puppy bites fingers when taking treat.

[ValerieVanzandt]

my 4 month old german sheppard puppy is just starting training.  I am trying to reward him with treats but he bites the ends of my fingers when taking the treat.  He gets so excited about the treat, he bites several times, missing the treat and he even draws blood at times.  I am starting to toss the treats and he catches them, but i would like him to learn how to be gentle. How can i teach him to be easy or take the treat more gently while i still have fingers left? 

[Adrienne]

Hello and welcome to the forums!

We want to make sure we don't release the treat when he's actively biting otherwise we'll be reinforcing the biting. 

We have a guide just for this, please see link below. You may have to start with gloves if he bites to the point of drawing blood until he grasps the concept. 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/

Also, if this happens a lot (missing the treat), when he sees the vet next time, just to be sure, have the vet check his mouth just to ensure his bite is developing properly. A dog I worked with once who would miss a lot had a slight overbite. It could also be though just that he's young and a bit clumsy. 

Hope this helps,

Keep me posted,

Best,

Adrienne