I have three dogs, all fairly close in age (3 1/2, 3, and nearly 2). I'd like them to have meaty bones on a regular basis to help clean teeth, but giving them bones in the same room is a big no--my oldest boy will eat his, then calmly collect the spoils from the others and store them in 'his' corner. I've tried crating them--they just spend their time wanting to get out of the crate instead of getting on with their bones. Putting them in different rooms hasn't worked well either since everyone wants to see where ma got to :).

Is there something I can do to help them?

> Is there something I can do to help them?

Give them more bones so they're not so special? I usually put 6 bones down for the 4 dogs twice a week.

When I put fresh bones in the garden at first my top dog (Mr Beastly) picks up what he considers the biggest and best, and the others then collect theirs and they all take them off to different parts of the garden. Mr Beastly could walk over to one of the others and demand their bone off them, the other dog will turn it's head to the side and back right away but I don't let him do this, and he knows if I'm watching not to even try it :-) After an hour or so the bones aren't so special and they all swap around.

When the bones are cleaner they can bring them inside and there are no arguments, I simply wouldn't allow it.

I feed mine outside under supervision  then first to finish gets put inside then next one to finish then goes in until the last one has finished. They get fed mainly beef ribs so you dont tend to be supervising them for hours !!

Feeding bones in the garden is what works best for my dogs. When the dogs were younger there were the odd spats - but possession was '10/10's of the Law' :D Feeding them in the garden means they can see each other, but have plenty of room to position themselves where they feel comfortable :) Now my two are older, they usually choose to lie within a few feet of each other and I don't have to supervise. They always get bones at lunchtime so we can watch them from the kitchen window. They haven't had a 'spat' for many years now :)

Separate them; my dogs view bones as extremely high value resources, and if they are given (I am talking recreational bones here) then one is in a crate.

Slightly on a tangent.. I went to a friends today and took my two puppies to play with her large pack of dogs.
She emptied a big bag of hooves onto the kitchen floor..all was quiet...then about half an hour later we saw one dog sitting on a giant heap of hooves, like a chicken on a clutch of eggs. His face was priceless!!
No growling - just stared them all down :-)

When I started to give them the occasional bone they were very high value and never left them alone. Now they get meaty bones every afternoon in the garden (weather permitting) and can leave them alone for short periods, if it's wet or too cold they eat them in their baskets. I must be lucky, a few grumbles if one finishes first and sits too close but as yet nothing worse. Also they will give them up now which previously was near impossible, only draw back being is that they now camp out alongside the fridge waiting for them as soon as they get back from their walk.

toooolz, that's exactly what Diesel does--there's no discussion with the others, and they don't dare object, he just trots off to his corner with his prize. I've found him sitting on socks, my shoes, bones, rope toys, my t shirts--anything that he thinks is edible or is mine, he sees as his duty to protect.

That's been the issue: when one or more is/are crated all they want to do is get out, they're no longer interested in their bones. I like the idea of an embarrassment of riches tactic--they might change if I dump a load of bones out for them.

Mine have bones every day, most of the time the two boys will lay side by side to eat theirs and who ever finishes first will just walk away and neither of them
would dream of taking the small x breed bitches bone off of her either.  Sometimes one of the boys will just lay with his between his feet and doesnt start eating
it till the other one is nearly finished but its still not a problem. Same with their food they all eat in the same place and nobody goes near another ones
bowl till they have moved away from it. 

I do what Chaumsong does and make sure there are more bones than dogs and it works well for my bunch. Occasionally Vic will think someone has something better than he does and will go over and start poking one of the other dogs with his paw while making a woowoowoo noise, I tend to pop him into a different room if he starts being a nuisance like that.

Tooolz that's just what Henry used to do! I've got out of the habit of giving long term chewy treats, because Henry just took them all and sat on them - no growling or fighting, just took them away, no matter how many I put down for the others. Even now he's been gone nearly a year, I've given up on long term stuff! :-)

I have always made sure there are several more bones than dogs and they are no big deal in this house.

I remember years ago when I had a couple of Lurchers if they were given bones one would hide his and then he
would run to the gate barking as if there was someone there and when the other went to look he would take his
bone and go and hide that aswell.  He never learnt to take his bone with him or that there was never anyone there....lol

My eldest Rottie girl does this - well sort of. If the boy has a toy that she wants, she'll go and get something else, entice him into play/dropping his toy, then she'll mug him for it. But then he is too stupid to realise what she's up to, and looks all lost that his potential playmate is now chewing on whatever he had 30 seconds before.

Fascinating to watch - you can almost hear what they're thinking.

Snap, one of my boys tries to do this. They are perfect where food is concerned but toy wise they always want what the other one has
even though we buy identicial in size colour etc.  Worse than having children.