Say I have two dogs, one of them likes to graze their food. The other likes to inhale it.
How do I prevent an inhaling dog from eating the grazing dog's food while still letting the grazing dog graze their food safely?
My own dogs have been trained to leave the guests alone while they eat. If the inhaler lives with you or is a frequent guest, I'd recommend working on mealtime manners as it's good for them to practice self-control. (None of the dogs I watch have resource guarding issues, so I generally don't separate for feedings.) If the inhaler is another guest, I'll bring the slower eating dog into another room with the door shut and leave them there with the food for 10-15 mins at meal times. Sometimes I have to sit in there with them, as many don't like being left alone, and instead of eating, they'll just stand at the door and whine until I let them out. A dog who is used to free-feeding may not eat the first meal or two on a schedule, but they get the hang of it pretty quickly. So long as they don't have medical issues, it shouldn't be a problem if they skip a couple meals.
If you want to encourage eating, you can try hand feeding, mixing a few treats in with their food, or adding a little water or broth, etc. Just be sure to check with the owners before adding in something they didn't provide or previously ok.
Does the owner of the dog bring their food or do you supply the food for the dog
Many of my guests are accustomed to free feeding, which is fine if they're the only dog around. Unfortunately, that isn't practical or possible when they're staying with a sitter who either has a dog or sits for more than one. Dogs are opportunistic eaters. If it is there, they'll eat it whether hungry or not. When I have a grazer, I explain to the owner that I cannot leave food out all day. Not one has had an issue with that.
My dog's regular feeding area is the dining room, where the shared water bowl is kept. Guest dogs eat in the kitchen, mainly because they're messy, dropping kibble all over the place but also because I can monitor them there. If there is a third dog, the bowl is around the corner and I can watch everyone. I might also have to baby gate the hallway to keep guest dogs away from my dog's food. The grazer's food will be left on the floor for about 15 minutes at a time, then picked up. I have added broth or other goodies to entice those dogs, but they soon learn there is a brief window of opportunity to eat. I don't get especially worried if a dog misses one meal. I had one spoiled grazing dog who would only eat his treats and never ate his food the entire stay. That drove me crazy but there wasn't much I could do.
If the inhaler is your dog, you may want to check out something you can add to their bowl that will slow them down or feed food in a Kong type toy, for the benefit of their own health. http://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/evrmulticontrollingpetseating_behavior
As for the grazer, like Laura I've also separated the grazer in it's own area or room, and usually I'll stay with them, or I've hand fed, or added something that the owners pre-approved such as treats, etc. (discussed during M&G) to their food, and/or offer multiple times to eat throughout the day picking up the bowl each time the dog leaves it.
That's tricky. In general, I would recommend either not having two vastly different feeding types at your home at the same time or allow for adjustments to one of their normal feeding routines. Once in this situation, you have to deal with it as is, so I would first see if dogs can be separated to different parts of the home without limiting access or confining one. Maybe one can stay in the kitchen and the other in the living room, if possible. Or rotate if you can. If keeping separated just isn't preferred, either decide to let the inhaler have his fill so he isn't interested in the grazers food, OR simply don't allow the grazer to graze while the inhaler is present. Offer him meals at the same time as the other dog, instead of leaving food down all the time. Unfortunately, it's just a difficult situation in which certain allowances must be made. Sometimes you have to bend the rules to make it work. Best though would be to avoid the situation in the future if possible.
