How do we feed multiple dogs? If certain dogs in the pack have food aggression issues, can they still be fed with other dogs? What about dogs that don’t respect boundaries and steal the food of other dogs? How do we control the feeding of multiple dogs?
Before you start
Before we even start preparing the bowls and food for the dogs, we have to know certain things about the dogs:
-Which dogs are fast eaters and which dogs are slow eaters?
-Which dogs have a milder temperament?
-Which dogs have (potentially) a resource guarding issue?
-Which dogs are nosy (i.e. will go to other dogs’ bowls)?
Who eats first?
Once we know which dogs fall into each category, we can move on to the actual feeding.
1) If you’re feeding them in the kitchen, look for a place that’s not too cramped nor too spacious for them.
2) As you prepare the food, the dogs may be excited and jumping around, perhaps even barking. What should you do? IGNORE! We don’t want to push them away, start shouting at them or acknowledge them, as they may take it as play (if we push them about) and our raised tones may get them more excited.
3) When all the food has been prepared, place the bowls on the counter and wait for them to calm down. This may take awhile initially, but they should catch on quickly after a few feedings.
4) How do you place the dogs? Make sure that the dogs that have, or potentially have, food aggression are slightly further away from the nosy dogs, and closer to only the dogs with milder temperament. The more nosy dogs should also be placed next to the dogs with milder temperament. Don’t have the dogs side by side, as they will still be able to see (and perhaps stare at) each other at the corner of their eyes. Place the dogs in a ‘random’ order around the kitchen.
Abby, Lady-Mae and Olive sit and wait patiently for their food bowl. Lady-Mae, who has a milder temperament, separates the two more reactive dogs (Abby and Olive)
5) Once all the dogs are sitting quietly, you can start placing the bowls on the ground. This is the most difficult part, in my opinion. Moving slowly and deliberately, each dog will have its respective bowl placed in front of him. All the dogs are expected to remain calm and seated. As long as one dog stands, moves or barks, remove the bowls and put them back on the counter. Wait for them to sit again and continue placing the bowls on the ground.
Twinkle, Cotton, Hyper, Lady-Mae and Abby (Olive is hidden behind the washing machine) wait patiently (or stare longingly) for the release word to eat
6) When all the bowls have been placed in front of each dog and all of them are waiting calmly and patiently, they are ready to be released to eat. This can be tricky as well: you need to release each dog separately (by calling their name or tapping them gently on the head). You want to allow the dogs who eat slowly to eat first, then move on to the faster eaters.
7) You must watch the dogs at all times as they are eating. If you notice any change in behavior in any of the dogs which indicate resource guarding (for example, their eating slows suddenly, staring or tension in their body, they lose focus on the food, low growling, showing teeth, etc.) quickly remove their bowl by lifting the bowl up and towards the dog’s face. Resettle that dog slightly further away from where he was initially. He is telling you that you are feeding him too near the other dogs for now, and we need to respect that.
For nosy dogs that like to go to the bowls of other dogs, be sure to keep them a further distance from the other dogs. As mentioned before, they can be placed slightly nearer to the dogs with mild temperament. Always keep an eye on these nosy dogs to make sure they are focused on their own food bowl. Anytime they look away to the other bowls, distract them and get their attention by making a kissy noise, or use your legs and hands, or move to block their attention and make sure they are sitting calmly again. Always make sure you have the most attention from nosy dogs!
8) As soon as each dog has finished eating, remove their bowl and have them leave the feeding area or kitchen. This is to give more space for the dogs who are still eating.
Always ensure that the feeding ritual proceeds only if the dogs are not jumpy and excited. We want to reward calm behavior. We also want them to be okay eating with other dogs around, and as they get used to doing this, we can gradually move their bowls closer to each other.
Do not attempt to feed more than two dogs until you have had sufficient practice and are confident in reading the dogs’ body language. It is also recommended that you only feed dogs together when they are familiar with each other and when you are familiar enough with them to know their temperament.
In the case that the feeder loses control or a fight breaks out:
1) Remove the bowl that the dogs are fighting over.
2) Immediately make a loud noise – clap your hands or bang the counter. This breaks the intentions of other dogs, if they were thinking of going nearer or getting into the fight.
3) Remove the scuffling dog that is closer to you. Never grab by the collar, as it may slip and the dog may redirect the aggression on you; instead grab their hind leg from the hips and pull them back as fast and as far as possible, then let go and hold on to their collar or neck (the scuff).
4) Don’t pet the dogs. Just hold on to both dogs and wait for them to calm down. Calming signals include yawning, shaking their body and looking away from the other dog. Then slowly let go of them.
Always remember that the fight occurred because the feeder/owner failed to recognize the signals from the dogs, so make sure that you are constantly on the lookout for signals from the dogs that they are not comfortable with the dog next to them. As we continue to feed them together, they will start to trust the dogs around and improve their resource guarding issues.
The dogs in this video have walked together once a week for the past 2-3 months and I regularly practice multi-dog feeding as part of my training.
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