canine rivalry within the family

Question
I have a 4 1/2 year old female and now I have a 9 week old male How can I stop the two dogs from eating each others food It seems like a power struggle. I have tried putting the food in separate rooms but the puppy seeks out the other dog's food.

Answer
The 9 week old puppy is in his "learning" stage and "discovery" stage.

He is curious about the other food and discovering it, and learning it tastes good too.

How does your 4 1/2 year old female feel about it? Is she okay with the puppy eating her food? Without growling and snapping at him?

I suggest two things.

If you are going to feed them together which is best (at the same time) pull up a chair and hunker down for training.

Give the older one her food and the puppy his puppy food. Let them eat.

The second the puppy goes to her food dish- pick him up, tell him "no" (a word he should learn ASAP) and place him back at his food dish. Continue this as needed.

Another suggestion is, puppy needs to eat more often than the older female. Allow puppy to eat at minimum 3 times a day- so 2 times by himself, and 1 time with her and practice the training routine.

It won't be long he'll understand "no" and her dish is a no-no and his is okay.