What makes a good Treat?

Basically anything that your dog likes and he will work especially hard for.

Dried Liver Bits

After yesterdays training session I discovered I was getting dangerously low on liver bits.  So it's time to dry up some more.  I have some deer livers and hearts in my freezer, given to me by an avid hunter. I will pop these into my oven at 375° and cook until they are done, usually an hour or two depends on the size of the organs and the dogs don't care if they are over cooked.  Next I will let them come to room temperature, usually overnight. Then I slice them up as thin as possible. I have a small meat slicer that does a nice job but a good sharp knife works just as well.  Now I have a choice, use the oven set at 200°, spread the slices on a cookie sheet and let them dry, usually takes most of the day.  Or if you are fortunate enough to have a dehydrator you can use that, some of these are slower but they don't over heat your house and waste energy. My personal choice is my dehydrator.  When the slices are dry I put them in snack size zip-lock baggies, just the right size for a full training session. I store them in my doggy cupboard, a cool dry place. So far the dogs go wild for these bits and I haven't noticed any health issues, (hotspots etc.) from their use.  My last batch of liver was from an Elk, absolutely huge was that liver.  I had to cut it into 3rds in order to roast it up.  Now this is what I use for training, mixed up with some cheese strings and commercially produced treats, but these are the highest value treats in my treat bag.

My husband is the giver of cookies in our house.  These are freely given treats for just being a good dog.  We have one time of day that these treats are given out, 9 pm just before bedtime. Usually we have commercially produced biscuits for this treat but lately I've been thinking of my dogs health and weight issues.  I found a couple of sites I can visit and download recipes for treats that don't have a lot of preservatives and extras in them but are tasty for the dogs.  This site is full of lots of different recipes for the do-it-yourselfer. And if you want to send a gift to a friend I found this site.