Thankfully Kia is getting out of the habit of someone having to be with her when she eats her dinner.

At home or my parents house, occasionally she'll bring a mouthfull of kibble into the living room and then eat it. At Andy's, her bowl is in the basement and she'll eat contentedly alone while Andy and I are upstairs.

The problem with Layla barking...well... you could probably approach this a couple of ways. Either A) Ignore her. She's likely doing it to get attention. When you stop eating and acknowledge her presense, even though it is a scolding, she is getting what she wants.

Or you could B) put her in her crate while you eat.