# feeding 2 dogs questions



## FaithFurMom09 (Oct 24, 2009)

How do you feed in a multiple dog household? 
Or how should you to avoid food issues? I tried using 2 bowls and Hope would just walk over to Faiths when Faith would walk away (she carries her food in her mouth, eats it a little farther away, where Hope eats straight at the bowl)... so i switched to 1 bowl, which works but Faith started growling at Hope this morning. 

Also, I have been reading Labs are prone to being overweight.. which could be an issue because Faith is free fed and if Hope could get overweight I cant leave food down but thats what Faith is use to. What am i suppose to do?


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## ladyshadowhollyjc (Oct 28, 2008)

We feed everyone separately in their crates. Even my new kitten is fed in his crate. 

If you don't have crates for your dogs and don't want to crate train, you could put one dog in one room and the other dog in another. They really shouldn't be eating out of the same bowl. You don't know who's eating what that way.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

I don't think you can free-feed one dog in a two dog household.

Esther and Molly each have a dish (though they are interchangeable.) They eat the same food and the same amount and I supervise. If Molly gets distracted and wanders off, Esther is likely to finish her food for her, so I'm there to remind her that she's done eating. Both are voracious eaters, so it's not difficult.

My three grand-dogs are more-or-less free fed at home, but not at our house. They learn quickly that meals are an eat-now-or-not-at-all affair, when two large, hungry dogs are watching and they usually choose 'now.'


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## DogPaw (Jan 11, 2009)

We feed the dogs in separate rooms. Our bulldog is very food aggressive so that works good for us. Each dog should be allowed to have it's own dish and be able to eat in peace.


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## Jordan S (Nov 21, 2009)

Free feeding isn't good for any dog. It screws with digestion. Put them both in shceduled feeding and feed them in crates or in different rooms.


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## FaithFurMom09 (Oct 24, 2009)

Jordan S said:


> *Free feeding isn't good for any dog.* Put them both in shceduled feeding and feed them in crates or in different rooms.


We have done schedule and free feeding with Faith, this is what works for her. 
~~~~~

I am working on finding another crate. I have another food bowl and I could put them in seperate areas.


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## DJsMom (Jun 6, 2008)

I would think it would be difficult to free feed 1 dog & keep the other away from it thoughout the day.

I used to free feed both of my dogs until I started feeding raw. They had no problem switching to 2 meals a day. That was when I had Georgie, beford Coco came into the family. Now Coco is fed her meals in her crate. I do feel it's much less stressful for the dogs not to feel like they're in danger of losing their food to the other dog.


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## tirluc (Aug 29, 2006)

this has always worked for me....








and real close...(there's 3 there)









and here's a video of me feeding 7 in a tiny kitchen...the Goldie got a bit confused cuz i don't usually put his dish there....the 3 at the table and the one by the counter are mine and the 2 tri Borders and the Golden we take care of....



they are all taught that the other dishes are off limits as long as there is food in them....once everyone is done eating, they do "rounds" and clean each bowl, just to make sure nobody missed anything


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## DJsMom (Jun 6, 2008)

Ah! I had forgotten about the success you have with your dogs eating so well together Tirluc!


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

I've fed all five together this way. It works fine as long as I'm there to do crowd control.


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## StellaLucyDesi (Jun 19, 2008)

Our house is kinda like Tirluc's...each dog gets his/her bowl at his/her placemat. They have to sit before I set the bowl down. Then they can eat. I supervise. The cavaliers share a double dog diner and Lucy and Desi each have their own placemat. Desi always finishes first, but knows that he has to wait to lick all the girls empty bowls. When one of the girls are done, they usually walk over to me as if to say..."see mom, I finished my food" LOL!
Then they go on their way. Desi always has to lick the bowls. Never any fighting over food at our house.


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## tirluc (Aug 29, 2006)

i got past the having to monitor about a yr ago, since Titch got thru the training part of it....but we'll be starting all over again in about 4-5 mo when Aislin joins the pack.....


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## chrisn6104 (Jun 8, 2009)

I feed raw and only feed once a day or sometimes skip and feed double portions the next day. All 3 eat at the same time and all have their own bowls. I usually supervise until all the food is out of the bowls. If one finishes early they sometimes will try to sneak in another bowl while the other dog isn't looking. Never had any fights or arguments over it. I keep an eye on them usually while I'm doing something else and only to keep them from steeling food just to be sure everyone gets their proper portions. Most of the time they do fine but every now and a again that piece of liver sitting in a bowl is all to tempting.
I do give them ribs and other things like that out in the backyard. I do not supervise that.


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

I would think it would be impossible to free feed one dog in a multi-dog home. It also does not sound like a good idea to have the dogs share a single bowl. You can't tell who is eating what if they're eating out of the same bowl at the same time and chances are both dogs will feel pressured to consume the limited resources before the other, resulting in (as you have seen) some fighting over the food.

When I've had two dogs, they've always been fed at the same time, but in different areas. With Cammy and Brutus, Cammy ate inside and Brutus ate on the porch. When everyone was done, the door was opened and the dogs traded bowls to lick out the molecules left by the other. Alvin and Clifford were able to eat in the same room, but generally did not as Cliffie was sooooo slow to finish that Alvin would nearly pass out watching him eat. Clifford usually got fed in the kitchen while Alvin played with his Buster Cube in the living room. It evened out the eating times.


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## Taz Monkey (Sep 2, 2007)

Sydney eats in her crate, Taz eats in her crate (both have the doors open) and Sage eats right outside of Sydneys crate. I don't agree with free feeding. Every dog I've ever met that is free fed has been fat. Mine get a measured amount, twice a day, and they eat all thats in their bowl.


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## FaithFurMom09 (Oct 24, 2009)

Well we moved Hopes food into the kitchen and Faiths is in the dining room. I will measure Hopes and leave Faiths alone. Faith has been free fed for a couple months or so and is 26lbs at 7 months old. She is def not anywhere near overweight.


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## Kina_A (Jun 8, 2009)

Both Kina and Sadie eat in the kitchen and their bowls aren't very far apart either. They have both been taught to stay out of each others bowls. When I first got Kina, I use to lift Sadie's bowl out of the way so she wouldn't get at Sadie's food.

DH is the one who told me to leave it down and we would teach Kina to stay out of it should Sadie not eat everthing. He also stated that Kina needed to learn to respect Sadie's bowl by staying out of it.

When I put their bowls down, they both have to wait quietly and only when I tell them its okay do they go and eat. Kina usually finishes her bowl in one sitting. Sadie will sometimes finish it but if she doesn't I give her a half hour and then I usually lift her bowl. If I happen to forget, I don't have to worry about Kina getting to it. What I find funny though, is Kina will wait patiently for Sadie to finish eating, if nothing is left in Sadie's bowl, Kina will go over and lick her bowl, if there is still kibble left, Kina will sniff it and then walk away.

I rather do it this way, then feeding them in the same bowl or free feeding because, for one thing, I know how much food each dog is getting and secondly, with Kina's digestive issues, I know that free feeding isn't good for her.


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## StarfishSaving (Nov 7, 2008)

The dogs have to wait for their food, then they are released to eat it. The dogs eat as part of a pack. Free feeding is not good for dogs, for many reasons that have already been mentioned. In addition, I feed 5-8 dogs here counting the fosters, so it's much easier to do it this way and enforce their obedience training than to try and micromanage and feed separately. Foster dogs with food aggression are worked with and incorporated into the group (Trixie on the left-hand side of the pic, for example,) so they can learn to be civil with a stable, well behaved pack.


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## Foyerhawk (May 7, 2009)

One dog eats in the kitchen, a gate blocks another into the game room/mud room, one eats on the deck, and the other two eat in crates.

Then they all lick eachother's bowls! lol


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## BobSD (Feb 1, 2008)

Starfish & Tirlic, that is absolutely impressive how you have control at meal time, You are real dog people! Nice video!!!!!!!!!!


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## kacaju (Jan 2, 2008)

we feed them in different rooms


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## tirluc (Aug 29, 2006)

BobSD said:


> Starfish & Tirlic, that is absolutely impressive how you have control at meal time, You are real dog people! Nice video!!!!!!!!!!


thanx...like Starfish, when i get a foster in that is food aggressive, they get worked into the "system" gradually (we start on the other side of the kitchen and work them around to the same side)....i can usually have them eating side by side the others w/in about 2-3 wks....

and, like Kina, if there is food in the dish of one dog, the others leave it, but if the dishes are empty, they go around "cleaning them all out".....i also do the same thing w/ their bones...there is no room for "attitude" in a multi dog household....


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## TxRider (Apr 22, 2009)

FaithFurMom09 said:


> How do you feed in a multiple dog household?
> Or how should you to avoid food issues? I tried using 2 bowls and Hope would just walk over to Faiths when Faith would walk away (she carries her food in her mouth, eats it a little farther away, where Hope eats straight at the bowl)... so i switched to 1 bowl, which works but Faith started growling at Hope this morning.
> 
> Also, I have been reading Labs are prone to being overweight.. which could be an issue because Faith is free fed and if Hope could get overweight I cant leave food down but thats what Faith is use to. What am i suppose to do?


I free fed when I only had Hope in the house.

I now feed my 2 girl GSD's in separate bowls far apart, and I supervise the entire thing. They have only been together for about 2 months.

If the food is something they really do not like so much and will just eat if they are hungry I could free feed them, but anything of value I supervise and take up if they don't eat as they start posturing and eyeballing and such over it.

It's getting to be less of an issue, as I teach them manners when one finishes before the other or they start eyeballing what the other is getting.

The rule for me is no food available if I am not watching them closely at least for the foreseeable future, until and unless I can get them worked up to not fighting over a higher value food and see they are not going to get into trouble over it.


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## Michiyo-Fir (Jul 25, 2009)

We feed Truffs and Pops in the same room on opposite sides of the room. 2 different bowls. At first a person stayed in the middle and whenever they tried to go to the other side of the room we sent them back to their own spots. Now they just eat in their own bowls, no fighting or trying to eat another dog's food.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

Just start feeding them seperatly. Faith will get ued to 2 feedings a day. free feeding isnt very good. as you can ttell if they are of food, you cant know how much they are eating, or how much to cut back on if over feeding. Faith is a beagle mix, which are very prone to being over weight.


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

I feed my dogs separately, Iorek in the kitchen and Brom in the living room blocked off with a gate.

Brom has food guarding issues that we are working on. He cannot have Iorek near him when he is eating because then he tries to gobble - which is not good when they are eating raw meaty bones! Iorek doesn't want to take food from Brom but Brom feels threatened and I don't like for him to feel that way. He is getting MUCH better with the food guarding but it is not all the way gone yet.

I also agree that free feeding is not the best. I think that if you give it a try for a long enough amount of time Faith will be fine with it.


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## wolfsnaps (Apr 27, 2007)

I have three dogs. They eat out of their own bowls. I leave dry food out for the mastiff. The other two dogs never touch it. I feed them once a day and they usually finish it. If they don't, Dozer the mastiff will gladly clean up (but not before the other two are finished).

Dozer sometimes eats the dry food I leave out, but usually he doesn't. They hold out to see if I give them anything special (like canned food or other toppings). I was worried about adding this third dog into the mix but its going really well. No food issues. 

Good luck. And may I suggest not feeding them seperately? That seems like a lot of work. If you can train them to get along, try that first.


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