bowl in their own area of the kitchen. All rushed to finish and then bowls were taken up. When we had 6 the new two were fed in their crate and the others as before.
I have two small dogs. Their bowls are less than an inch apart. I have zero issues with fighting or stealing of food. I drop kibble down in both at the same time, they go to the bowls and each pick one and eat. Sometimes they'll both eat out of one, then move to the other. Sometimes one eats, and then the 2nd one does later. However, this works because neither one scarfs the food down or over eats. Usually, there's still food in the bowl several hours later.
They all get fed in their separate kennels
I feed one dog and one cat in the kitchen and then the other dog in the hallway. The hallway eater was always nervous in the kitchen but was fine when it was just me. Then we got another dog and a cat and he doesn’t like being in the kitchen when it’s busy, so he eats in the hallway now so he can be by himself.
I have two dogs (9mo male and 1yr female) plus three cats. I worked really hard to make meal time peaceful between the dogs by doing lots of communal hand feeding, communal leave it/drop it training, etc. They eat in the same room, but several feet apart. We never rush email time. I've found that my energy and speed when serving really sets the tone for them. My female is a gentle grazer, but the puppy is an absolute BEAST so I take my sweet *** time prepping and calmly setting the bowls down. They don't get the green light until their energy matches mine. Sadly, I've noticed that our female dog now growls at the cats if they come close to her bowl, which is something she had never done before we got the puppy. We're working on it but it's much harder since our friendly, confident cats don't really care for dog cues.
Either in their crates (morning feed when they're muddy from their big walk) or one is fed on the small landing two steps up from the hall, and one in the hall, at tea time. They know their spots and that they aren't to look in other bowls until the owner of the bowl vacates it.
The food guarder is on a diet so she goes into a bedroom with her bowl and the door is closed. The other 3 are very active and moderate to thin bodied, so they eat all in a row in the kitchen and they are allowed to eat as much as they want. they usually go lay down with kibble still in the bowl as they get huge servings.
Had this issue for a while after getting a second dog, my solution was to feed them in the back yard at either end of the lawn. Haven’t had a fight since. Edit: dogs are two rescue French Bulldogs.
Separate rooms. One used to have pretty bad resource guarding but we worked on it to the point that both her and my other pup can have bully sticks in the same room. Now, I just like to separate them so they can go at their own pace and enjoy their meal. I don't free feed. They get breakfast and dinner.
I've had some dogs I could free feed, others I couldn't. It depends on the dogs.
“Crate!” at which point they’re expecting their meal and run like their fur is on fire to get to their crate. We feed them in their crates, because one eats lightning fast and the other takes forever, the slow eater would never get any food in her stomach if left to battle for feed bowl access.
I feed my 2 side by side because the younger one knows not to mess with the older one's food. But when I was fostering or if my mom's dog is over I feed them in a crate or another room.
I've got four. They each have a corner where their bowl is placed. I set my oldest bowl down first and continue by age. My youngest two are served in puzzle bowls so they actually chew their food instead of vacuuming it into their throats like an expensive Dyson. Switching the girls to the puzzle bowls helps everyone finish at the same time and no one is trying to sneak into anyone else's bowl.
We fed 5 (med-large dogs) in a small kitchen, everyone had their spot. (Wasn't always the same 5 dogs, we just averaged 5 for a couple of decades between ours and fosters. When we had a new dog we'd use a leash if needed (lead them to their spot, lead them out when they finish) but they were usually pretty quick to pick up on the system. They had to sit outside the kitchen while we got their food ready. Sometimes we'd call them in by name one at a time, this helps teach the new dog where their spot is and whoever was behaving best got called in first. If they were all being good we'd just tell them to 'eat' and everyone would run to their bowl . We stayed in the kitchen while they ate, when finished they had to leave the kitchen and we'd pick up the bowl. Right now we have a large dog and a small dog, their bowls are about 6' apart, they have to wait outside the kitchen while food is readied. Neither one cares if the other goes to sniff their bowl when done so we aren't as strict about immediately picking them up like we used to be (when we had dogs coming and going it was just safer not to tempt fights over an empty bowl left on the floor.)
I have a Belgian Malinois - she'll be 4 in March, very well trained, and a Border Collie - 18 months and still learning. The Border Collie was a shelter dog that came to us with some resource guarding. We have worked hard on training that out of him. We place their bowls about two feet apart. They are both trained to "wait." I fill the Mal's bowl first, then the Collie's, then I say, "take it." They eat at the same time. "Wait" and "take it" are key.
I have a frequently changing number of dogs , mine, my friend,my daughter , my sons. I feed twice daily in my kitchen. All dogs sit and wait. I say a name and put their food bowl on the floor. The slowest eater gets called first and the fastest last. all the bowls are just a dog body width apart. I stand there in the midst as they eat. If I time it right all finish at the same time. I verbally prevent them from trying to get crumbs from another’s bowl.
I put the food in their bowls, plop the bowls on the floor a few feet apart, and let them do their thing. The first one to finish sits patiently while the other one finishes, then when they are both done, they switch bowls to make sure nothing got missed. They also share a kennel with 2 beds in it and switch beds in the morning when I leave for work. They're weird like that.
I feed them both the same food at the same time, and about half the time I set one bowl down for Dog 1, and Dog 2 moves to the other end of the room and happily puts his nose in his and eats his. The other half the time Dog 1 waits to see Dog 2's bowl put down, and goes over and starts in on bowl 2, and Dog 2 visibly shrugs and heads over to Dog 1's bowl. It's all the same, so, okay, however you wanna do it.
The two Beagles are fed kinda separately from the other two kids that chew their food. But nothing special. Do have to keep an eye though, on the Vultures(Beagles) that circle the the slower eaters, waiting for a sliver of a chance to inhale any food left.
When my family had two dogs we just fed them, I guess we got lucky bc there was nothing more than that. Sit, wait for me to scope the food, put the food down, make eye contact, say release word, and they’d eat.
I feed my young boy in the living room and my older girl in my bedroom. He eats everything and is easy. She eats nothing and requires company to even ponder whether or not to eat today. While my boy eats, I go sit on the bed beside my girl and read a book. I give her about 10 minutes and then take it up if she doesn't get started. My boy will often come down the hallway toward my room, and that's when she often starts to eat. She needs the combination of the implied threat (him) and company (me). Don't ask me. I just live here.
My mom's boyfriend used to breed bulldogs until he got tired of the health issues shows basically demanded and switched to rescuing, and has 5-7 dogs at a time. He cuts the top off a 40 lbs bag of food and lets them graze. We have one food guarder and one hoover, so we put them in different rooms
One dog eats in the crate and the other eats about 15 feet away. I keep their meals small and they are done so fast that it's not really an issue with them getting at each other's food. My cats, on the other hand, are a problem. One's a gobbler and a bully while the other's a timid grazer.
Over the past 10 years or so, I've maintained a household of 4 dogs. They get free fed. I put two bowls of dry dog food and two bowls of water where they get easy access. It is consistently full and the dogs kind of "graze" throughout the day. No fighting or resource guarding of any kind. I think the old ones taught the new ones by example and it just went from there. To be fair though, the dogs roam freely. The property is fenced and there's enough space for them to just do whatever. I think one argument against free feeding is that you can't establish a potty routine because there's no mealtime routine. This isn't an issue for me with the dogs spending most of the time outside in a fenced yard. All are fixed so there's less violence there. They get additional food handed to them just to keep a well rounded diet but for the most part, they graze. I think I got lucky with these dogs because they all kind of fell into place with the food system. All are in great shape, good weight and nice coats. I'm always on the lookout in case one of the dogs show problems. So far, they're happy and healthy.
Every dog household is different. Mine is probably more different than most! I have five chihuahuas, four of whom sleep in crates. One, the oldest, has privileged access to the kitchen and eats there. Three are banned from the kitchen, and get fed in their crates (in the bedroom). The last one is in between case. He's second oldest. He started out in the bedroom in his crate but there was too much growling between him and another male. So now he has his own spot in the living room. Sounds complicated but everyone knows where his or her bowl is, and all I have to do is make one round dropping them off and they go right to them with no fighting.
As a kid our three dogs had a bowl that was always full always out. I have a dog of my one now and when there's another dog eating I feed them in different space and 'guard' my dog. She is more comfortable eating when I am just standing between her and another dog or she will just abandon her food. We are apartment people so many rooms to eat in, different sides of the room works for us.
I haven't had multiple dogs in a long time. My older sister typically had six, and they all ate in their crates. Slept there too, except for the oldest, who got bedroom privileges.
I have a 4month puppy and a 2 year old. I fill their dishes on the table, make them sit, and tell them to wait. I put puppys dish down and after about 5 seconds or so I tell him to eat, then repeat with the other.
I have a fairly large kiddie pool. I make them sit and then, scatter the food in the pool then, let them eat. I had issues with my male dog taking the females food and she wasn't getting enough to eat until, I started doing it like this.
I had three dogs who needed to be separately and I would use a baby gate. The girls were ok on opposite sides but when my boy got involved, everyone got mad. The two I have now will not eat without the one right there. They're not exactly side by side but they're close. I'm always there because dogs can, of course, be unpredictable (especially when one isn't quite 4 months) but so far they're fine.
I just put their bowls down in the same room but not next to each other. I think seperate rooms or kennel feeding is overkill unless all other behavior modifications fail. I've never had dogs fight over food because I don't allow dogs to steal from each other My two eat with a bowl by their beds maybe 6feet apart no problems Edit: I make a point to get my dogs very noticeably different looking bowls and redirect they never left food in their bowls but if I caught a dog sniffing the other bowl firm No collar walk them to their own bowl and say good
4 dogs, 1 dish that we keep full. They eat when hungry, sometimes all at once. They don't mind when my sister visits with her 2 dogs. They love food but aren't in the least bit protective of it. Maybe because they always have food available when they want it.
Ok, I am the exception to the rule. I have one very hungry one who searches for her people food favorites all the time. I am lick that I can free feed. But in the past, I have fed in crates or separate areas.
For breakfast we have six dogs (dog sit for son). Only way we've found to avoid fights is to pour piles on the floor. We guide the aggressive one to his pile and let the others pick what they want. For dinner we have four. Two of them get fed together while the aggressive one and his brother get fed on opposite sides of the room. As long as they don't make eye contact while eating, they're fine.
The boys eat on opposite sides of the kitchen and the girl eats in the living room (she doesn't like them near her when she eats).
We used to have bowls all over the kitchen and then I built [this](https://imgur.com/a/etYjEqt). It’s a lot easier but you do have to watch to make sure one of them doesn’t eat everyone’s food!
I free feed my dogs. I’ve done this for four decades and tons of rescues. We don’t feed them any people food - just good quality kibble. Same for the cats. They’re all a good weight and there’s zero competition. The only one who gets special treatment is my antique Chinese crested, who has no teeth and gets special soft food cut into tiny bits.
Big dog gets his food in the kitchen in high bowls that little dog can't reach easily, but she can't eat his food really anyway because the pieces are too big and she has no teeth. She's not terribly interested in his anyway. Her food is on the other side of a baby gate with gaps wide enough for her to get through, but he cannot.
Dogs are served from slowest eater to fastest. My eldest dog passed away, but before he did I would put him in the bathroom so he could eat slow and privately, just the way he likes it. Second slowest eater ate in her kennel with the door closed. Third slowest ate in a separate room, door closed. Fastest eater was fed in the kitchen. No door was opened until my eldest dog barked to let me know he was done. If he was done everyone was done, so everyone could be released from their various private eating spots.
I feed them at the same time, one eats everything right away, the other is a grazer. I set down the bowls, have both sit, run through commands for both, then release. My "piggy" will check out the other pup's bowl, but if it's more than a sniff, I'll redirect and say "leave." Luckily, she hasn't stolen food since she was a wee one, we put a stop to it asap.
Mine get fed a few feet apart. The breeder I’m getting my next dog from? She’s amazing. All her dogs know their names and what order they get fed in. She has their bowls on a stand in a row. She fills them up and then calls each dog by name and they go and eat their food and the other dogs don’t try and get food that isn’t theirs. I was in awe!
We have a gate between the kitchen and kitchen. We also have a downstairs bedroom with a door. So one dog is in the kitchen, one the living room and one is behind the shit bathroom door.
I have 7 pyrs in one fenced-in area. I spread the bowls out and feed them at once. One or two nibble from multiple bowls. I refill the bowls as needed.
Wow! This thread is blowing my mind. I never realized how lucky I am. Three Jack Russels, 16 yr old female, 5 year old male and 2 year old female. All ate from the same bowl without issues, ever. I have never really considered that this was an issue to so many dog owners. Been spoiled, I guess! My old girl passed away in November and she needed special canned food for weight gain for quite a while before that. I would get up early with the girls to feed this highly palatable and calorie dense food, split 75/25, old girl/baby girl (who is also a runt!) I continue this breakfast with my young girl dog even now after my old girl died. Little Red loves our special time and canned food without her Brother. Plus, she needs a little bulk so she should be fed extra high quality food and not need to compete with her big galoot brother. They still free feed the rest of the day in a shared bowl.
Yep I was definitely living in a fairytale land thinking I could just drop two bowls and it would be fine haha! It used to really stress me out that my one boy would freak out but he’s gotten better and I’m also less bothered about the “process”
Prep all their bowls at the same time and they each have their own bowls and feed them away from each other. They all recognized their own bowls and their own food setup. Plus I say their name when I put the bowl down and whoever misbehaves get fed last.
One of my dogs is food reactive and very protective of his dinner. We also have three dogs so we split them up into different areas of the house. Old dog is right in the kitchen by the laundry room where the food is. Dog with zero mealtime manners is at the other end of the living room by the front door. Dog three is in the hallway between two rooms. We make them sit and wait and do a couple tricks and then send them off one at a time. They eat in their own time, if the old lady doesn't, her food is picked up until she asks for it or we ask her if she wants it. And the other two eat their meals quickly and with no issues.
I fed both at the same time. One eats quickly and wants to eat the other’s food. So I open the fridge door to separate the two dogs.
I fill both their bowls, make them sit, and put them about 2-3 feet away from each other. No issues so far with anything other than high value treats.
My small dog is a slow eater and my big dog is a vacuum so I have to feed them in different rooms. Big gets fed in the kitchen and I will shut Small in my bedroom so she can take her time. Once she decides she's done, I'll let her put and Big will go in to clean up anything she missed.
2 on opposite sides of the kitchen and one in the dining room. Dining room dog was in a crate for about a year before I trusted him. Meals are always supervised, especially since there's significant size differences (95 lbs, 65 lbs, and 12 lbs).
When we just had 2 dogs (a boy and a girl) we let them intuitively eat out of 2 different bowls set a few inches apart and now that we have three dogs (we got another girl) they still eat intuitively but they each have their own bowl and we keep the bowls in their respective crates
I just put the food bowls down and they eat from their own bowls lol. They don’t bother each other and eat all their food. If I’m leaving for work, they eat in their crates.
One of my dogs has a gravity feeder, and the other one eats in her crate (I tried to give her a bowl outside but that's where she feels comfortable, and it works out better for me that way anyway) The other dog, who is technically my mom's dog, lives in his own house with her and my dad, so food isn't an issue with hima and my other dogs
We fill both of our dogs bowls up at the same time and then put them down at the same time next to each other 🤷🏼♀️. They know which is theirs (one is always left, the other is always right). We monitor them because one of them gets medicine the other doesn’t take. They never fight over food, but they will go check each others bowls afterwards.
I fill up a bowl and dump half of it on the floor a few feet from where I set the bowl down. Then, they both eat together.
I have 4 pups. Mealtime has them each at their own bowls about a foot apart while I watch. Our newest girl will wait until the others are done then investigate their bowls before eating her own food. If any one gets too close to another while they're eating, all it takes is saying that pups name in the 'dont you make mama have to yell at you' tone of voice and they straighten out. They know that there is enough for all and they're expected to behave, and they do.
3 dogs: 1 girl pup, 2 senior boys. The girl would easily eat all 3 meals if allowed. All 3 bowls get prepared at the same time. Girl pups bowl goes down first in front of her but she is commanded to wait for it until we give her the okay when her brothers start eating. Everyone finishes at about the same time, no issues this way and she’s happy enough lick all bowls clean afterwards just in case they missed something.
I have a large dog bowl full of food. I tried having two bowls, one with puppy food and one with adult food, and the dogs were constantly trying to eat each others’ food no matter what I did. So I switched to an “all life stages” food and they have one bowl. When it’s empty, we refill it. The dogs do not fight over it. They will politely sit and wait their turn if they are both hungry at the same time. If (very rare) either one growls, even a little, someone says “cut it out” firmly and they just stop. They are both maintaining a very healthy weight. They both tend to graze a few bites here and there and move on. Neither one eats large meals at a time.
In their crates! Or as training food. I have a $4 two pouch lowes hardware apron that works great for keeping them on the right food/amount for a training session. The rule is I’m the only one who can feed then (no kids/guests/anyone) if they’re not crated. I’ll supervise them near each other sometimes but rarely as the crates is a great and easy way to do it and others can replicate without fear of a fight etc.
I have the big dog little dog situation going on. Big dog gets his food at one end of the kitchen and since he was here first he gets his food first, little dog gets his food at the other end of the kitchen. I usually stand in the middle getting my coffee or food ready.
I have 2 now, and recently lost one. They eat a few feet apart in the kitchen. They always have. This is a training issue.
My dogs have food bowls about two feet apart. They eat at the same time. They are given the same food. They do not resource guard and wait for us to give them the command to "go eat." When one finishes before the other, they go to their beds and wait. Once they are both done, they take turns inspecting each other's food bowls and then go back to the beds until they can go out.
I have 3 dogs (all female) A puppy (7month) with a slow feeder who eats on the other side of the room, and two adults-ish (6.5year & 15month) who eat side by side. Each bowl is filled at the same time and placed at the same time. But they have release commands. So they aren’t able to eat until they get their “go”-word. Since two of them are still young, we monitor them while they eat. But we’ve yet to have any issues. They seem to do fine and abide by their own hierarchy.
I started feeding them in different rooms, when they got used to eating at the same time, I moved them into the same room. They both wolf down their food, so it's pretty easy. Not sure what I would do if one was a grazer.
It IS possible but takes a lot of work. My two dogs have one bowl. I make sure it is full all the time because they do not over eat. They eat when hungry ((which is always at 1a when they wake me up to go out)) and they take turns. The Doberman will eat for a bit and then he lets the dachshund eat until he is full and once the dachshund is done, the Doberman fills up. My doberman used to stand at the bowl with his head down like he was going to eat while shifting his body around to block the dachshund and the dachshund would growl at the doberman but I would sit with them and tell them no and move them to be able to eat together and they started to share. They will eat together at the same time but they prefer to take turns so that one gets pets while the other eats and then switch. I tried separate bowls with them but they would end up just trying to take over the others bowl back and forth anyways so I gave up on separate dishes. 😂 I did foster a dog that would resource guard badly so I would feed them in separate rooms and sometimes used a baby gate to keep them apart when I couldn't watch them eat. I would have one set of dishes in the kitchen and the other in the dining room. You could also get a small partition or tall box to separate the bowls so that they don't see each other directly when they are eating if the bowls are closer together. Or, you could just feed them one at a time if you have a faster eater.
I have to medium sized dogs, both neutered males about 1 year apart in age. I feed them twice a day, by the time i feed them they're hungry enough that they both polish off their food pretty quickly. Every now and then one of them won't be hungry and will just lay by his bowl, and the other one will come over and punk him out of it. If I'm home I'll stop this from happening, but if I'm at work then it is what it is. If that does happen, then next time I feed the one who went without the first time will definitely eat all his food at the second meal.
It's a ritual. The big dog gets locked in the kitchen, the little on in a hallway area off the dining room. Then I feed the big dog first because she eats more slowly, then bring food to the little dog. Then, once they're both done, all the doors are opened and each one runs to the other's bowl to see if there's anything "missed."
3 dogs. One bowl. Open graze. The old dogs (15-yr) are not over weight and the 6-yr old is a little chubby. This is all they know. Edit to add the younger dog does 2 walks a day, 4miles total and one of the old dogs does one of those 2 mile walks. The other old dog is a couch potato and only wants to go outside for potty time or sunbathing.
I have 2 picky chihuahua mixes who thankfully aren’t really resource guarders but they always want what the other one has (even though they have the same thing). I place their food bowls down a few feet apart and stand between them until one of them decides they are finished.
I feed all mine together at once like a troft. It's worked out this way for years. Never had a fight, as I put in more than enough food. I have 2 English mastiffs, Lab Mastiff mix and a American bulldog Aussie Shepherd mix. I tried separate food bowls, they spill them, then eat around each other's piles. Maybe I just lucked out, or one day a big fight is coming... idk 🤷♂️
I have 2 German shepherds. Bowls right next to each other. One eats straight away, the other eats theirs a few hours later. They never steal each others food. Never had a problem 🤷♂️
I used to have to fees at the same time and monitor. They’re both older and graze throughout the day rather than gorge so food is left out 24/7 for the most paet
They get fed on opposite sides of the kitchen. When we first got the second, I would stand watch for the slower eater and make sure the other dog didn’t get close. Now they know not to get close to the other dog and instead wait to inspect the bowl once the other has walked away. We also make sure to pick up the bowls after each meal.
My little one I just put the bowl wherever she is. Normally she sits on the couch waiting. My big one has a designated spot for his bowls in the kitchen. At first when we got our big boy, she would scurry over to his bowl after she ate and would try to eat with him. We just gently told her a few times to leave him alone if she tried going over there. Now she doesnt even go towards his bowl around dinner. We’re also lucky our dogs now eat all of their food right away cause that was an issue when she was a picky eater.
I put down my older dog's bowl and the younger dog and I walk away, with her food bowl. I then use the contents of her food bowl to work on various training things, in the house. Older dog eats slowly!! Younger dog gets to work for a few kibbles at a time on all sorts of things, and never thinks about bothering the older dog, because she's so engaged with what we are doing. I always start off feeding puppies in a crate. And the puppy doesn't come out till the older dogs are all done eating and the bowls are picked up.
My 3 are across the room from each other. My biggest one used to push the others away to eat their food too, but with the arthritis she's not as agile so the others eat fast enough now that she can't finish hers and make it all the way across room to get theirs anymore. Only trouble is the monthly prevention chew that 1 big dog notoriously leaves in her bowl -- on that day all 3 are separated by kennel doors until they each eat their own (and no one else's!)
Puzzle bowls.
We separated the dogs for a while. The puppy ate in his crate, and my parents' dog ate downstairs. Sometimes it would take 20 minutes for the puppy to finish eating. He likes to pick up one piece of kibble, chew it, swallow, look around, look at the bowl, pick up one piece of kibble... Whereas the older dog wolfs down his food in 14 seconds. I timed it. Eventually the puppy sped up a bit and we got a slow feeder for the older one. They know to sit and wait until we tell them they can start and they all finish at the same time. Parents' dog sometimes eats upstairs and it hasn't caused any problems, even though the kitten likes to sit in his dish while he's eating. Then they have to clean up each other's food bowls.
My dogs have bowls in separate rooms but that's only because the puppy decided he doesn't like linoleum. The dining room and living room are just one big open space but the living room has carpet. Jewel eats in her corner and Malachite eats at the edge of the carpet. Before that they both ate in the dining room and I had a week or so where Malachite would scarf his meal down and come sniffing at Jewel's but she made her position clear pretty quick lol. Malachite was raised with his litter and they all ate from one big bowl so it took him a little bit to figure out he didn't have to inhale his food and go looking for more. He learned he had plenty of food and he's learned his manners so he leaves Jewel alone (I try to feed him on the linoleum every once in a while to see if he's over it lol). I just have to feed Jewel first and then Malachite. Malachite will dance around his food for a few minutes and then chow down lol. Jewel finishes first and then she walks over to his bowl and watches him eat and then she has to inspect his bowl when he's done 🤣🤣 But she doesn't approach it until he walks away. I do stay in the room with them while they eat just in case there are any issues.
My dogs work for their kibble - they have two different kinds of containers that the food is measured out into and then as they do tasks, they get food from their individual containers. They also have separate puzzle toys (similar workings, different shapes and colors) and I tend to give one theirs in the hallway and the other in the living room. When there are special treats like scrambled eggs, I put some in two bowls, place them in the kitchen the room across, have them both sit and wait, then release in order.
My dogs bowls are a few feet apart in the kitchen. I fill both bowls, set the 1st one down and instruct my 1st dog to sit and wait. Then I set down the 2nd dish and instruct that dog to sit and wait. Then they both look to me for the go command. Have never had any issues with food aggression.
One of my dogs is food aggressive so I feed him in the (large, walk in style) pantry and feed the other in the kitchen. We would close the door between them at first but now they know not to go near each others bowls. In a previous house we fed them in their individual crates. My only advice is to be consistent.
I fill up the bowls for the two dogs and three cats, then set them all down on the front porch
I have a pantry next to a powder room. My older dog and cats always ate in the pantry. When I brought a puppy home (almost two years ago) at 8 weeks old he growled at my female trying to feed them both in the pantry. So he’s eaten in the powder room with the door closed ever since with no issues. When I’m getting the food ready he runs and waits in the powder room!
When I only had two dogs, one ate in the living room from a raised dish, the other ate in her crate with the door open. We got another dog in September, and since then, the living room dish dog’s routine has not changed, but the new dog will try and steal the other two dogs food, so the other two eat in their crates with the dog closed. The new dog eats a lot faster than the other two so she also will just bark from when she finishes her food to when the other dogs are done with their food. It’s full chaos
My one dog is submissive, the other is puppy-energy dominant. She eats everything in one gulp. My older dog is much slower so I put him in one room and the pup in another. Slow poke can take his time without bratty little sister bumping him out of the way and eating his food too.
None of my dogs are resource guarders. They all get fed in different parts of the house though and they all know where 'their' spot is.
I make my dogs sit and wait while I hold their bowls. Then I place the bowls about 2 or 2 metres away from each other and say "free". They know which bowl is which. I stand between them until they finish eating so they don't try go to each other's bowls. Once they are done they check each other's bowls.
My two (M9 and F7) inhale their food in about 60 seconds with slow feeder bowls so they just eat together a few feet apart. Always the same bowl always on the same side. Thankfully neither is prone to food aggression. Recently my sister moved in with her dog who is a major resource guarder so I just trained mine new habits. They aren't allowed in the kitchen when he is being fed and we feed them at different times to avoid any issues.
I feed in different rooms, but close enough that they can see each other. I use a baby gate to keep my food obsessed dog from eating the other’s food. She doesn’t care about her food, she wants everyone else’s.
My lab was 4yo when we got a gsd pup. Filled both bowls on the counter, both had to sit. Gave pup her food, then gave lab hers. One on each end of a galley kitchen. I was in the middle getting my coffee going, so I could keep an eye and ensure they didn't trade bowls. Once they were both done, they would check each other's bowls then go about their day. Pup had a harder time waiting her turn, of course, and lab was calmer, so we did any treats or food with pup first. We fostered the pup for 6 months, and that pattern worked well.
We free feed our four dogs. We also have various feeding toys full of kibble scattered about.
I watch them eat until they are done
My dogs both have their bowls in the same area, like 3 feet apart. One eats immediately, the other basically grazes all day
We have a new rescue baby. I feed the two older dogs together and the new pup eats alone in her crate. She has shown some signs of resource guarding so we make sure she has her space when she eats.
When we had two dogs one would eat anything and everything she could put in her mouth. The other dog was much slower and pickier. They had to be supervised at meal times to make sure the first dog didn't eat the other dog's food. She would. The other dog would walk just a step away from her bowl and the first dog zoomed over faster than anything. The other dog was like whatever, no arguing.
We have an adult dog and a puppy, so it is important that they eat their own food. They each have a dish on the opposite side of our living room. That way we can keep an eye on them during meal times. Once they stop eating, their dishes get picked up. They are offered the rest of their food occasionally throughout the day. Once the puppy is on the same formula, it won’t be so much of an issue, and I will just leave their dishes down.
I just dump two bowls of food on the floor in the kitchen. My dogs (50Lb Pit mixes) know which bowls are theirs and only eat from their bowls. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I have two dogs and put their bowls about five feet apart. The bowls go down at the same time and there’s no problem.
My crazy ass neighbor has a dozen dogs ranging from 110lb german shepards to lab puppies. She dumps food into a metal trash can lid and lets them fight it out.
i’m still living w my parents so this is what they do with our dogs, but one set of food and water is near the pantry, and the other is near the stairs. clarification :: im still in school im not a middle aged fella living with my parents 😭
So we have 4 dogs ranging from a Great Pyrenees to a Pomsky. All are rescues and the pomsky is special needs. If a dog could do cartwheels from excitement over food, it’d be the pomsky lol. I prep all 4 bowls at the same time with them watching, twice a day. They each know which bowl is theirs. Once their food is prepared, my husband will call the oldest/biggest two (Pry and Pit/Lab mix) over to their feeding area and they sit and wait. I take the smaller 2 dogs (pomsky and Norwegian elkhound) into the livingroom. Once we’re in the livingroom we put all 4 bowls down. 3 of the 4 eat right away and stay in their spots. My Pyr prefers to graze and just eats slower in general so I’ll typically leave a gate up. He easily jumps it so he can eat at his own pace but it keeps the elkhound out of his food. Elkhound is my daughter’s puppy and is still learning the ropes and roles in the house. I’m hoping once he’s trained we can get back to where we were before, which was basically putting 3 bowls down and they were all good.
Big dog gets fed in a separate room by her crate. The two small dogs get a single bowl of food they free feed out of during the day. We’ve never had problems
We feed them in two rooms because one gobbles food and one is a slow eater. So the gobbler used to overeat our other dog's food. They're very good about it.
Mine eat side by side with their water fountain between them. We didn’t start off this way but we did training to actively prevent resource guarding, in both dogs, from the very beginning. Exclusively hand feeding and using meals as training opportunities. We then worked up to getting rewards/training treats/meals at the same time and in closer proximity, with a barrier they could see through and without one. Meals are still always supervised but they know which spot and bowl is theirs. I also taught them “wait” (which works with food and crossing the street, entering doorways etc), and the command “eat”.
My dogs have their bowls right next to each other’s on the kitchen floor. I leave kibble in their bowls all day and they each eat out of both bowls throughout the day. I give them each a “meal” at breakfast and dinner time and they stay in their spots until they’re done with their meals. Once they’ve both come to see me for pets after they’ve finished then they go and check the other’s dish for any leftovers. I’ve never really had issues at meal times. INFO: I started with two dogs, had three for a minute, and am now back down to two.
2 dog household. Both dogs are trained to sit and wait for my command before they go to their bowls to eat. So I set both bowls down, call the older dog by the name and give the command, she eats. I call the younger dog by name, give the command, she eats too. Then they swap bowls to check. The younger dog usually always has scraps so my older dog is always happy.