 Barked: Fri Dec 17, '10 4:16pm PST |
 | |  | | Hi! I'm new here, but my Gwen does the same thing if other dogs get too close to her food while she is eating. She won't hurt or attack them but will give them a warning growl and show her teeth if they persist, or give them a warning nip if they REALLY don't get it.
She has no problem during feeding time however with my other dog. They get fed at the same time, we just give them their own bowls and space them out at different ends of the kitchen and they leave each other alone.
I also always make sure to give both of them the same treats, separately but at the same time. I'll hold one treat in one hand and one in the other and stretch my arms out to give one to each dog so they eat them separately, one on each side of me. This also puts me in the middle in case one wants to go check out what the other one got, I can stop them.
I do think that some level of food guarding is fairly normal behavior when used only as a warning to establish to the other dog that they are the top dog, which is the context my Gwen would do it in. Gwen came to us as a puppy from a breeder though, while yours came to you probably already having been hungry and without food for awhile or without knowing when her next meal would be, so I don't think Jolie is trying to establish pecking order but maybe is scared that Sheba is going to take away her "last" meal.
A lot of dogs who are rescued feel this way, some grow out of it when they realize they aren't going to go hungry anymore but some never will. I would at least feed them at the same time but in separate rooms or areas, and make sure they're both getting the same exact thing, maybe even buy two identical sets of toys. I also remember reading somewhere that taking them on walks together on one of those coupler leashes so that they have to walk side by side with each other helps them bond too, I haven't tried that though so I can't speak as to whether or not it really works.
Jolie is such a pretty girl though and I hope she gets along better with Sheba in her new loving home!Edited by author Fri Dec 17, '10 4:17pm PST
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