Conflict between dogs during mealtime is not an unusual problem; indeed, many dog owners confess having difficulty in properly managing this unpleasant situation. The appropriate term for conflict occurring during mealtimes or any other situation or scenario where dogs threaten each other over food, toys, owner’s attention or resting areas is resource guarding. Resource guarding can lead to some occasional noisy scuffles or can lead to even some serious fights. Learning how to reduce conflict between dogs during mealtime is therefore a very important aspect in multi-dog households.
Resource Guarding Among Dogs
Most owners who own multiple dogs will see resource guarding in dogs raise its ugly head at one time or another. Despite how unpleasant these “noisy discussions” among dogs are, the truth is, in many cases these are perfectly normal occurrences.
So what’s normal and what’s abnormal? It’s quite normal for dogs living together to have the occasional, twice-a-week episode of posturing and scuffling during their interactions over some type of resource.
This is expected, just as family members have their own discussions over life’s little inconveniences every now and then. It would be highly unrealistic to expect dogs living together to always get perfectly along and grow halos around their heads. The most important thing is that the dogs resolve the issue using ritualized aggression, which is the natural conflict resolution among dogs.
Problems start when resource guarding gets out of hand. Jean Donaldson, in the book “Fight! A Practical Guide to the Treatment of Dog-Dog Aggression” suggests that intervention is needed when when dogs are fighting a few times a day or when there are injurious fights where puncture wounds are inflicted, but with the exception of shallow punctures to faces and muzzles.
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The first case therefore, where dogs have the occasional noisy scuffle and all ends there doesn’t typically require behavior modification, but more likely may benefit from some better management, while the latter case typically requires behavior modification with severe cases even benefiting from re-homing one dog if the fights lead to injuries and stress to both parties.
If your dogs are having serious fights during meal time, please don’t hesitate to consult with a behavior professional to help you out for safety and correct implementation. Behaviors modification comes with risks, and each year several dog owners get inured by implementing incorrect and unsafe techniques.
If the more confident dog approaches or challenges the subordinate dog and the subordinate dog assumes a subordinate posture, the owners are not to intervene as long as the confident dog ceases the challenge.”Debra Horwitz & Gary Landsberg, veterinary behaviorists
It’s An Adaptive Trait 
As much as resource guarding may seem like an ugly trait, if we take a look back into a dog’s past natural environment, we will soon recognize that it’s a highly adaptive trait. Sharing left and right in the wild when there were not enough resources would not have offered much of a survival advantage in the long run. Only wild canids who were capable of defending their resources from other animals were able to live and pass down their genes to future generations.
Despite domestication and the presence of ample food supplies and comfy places to sleep, dogs still pertain a strong instinct to resource guard favorite people, resting spots and foods. For many dogs, mealtime is often perceived as the main perk of the day. With such a looked-forwarded-to event, it’s quite normal for dogs to be quivering in anticipation when mealtime is right around the corner. When things though get a little too exciting, it’s not surprising for things to get a little out of hand.
Indeed, many squabbles among dogs happen just before mealtime, during mealtime or right afterwards. The underlying causes for tension around mealtimes in dogs may be due to a combination of the building excitement, some dogs thinking that the other dog’s food must be better and therefore, worthy of stealing, and tension of eating up as fast as possible before the other dog comes too close for comfort. Some squabbles even erupt from a dog approaching another dog’s empty food bowl or a couple of crumbs left behind on the floor.
Most dogs are curious to check each others’ food bowls after eating and this can cause tension if one dog acts pushy and approaches before the other dog has left the area, or one dog may leave the area, but then retreat back once he notices the other dog gets close to his bowl.
Management to Reduce Conflict Between Dogs During Meal Time
When it comes to reducing conflict between dogs during meal time, management goes a long way. Dogs need distance so that they can relax knowing that no dog will get in each others’ way. When meal time leads to tension, it’s therefore a good practice to feed dogs in opposite corners of the kitchen or even in different rooms.
Should one dog finish faster, a sit-stay or down-stay (reward him for holding position by delivering a treat every now and then, and then gradually wait a little longer each time before delivering the treat) can help prevent him from accessing the other dog who is still eating.
Another option comes from Karen Bondon’s and Patricia McConnell’s book “Feeling Outnumbered? How to Manage and Enjoy Your Multi-Dog Household.” It’s called “giving a dog dessert.” In other words, if you have a dog who eats faster and goes trick-or-treating in your other dog’s bowl, you create a habit of having your faster eater meet you in another room where he is given several treats that are superior in value than what’s in the other dog’s food bowl. This creates a good habit that offers the dog an alternate behavior than bothering the other dog who is still finishing up.
If one dog is always faster then the other, slowing him down using a slow-feeder bowl ( or a Kong Wobbler or other puzzle toy) may buy you enough time for the other dog to finish first and remove the food bowl so that there is nothing to fight over. Make sure though that as your dog eats through the puzzle toy it’s not rolling around close to your other dog eating.
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If both dogs end up finishing at the same time, why not let them join you in another room (while a helper removes the empty food bowls) and ask them to sit and deliver a treat first to the calmer dog and then the other one. This keeps the dogs focused on something else while adding a bit of obedience training. Since the food bowls are removed while the dogs are busy with you (some dog fights erupt even when food bowls are immaculately clean and shiny), once they go back to their dining area there should be no more reason for conflict to occur.
If tension erupts over high-value long-lasting treats such as bully sticks, bones or stuffed Kongs, then in those cases it’s best to keep dogs once again, at a distance from each other or even locked away in a different room or in a crate until these goodies are consumed.
Behavior Modification to Reduce Conflict Between Dogs During
Mealtime
Sometimes, mealtime leads to major fights, and in those cases, behavior modification to reduce conflict between dogs during mealtime is necessary. As mentioned, serious cases of resource guarding should be referred to a behavior professional, ideally a board-certified veterinary behaviorist (DACVB) a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB), or a dog trainer who is well versed in using force-free dog behavior modification.
How is behavior modification implemented to reduce conflict between dogs during mealtime? Pat Miller , dog trainer and owner of Peaceable Paws offers a few effective suggestions based on changing the guarder dog’s emotional response to another dog approaching during mealtime. Here’s a brief example of what this would entail.
One person stands next to the guarder who is on leash, while another person walks the other dog on leash at the most distant side of the house. The moment the guarder makes eye contact with the other dog, he is fed high-value treats. When the other dog leaves, the feeding abruptly stops. Treats may also be fed to the other dog just to keep him focused on the handler rather than the guarder.
Coming and leaving is repeated several times, up until the guarder starts forming positive associations and starts looking happily for his treats upon spotting the othe dog.
These exercises are repeated several times with the other dog gradually moving closer to the guarder. The handler should carefully monitor the guarder for signs of stress such as stiffening, making direct eye contact etc. If at any time the guarder appears tense (stiffening of body, head lowered over bowl, whites of the eyes showing), that’s a sign he’s not ready for that level of closeness. A step back should be taken and progress should continue until a consistent positive emotional response is evoked in the guarder.
While the above method can be successful in changing the emotional response of the guarder, it’s important to recognize though that this isn’t a substitute for proper management. No dog should be put into the position of having to “tolerate” another dog coming close with the intent of stealing food and no dog should be allowed to get close when another dog is eating. Dogs should be taught to respect each others’ space and boundaries when in possession of food. Just as you don’t want a person sitting next to you in a restaurant and messing with your food using a fork, dogs don’t like that either.
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