Training Liver Bites

A training treat has one job: be swallowed in under a second so the next repetition can start. Anything a dog has to chew breaks the rhythm and the dog stops offering behaviour. These are 5mm, roughly 1.8 calories each, and gone before the dog has finished looking pleased with itself.

Freeze-dried liver is about as high-value as food gets for most dogs, which is what you want for recall practice and for anything you are teaching near a distraction. Keep the good stuff for the hard work. Use kibble from the daily ration for easy indoor repetitions and save these for the field.

Because they are calorie-dense by weight, count them. Treats should stay under about a tenth of daily intake, so on a heavy training day take a corresponding scoop out of dinner. A dog that gains weight during training season is a very common and very avoidable outcome.

One honest warning: liver is rich. Some dogs, especially puppies and small breeds, get loose stools if they go from zero to a hundred pieces in an afternoon. Introduce them over a few days, and if your dog has a diagnosed liver, copper or pancreatic condition, check with your vet first.