I'm so sorry to read about your traumatic experience! Dog fights are really scarey things!

Feeding the two dogs separately would certainly help, but won't cure the problem. As long as one dog tries to take another's food, there is going to be trouble. Charlie MUST learn that he is not *ever* allowed to take another's food, or he will be punished. Help from a behaviorist might be needed.

In the meantime, I would put a trailing leash on both dogs whenever they're together, making sure there are no loops on the end that could catch on something. The leashes shouldn't bother the dogs, as they probably won't even notice them.

But, if Charlie goes for Arthur's food, you can jerk him away and reprimand him immediately. Or if a fight breaks out for any reason, you can separate them. When a dog fight is ongoing, it's impossible to punish only the instigator. A leash would let you get them apart fairly easily, without anyone getting hurt.

Sure hope you're feeling better by now!

Dot