Feeding two Shih Tzus separately

Bringing a 10-week-old Shih Tzu into a home that already has an older one is exciting — but those first few months genuinely set the patterns for life. The right tools from the start make training easier and far less stressful for everyone involved, puppy and owner alike, while the wrong ones can create habits that are surprisingly hard to undo. Before I point you in any direction, I'd love to know a little more — how old is the older Shih Tzu, and what's the main thing you're trying to sort out right now? Is it feeding, general training, or something else that's already come up?

That's a very common and very real problem with two Shih Tzus in a small space — and it's worth sorting properly now, because resource guarding around food can develop quickly if mealtimes feel chaotic or competitive. A four-year-old Shih Tzu will almost certainly eat faster and more confidently than a 10-week-old puppy, so without a clear physical boundary, the older dog is likely to finish first and move straight to the puppy's bowl. Can I ask — do you currently feed the older dog on the floor, or does he have a raised station? And is the puppy on wet food, dry, or a mix?

Perfect — different foods actually helps here, because neither dog is going to find the other's bowl quite as tempting once they know what's theirs. But at 10 weeks old, your puppy has no impulse control whatsoever, so you really do need a physical solution rather than relying on training alone for now. What I'd recommend is the Outward Hound Fun Feeder Slow Bowl for the puppy. It has a low-profile maze design that slows a puppy down naturally — which matters because Shih Tzus can bolt food — and critically, it looks and feels completely different from a standard bowl, so each dog quickly learns which station is theirs. You keep them on opposite sides of the kitchen, even just a metre apart, and the visual difference between the two bowls reinforces the boundary passively over time. It's dishwasher safe, non-slip, and the small size is perfect for a Shih Tzu puppy's portions. Your older dog stays on whatever bowl he's used to, you don't disrupt his routine, and the puppy gets something that's clearly his own from day one.

Yes — the Outward Hound Fun Feeder works fine with wet food. The maze ridges slow the puppy down by breaking up the food across the surface, and wet food sits in the channels just as well as dry. It's actually a good habit to get into with wet food because puppies can inhale soft food even faster than kibble, which can cause vomiting and digestive upset. The only thing to note is that wet food in a maze bowl needs rinsing promptly after each meal — you don't want it drying in the grooves — but since it's dishwasher safe, that's genuinely not much extra effort. I'd say it's the right call for your setup.

You're all set. Keeping mealtimes calm and clearly separated right from the start is one of the best things you can do for a two-dog household — it removes a big source of potential tension before it ever becomes a habit. The Outward Hound Fun Feeder small size is the one to go for. Good luck with the new puppy — Shih Tzus are brilliant little dogs and yours sounds like it's landed in a good home.