Why Feeding Dogs Separately is Important
While TV and movies may lead us to believe dogs can eat from the same bowl at the same time, that’s not realistic for most dogs. Some dogs may not feel comfortable sharing up close. We want our dogs to be safe, happy, and healthy.
Why Do Dogs Guard Food?
Growling or snarling can be part of a dog’s communication system. Dogs can use these signals to ask another dog to move away. Dogs show other smaller signals when they feel competition around food, such as eating faster, taking the food away from the area, standing between the food and the other dog, or freezing.
In some contexts, dogs might share food or resources, but this does not always happen, even in normal dog behavior. Some dogs will growl, bark, or snarl more than needed to communicate with the other dog. This may result from poor communication, insufficient socialization, spending time with other dogs who do not respond to appropriate communication, additional environmental stress, or clinical levels of abnormal behavior.
If you are concerned about people’s or pets’ safety, especially if there are children in the home, please contact a professional to help you.
Where to Feed Your Dog to Reduce Guarding
Feeding dogs separately is important for many reasons. A lack of appetite can often be the first sign that an animal is unwell. If you feed your dogs out of the same bowl or leave food out, you miss out on this early warning sign of a problem.
Dogs benefit from feeling safe while they are eating. Feeding dogs in separate areas can help them feel more comfortable and not feel like they have competition for the food. Use closed doors, gates, or crates to create a barrier.
Feeding separately is also helpful when a pet sitter or friend cares for your pets. This way, there is no safety risk at feeding time.
Many dogs eat faster or more food than needed if they are next to each other; this is likely out of competition more than companionship. Some dogs are comfortable crated beside each other for meals, and some prefer more space. A visual barrier between the crates, such as a piece of cardboard, can make a difference for some dogs.
Pick up food bowls before letting dogs out together again. Some dogs need more time after a meal before being together again.
Give Space with Chew Objects or New Toys
Guarding may just be with food or the food bowl, but it will often show up with special chews or new toys. It is very common for families to reach out for help because their dogs got into an altercation over a new bone or a new toy.
If you give your dogs chew objects, have them separated with a barrier so there is no risk of guarding. Pick up the objects before you let your dogs out together again. The more special the object, the more cautious you should be. Giving your dogs personal space will let them enjoy the object in peace.
Also, be aware of how dropped food in the kitchen may be a safety risk. Some families will use gates to keep dogs out of the kitchen during meal preparation or meal times.
Improve Manners and Skills
Training skills such as stay, come, or ‘Go to Bed’ will not resolve guarding of food. But having these skills can help you more carefully manage when you spill food in the kitchen or if the dogs find an object you meant to pick up. These skills can help you intervene before your dogs have a chance to get into altercations.
Teach your dogs these skills separately from each other to start. We have a special series on teaching your dog to go to his bed and come when called. Here’s a starting video on stay training. Our training team is also ready to help you with skills training too.
Observe Body Language
While some dogs only get tense with each other about food, often, these dogs will show tension with each other in other situations. Watch your dog’s body language for smaller signals that may indicate stress or discomfort with each other.
Are the dogs loose and wiggly around each other? Does their play involve switching roles between the dog chasing and the one being chased? Do they choose to spend time in the same room or area as each other?
Dogs don’t have to be happy with each other all the time. They may spend parts of the day indifferent or neutral to each other. If we see dogs who avoid each other, arc around, or avoid interaction regularly, we may need to work on rebuilding a relationship or teaching social skills to each dog.
Changing How Dogs Feel
In some training, we focus on skills such as come or stay. In other training projects, we want to change how dogs feel. When dogs get into altercations about food, we know the dogs do not feel comfortable having another dog near food.
There are structured training activities we can do to reduce the intensity or frequency of guarding food. This is best done with the supervision of a training professional due to the variation with individual dogs and different family situations. With most families, the goal is to prepare dogs to be okay if food is spilled in the kitchen. Dogs do not typically need to be trained to eat next to each other.
Feeding dogs separately, understanding their body language, and improving their manners can create a safer and happier environment for both dogs and their families. If you're experiencing challenges with food guarding or need help with training, don't hesitate to reach out to a professional dog trainer for guidance and support.
