Dog frens, our GSD is 10 months old and almost full grown physically, but he is still a bundle of energy and as it is snowy outside, we are working his training routine indoors. I've been trying to do training using his mid-day ration...He is still on 3 meals a day. I'm not having much luck with advice to "train with kibble" instead of using overly-rich and pricey dog treats.
Pup loves to work for treats BUT if he is HONGRY - and he usually always IS - his teeth will always scape my hand as I'm giving him his little rewards. I've followed the trainer's instructions about how to hold treats with an open palm, like one does with a horse, but it's just not working for him to gently nibble the tiny pieces of kibble I'm giving him. I always feel his teeth scraping my palm or my fingers, even though he doesn't bite them; he's just overly eager. My H says he doesn't have this issue, and our trainer thinks I'm making it up. Sigh. I'm just reactive to getting potentially injured. (We both survived the landshark months with this pup, but after all that, I'm a bit leery of the Gorilla teeth!)
We have enjoyed giving him a Costco treat: 2 inch long, round, skinny jerky-type treat. But I am just wondering: why don't I try to make some small, chunky treat out of his kibble? Have any of you successfully done this?
Another reason I want to try a baked treat is: I drop the kibbles I give him to avoid that feeling of teeth scraping my hand and they almost always end up bouncing somewhere he has to "Go Find." Another command, defeating the purpose of his understanding why he was being rewarded! (Clearly I suck at dog training. I also ain't much good at cooking!)
Just wondering, if I crushed up some of his kibble with egg and baked a bunch of mini treats, could I reward him better while not overdoing his daily intake?
