Training Question

 Clicker train her to a target and use THAT to lure, and then teach her basic manners re: treats and snacks?

 She's got basic manners when I'm just handing out snacks. She knows gentle but when we're training, she gets sooo excited (which is good. lol) that she ignores the gentle. I usually wait her out but it takes her a few tries to chill out that I feel she's forgetting why she's getting the treat. Lol.

Can I use anything as a target?

 *snickers*  Inventive idea. But now I want a popsicle. Lol.  I'll think of something.. Maybe I can commender a wooden spoon we don't use... Hmmm

Telescoping points (sort of like old fashioned car antennas) and dowl rods have been used with some success.  I would teach her to catch food that has been spit from your mouth. She has to be in position to have you spit or release the food from your mouth.    Side effect, you get nice facial attention.

 You can also get the same effect of correct position by teaching them to follow a moving target.  When they are correct use your marker then offer the food.  Make the distances between treats longer slowly and methodically.

 I don't have the coordination to spit food at the dog.. Lol. I'd miss most likely. She gives me almost perfect facial attention when we're doing a walking heel. But when she's sitting, her attention wanders.

 I have a couple thoughts, and without seeing your actual luring, forgive me if my suggestions aren't applicable.  Honor and Eli are about Sandy's size, so I'm thinking about how I train with them.  When C&Ting for heeling, I like to use a plastic spoon with peanut butter or cheese on it.  It saves your back if you're going to be practicing that for a bit.  But I have problems remembering to bring the spoon and PB out with me to train, so I just set up a precedent that if either of them jumped up for the treat, they don't get it.  Luckily, only Eli is my real jumper, and when I first noticed that he would often do that, I stopped training with the clicker only because the click should always mean a treat is coming, and I didn't want to devalue the clicker.  I kept practicing sits and finishes with him.  When he didn't jump, he got the treat, when he jumped, he didn't. 

Something I also realized about myself is that I sometimes lure too high for my AKK.  I know when I'm unconsciously doing it, because I get that "Huh?" look from them.  Plus, luring high seems to entice Eli to jump, as he very well knows he's going to get that treat in a few seconds, and he assumes that he should jump to get it.  Something that was enlightening about my own luring, that maybe you might be unconsciously doing the same thing.

I'm so excited that Sandy's enjoying Rally!  It's such a great sport.

Kitty, a friend of mine has an Aussie who is very small (no not a "mini-Aussie" lol).  I saw her using a can of Easy Cheese.  She just pushes a tiny bit out and the dog comes and licks it, so the can is basically a lure and reward.

However I think you should be able to use your hands if you want.  When I was training Nikon at like 8-10 weeks he was probably Sandy's size back then and maybe even more grabby b/c he was a pup.  We did this exercise where I held a treat in my fist and he would bite and grab at it but as soon as he backed away, I opened my hand and let him licked the treat off.  He is still pretty grabby, but I admit I didn't follow through with this method as much as I should have (often when I train I am wearing leather gloves), but I know many people did it enough to train the dog not to be grabby.

 Her grabbing is getting alot better! After a couple bloody fingers. Lol. I think I have GSD pup in disquise.  I'm gonna try the PB on a wooden spoon cuz I know I'm not treating her fast enough so I think I'm rewarding her awkward sits.  I have started training her sit by a wall so that's coming along, slowly but it's coming along. Lol