I have two new dogs - one I adopted on 09/06/08 (Charlie) and the other just this past Saturday 10/18/08 (P.D.). They each have their own food and water bowls but they both eat and drink out of whichever one strikes their fancy.

How do I get Charlie to only eat & drink out of HER bowls and P.D. to eat & drink only out of his bowls?

I've read before that each dog in a household should have their own bowls so what do I do? I'm at a loss.

The only way I can see that you can do that is if you feed them in different areas at the same time but I don't see what difference it makes if they eat out of the same bowls. You could just dump it on the ground for all they care.

[wishbone]

Feed them on separate rooms for few weeks, then slowly take their bowls close and closer till they are well eating together...

I agree with wishbone. If you feed them separately, it will work!

Feed them in separate areas at the same time or at least their bowls has distance.

Well the trouble with feeding them in separate rooms is that they both kinda nibble throughout the day. I give them a certain amount of food and that's all they get - they can eat it at their leisure. it's not like i bust out the bag of food and they are ready to eat it all in one sitting like a full meal. Otherwise, that's totally what I would do.

I guess I sorta agree with Splinters - if they don't care whose bowl is whose I guess why should i? right? But my hubs told me he read that it's important for them to have and know their own bowls. Why would you guys suppose that is? I'm stumped? Thoughts?

The only reason I would think that it could be important would be if you already had one dog at home for a long time then decided to get another. If that were the case the dog that already had ownership to his own bowl would not want the new dog messing with it. Same would go for toys etc...

Yeah that would definately make sense but since my first little one has only called our house her home for a month prior to the second little one, I guess it should'nt really matter.

I just hope one doesn't eat more food than the other each day, ya know? lol Cuz' P.D. (the 2nd dog) is a little piggy and Charlie (dog #1) is a nibbler throughout the day. I guess if I start seeing chubs appearing on P.D. and Charlie getting thinner, I'll know, cuz' I can't be babysitting their bowls all day lol.

[Yogi]

As one who has 18 dogs and a former breeder for many years each of mine had their own food dish and are fed in their crates. This helps in crate training. The water is a community self feeder that is shared by all the dogs as well as the 13 Manx cats. I can see no reason to have a separate dish for water unless they are crated, then a water dish would be needed for each.

These two aren't crated. They're both well behaved enough and house trained that we don't see the need to use crates. That just always seemed kinda sad & mean to do. I sure wouldn't want to spend my day in a crate waiting for my owner to get home each day. That's how we see it anyway.

Well, between this forum and searching online, I have spent the better part of all day today trying to justify a need for separate bowls and can not except for if they both want to eat at the exact same time. So I guess I'll keep filling two bowls of food and two bowls of water and see if there are any problems.

If anyone else knows why they'd need separate bowls, please chime in. The more people's thoughts I get to read, the better!

The only reasons for feeding dogs/any pet from their own dish would be 1) food aggression/territorialism, and thus fighting 2) differing dietary needs, i.e.; a senior dog and a puppy, or a sick dog and a healthy dog. If both dogs are happy to share with each other, and are eating the same food, then a communal dish is not a problem.

Yep....that's what I'm thinking too. They do eat the same kind of food and the only fighting they do is play fighting (which is so cute lol). Since we just got the second one less than a week ago, so far the two seem to be becoming the best of buddies. Sharing AND no fighting, seems that I have a good situation and will no longer worry about which bowl they eat or drink from.

You guys have all been very helpful - thanks!:grin:

Originally Posted by poodle of mud

I agree with wishbone. If you feed them separately, it will work!

I think poddle and wishbone's opinion is right.you can try that.you can also do a work that you give them favorite food thats they like.

ps:sorry for bad english.

Thanx for the post, dogforever! I think I'll just stick to "if it isn't broke, don't fix it". They both seem okay with sharing one another's bowls. So until such time that they show signs that they don't like sharing, I'll just let them be.

I think you're right about, "If it's not broke don't fix it". Best wishes to you and your babies!

Thanks Jake!

(This site is so friendly - I love it!)

There is another reason or two to have your dogs eat from their own bowl, and eat all their food in 10-15 minutes, rather than free feeding all day.

One, you can be certain that each dog is eating the amount of food it requires, and is not over eating.

Another reason is that you'll know very quickly if one dog goes off it's food. That can be difficult to monitor if the dogs are free feeding. But if you put the food bowl down and one of them only nibbles, when he knows he only has 15 minutes to eat or his food will be put up until next time, it's an indication that something may be wrong.

And, should the day come when it becomes necessary to put one dog on a special food, they'll be used to eating from their own bowl, and eating each meal as a meal, and not as a "nibble whenever you feel like it."

Very interesting, vetgroomer. Thank you - that does make sense. I have this weekend off with nothing planned but spending time with my pooches. Soooo.... I will give the 15 minute mealtime thing a try. I know P.D. will do okay because when I fill the bowls in the morning, he digs right in and has his meal. Charlie, on the other hand, is my little nibbler. She will require a bit more training on this. But she's a sharp one so I think a couple of times showing her that the food will be put up after 15 minutes, she'll catch on. I'll keep you posted. Thanks so much for this suggestion. I want happy, healthy dogs and this way I'll be able to detect potential problems much better.

Oh.... a question for you vetgroomer.... Do you suggest any certain time of day for this? Or would this be a breakfast 15 minutes, lunch 15 minutes, dinner 15 minutes kinda thing? Or should I just feed them once a day? I'm a rookie so those might be stupid questions, but I'd rather ask than wonder. Thanks.

[CorkyMax]

I have 2 dogs. I use one of those raised diners (can't think for sure what it is called). It has 2 "holes" where the bowls sit in and looks like a small table--anyway I don't use 1 of the bowls for water--I use for food for 2 dogs. I use a separate metal bowl on a raised object (I set it on a plastic container w/ something heavy inside to hold it in place and put the plastic lid on as the base for the bowl--hope I am explaining this well enough!). I also feed a raw diet so would not want to leave it sit out but my dogs eat everything up in 5 mins. or less anyhow. One dog is a faster eater and he would get in the other dog's food so I stand there and wait until they are done. Dog food of any kind is better not left to sit---I feed mine twice a day--morning and evening. A dog should have his food set out for him for 15-20 min or less----if he doesn't eat it in that amount of time he will eventually figure out he better if he is hungry--take it away until time for the next meal. Repitition--dogs will learn.