New puppy causing changes
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| I just separated them at feed times and/or just feed them X amount in the morning and at night. Then I didn't have to stress about how much one is getting and who is stealing food from the other. |
| Maybe later they can free feed, but with a young pup and an adult it is much better to feed separately. They have different needs, different diets. It's important to know who is eating how much, so if by chance there is a health concern, you are on top of it. Especially with hairy dogs - a lot can hide dietary wise until it's been going on for awhile! If the older dog hogs the food, your pup loses nutrition - and for a pup, nutrition is more than just food - it plays a big roll in developement of the nervous system and neurological growth. If the pup overeats, you get bowel issues - lots of loose poopy messes and can't make progress with potty training. A big plus of controlled feeding (and drinking) is if you know what and when something goes in, you have control over when it comes out.  Free feeding with multiple dogs can get dicey, at best, I personally wouldn't do it. I feed all of mine separately, and they all have measured amounts. If one is off their food for any reason, I know immediately. And all dogs deserve to eat their own food, in their own space, at their own pace. |
| I also seperate when feeding. I use a baby gate. They eat the same food but the younger one ( now 2 years ) eats much faster and when finished will eat the other one's food. I don't thaink its fair to ahve them rush through and think each is entitled to their own mela time without being bothered. We also give bones seperately. Some things are just meant to enjoy seperately! |
| Exactly as Dawn says... you'll know if a dog isn't eating right by the food left in his/her bowl. The first 6 months, we feed a puppy in his/her crate. As they come to learn commands, specifically "leave it", they might be able to be fed in the same room with your supervision. It really depends on the individual dogs. Compare the ingredients in both foods... you'll probably find a difference that's required to help growing puppies reach their potential. |
| I'd feed them different foods for now. It's important they get what they need at appropriate life stages. We had a similar problem with food sneaking by our Rudy. We've worked hard on it. You might want to try the following: Free feeding is something we tried with three of our sheepies over the years. Over time, all three had to be taken off that. They ate too much, gained weight, etc. We went to regular meals, measured amounts, and it really worked better. You can manage/maintain healthy dogs in the long run. The weight issues weren't apparent for a few years, but they consistently cropped up. It was especially bad with two dogs in the house. They seemed to eat more to compete with the other. So, fill both bowls with the correct amount and type for each dog. Go to the location. Stand and look at the dogs. You can tell them to sit/stay, or just stand tall and look at them until they sit. They must stay while you set down the bowls. (It took every dog we had no more than a day and a half of practice to master this. Dinner is a great currency. It gets their attention. Hudson learned it at eleven weeks old.) I keep the bowls only a few feet from each other. This gives me a place to stand in between if needed. No one moves, even though the bowls are down, until I say that dog's name and the command EAT. If they move, say NO and put them back into a sit. Seriously, it took anywhere from one to three feedings for mastery for all five of our sheepies. This one's pretty self re-inforcing. It really teaches that YOU are in charge of the bowl/food/resource and that they must do what you say. It also hits home the idea that this is MY bowl and that one over there isn't. Stay in between the bowls at first, and redirect any dog who wanders over to the wrong one. Use your body, stand tall, and give a command (leave it or whatever you like). After a few days you'll be able to stand back and just give the command as needed. In time there will be no food stealing. (We do allow ours to sniff each other's empty bowls after, but no one is allowed to move toward the other while he's still got food.) I also make sure to put my hand into the bowls every few days or so while they're eating, to reinforce the idea that I can take food away if I need to and to discourage resource guarding. And, you don't have to take the time to feed in separate rooms/lock one away from the other. I don't know if this is the kind of answer you were looking for, but we've given up on free feeding as it's never worked out for our dogs. And so many of the dinnertime issues were so easily fixed by becoming very clear with the rules around food. Our Hudson was a crazy jumper who would attack you joyfully when you carried his food bowl. No way I was living with that. He took two meals to learn this. Now, two years later he's still crazy about dinner and will walk beside me, jumping in the air and occasionally do circles, but he will not come anywhere near me while doing it, and when we arrive at the bowl spot he sits instantly and waits calmly...almost like a good dog....  Anyway, I hope this is helpful. It's just my humble opinion, but I wouldn't do it any other way. Now we just start immediately with this training. Rudy (our rescue who came to us in January of this year) picked it up after ONE meal. He still tries to sneak into Hudson's bowl once in a while, but a simple "hey" from across the room stops him dead in his tracks. Good luck to you, whatever you decide. |
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