I had the same thoughts, but somehow when you dont give it to them in a bowl and hand feed it, they see it as a treat. It really does work. My biggest challenge was keeping hold of the little bitty pieces and not dropping them on the floor. And you can give them 2 or three pieces at a time, keep switching the number of pieces up, sometimes 1, sometimes 3 it keeps them guessing...like us playing the lotto. Holding the food with my thumb against the palm of my hand worked best. I guess to shorten it, you just have to trust the process.