# Breaking kibble into smaller pieces?



## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

Okay, there must be a magical solution out there... 

I'm feeding Acana and the kibble is way too big. My puppy has no problem eating it but I want it to be a fourth of the size so I can reward more behaviors. He does not get meals. He is literally earning every kibble so far and I can go even further if I can just break it down! 

I've tried: coffee grinder, blender, hammer. The first two did nothing. Hammer works but pulverizes a little too much... and is tedious!


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Pick a smaller kibble. I haven't ever found a way to break up kibble in terms of using it for rewards. Smashing and adding water to make it more enticing for a pup or sick dog, sure, but nothing that can actually be handled practically.


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

Aww, but I LIKE Acana for both dogs


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Canyx said:


> Aww, but I LIKE Acana for both dogs


How small are you wanting the kibble to be? Fromm puppy and Pro Pac puppy are some of the smallest I have seen. Victor normal kibble is about pencil eraser size.

I have hand smashed, put in a cup blender, and simply put in a bag and smacked on the floor, kibble to break it up but overall, a smaller kibble is far easier.


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

I want it to be the size of half a pea. I will just have to keep using hammers or my teeth (yuck!) then


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Try a nail and hammer?


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## DaySleepers (Apr 9, 2011)

Pill cutter? It'd be tedius but... might work if you get one meant for big pills.


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## ForTheLoveOfDogs (Jun 3, 2007)

I have Acana too and wish the kibble was just a bit smaller. Sometimes when I have soggy treats in my treat bags with the kibble it gets just a bit less hard. Then it is fairly easy to break apart. Not sure if you could lay them out on a pan/plate with just a tiny bit of water so they are easier to break? I imagine it would be trial and error to figure out just how much/how long it needs to soak before getting too soggy.


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## Wet Beards (Jan 25, 2015)

First pile is cut in half, second pile is cut into thirds. 
Tedious yes, but it will give you the size you want.


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

Oh, you are all much more patient than I am!  
But thanks for the suggestions. I may try some good old elbow grease then.


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## Wet Beards (Jan 25, 2015)

Something else I thought of doing but didn't test to see if it
would work:
Put kibble in a large zip lock freezer bag, single layer, and use
a rolling pin to break up.


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

that is what I was coming to say ^^^^^ (Wet Beards )


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## Lillith (Feb 16, 2016)

I would use a food processor with the dough blade. It's not sharp, so it won't pulverize it, but will most likely break it up.


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

When I had this problem (I fee Acana and it doesn't fit in my Game Changer), SDRanger told me she does it by hand. It's suuuuuuper tedious, but you can do it.

ETA: seems like "tedious" is just going to be the name of the game.


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

Try treating it like stale bread to soften it ? 

Substitute 'handful of kibble' for 'bread' in the instructions below. add a small bit of water before heating. Then, after the kibble is soft, it may be easier to cut. The kibble may harden after it cools. You'll have to experiment with amount of kibble, amount of water, and amount of time, but you may find a balance that allows you to 'process' one training portion or daily portion at a time.

Preheat your oven to a low temperature. Set your oven to 300ºF (150ºC). ...
Add water only if the crust is hard. Even stale bread still contains plenty of water. ...
Wrap the bread in foil. ...
Heat until soft. ...
Unwrap and heat for another five minutes if the crust is too soft. ...
Eat soon.


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