Re: Have I finally found my friends? (Palmer has crossed over the Bridge)
Hi Susan,
"Kibble" simply means dry feed - regardless of the actual size of the nuggets. I used to think kibble was a particular type of feed or just the small bite feeds, but it refers to all dry feeds.
As treats, using kibble is much more nutritious than treats like Pupperoni, Beggin' Strips, etc. Those things are full of fats. You can use fresh veggies and fruits that she likes as treats instead.
For feeding a puppy, you want to stay with a high quality puppy food for at least 6 months, preferably one year - canned or kibble, either one, or a combination. Controlled feeding VS free feeding is best for most dogs regardless of their age. Free feeding can lead to obesity and problems with systems like skeletal. In my studies, I have read that free feeding puppies can also lead to hormonal imbalances. This is something I haven't had time to delve into deeply, but I have seen the references enough to know it is something to consider. As a cush parent, that really stuck! LOL
In choosing a feed, read the labels and not the packaging - the hype on the actual bag that catches your eye. The package may say chicken and rice but when you read the label, chicken is the 8th ingredient listed which means there is very little chicken in the feed. If the feed is supposed to be chicken and rice, those ingredients should be listed in the first 4 ingredients. BTW, chicken by-products, or ANY by-product, is not what you want. By-products are things like feathers, feet, beaks, etc. - things from the human grade product that are not edible. You want to see meat and meat meals in those first few ingredients.
Hope this helps!
Hugs,
Leslie and the girls - always
"May you know that absence is full of tender presence and that nothing is ever lost or forgotten." John O'Donahue, "Eternal Echoes"
Death is not a changing of worlds as most imagine, as much as the walls of this world infinitely expanding.
I personally would not use the high reward special treats for all the "normal" training like sit, down etc. I reserve those for training that prooves to be especially difficult for the pup (could be something else for each pup) I prefer to use kibble and what I will do is I will measure the amount of food that the dog should be eating during a day and then take some of that to use for training and rewards. For example, your dog should eat 80 grams of kibble each day. You feed it twice a day (in case of an adult dog) so that would make for two meals of 40 grams each. Now, grab a handful of kibbles and set them apart for training and rewarding. Let's say you took 10 grams of kibble to use for training. That will leave two meals of 35 grams each (80 grams - 10 grams = 70 grams : 2 = 35 grams) 
This way the dog will not get more food then it should. Each treat or reward is extra food...if you feed the 80 grams needed and hand out treats on top of that amount. It's very important for any dog to be in good shape and have a healthy weight but for puppies especially. So I would start training and rewarding with kibble (taken from the daily amount) and see how that goes. If she doesn't respond wel to the kibble you could always try to use a toy or cuddles as a reward, not all dogs are food motivated allthough most are 
