Tales of the Food Bowl

It's finally happened, someone has emerged as the "food bowl controller".  I've been expecting this as it is just too much to expect four excited little doxies to share a bowl of food.

I've always just filled up the bowl and put it in the floor to let them graze at their lesiure.  They are fed once a day, in the evening, and strangely do not get very excited about the appearance of the food bowl.  Other dogs that I've had would start to pace right before feeding time, or sit patiently in front of the bowl.  But not this pack!  And, sometimes they clean out the bowl and sometimes they just nibble.  Usually they would take turns eating.  For a while Blossom would growl and hog the bowl but that seemed to pass.  I've always kept an eye on them as I didn't want any one of them to controll the bowl.

As an overly concerned "doggie parent" I had added another small bowl into the routine several weeks ago.  I had the thought that maybe adding another bowl would spark more interest in eating and keep down any conflicts if they arose.  Ok, fine.  Or so I thoughht.  Tonight Bentley decided that both bowls were his and no one was going to eat. He did a good job of protecting the bowls while intimidating any one who tried to invade the bowl territory!  I tried separating the dogs but that didn't work; they were all confused and did nothing but yap.  So I'm hoping that everyone did get enough to eat before this little episode.  Tomorrow I'll fill up four bowls and figure out how to distribute dogs and bowls separately.  They'll figure it out once I figure it out!