# dried liver for training



## Cin3dee (Jan 5, 2013)

I read a few online books by ian dunbar and he recommended using dehydrated liver for potty training rewards. Anyone have thoughts on this as far as health and safety? My puppy will be 8 weeks old when I start this treat. ( if I havent heard lots of negative on it that is!) Just concerned as I read online today about liver not being good. So much into out there Im at a loss what to even use for dog food now!


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## WhosMyFluffyPuppy (Jan 12, 2013)

I don't remember where I read it, but I've read that liver is ok _sparingly_ as a treat. The vet we use and our trainer/teacher seemed ok with this too when we mentioned it. We've been giving our dog liver since he was 8 weeks old as a treat one or twice a day and try to not go over that to keep the treat "special" so he always comes running for recall (we use liver for "come"). But other than using it sparingly, I haven't been told liver is bad.

Edit: I don't if this matters, but we use boiled chicken livers for treat vs using dehydrated, but I don't think it makes too much a difference.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

A small amount of liver is very good for dogs; larger amounts can cause diarrhoea; very large amounts (think feeding mainly liver) can cause more serious problems.

I tried mine with dried liver - they absolutely loved it, but even at the low end of the recommended amount it gave Sophy the runs. After a couple of sleepless nights when she was up and out every hour I gave the pot away to someone with a bigger dog. (I should have learned after the first night, but I thought it might just be coincidence!) If you reckon that at least 80% of liver is water, then when completely dehydrated 1oz of dried is the equivalent of over 8oz of fresh, so getting quantities right for a small breed pup may be difficult (not sure how big your puppy is?). You may find it better to dip less rich treats in liver powder - tiny pieces of cooked chicken dipped in just a little liver powder would have my dogs convinced all their birthdays and Christmases had come at once!


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## Cin3dee (Jan 5, 2013)

Ohhh thank you for the advice! I certainly dont want her to get the runs her first week with me! Glad I asked here as Ian Dunbars books was saying giving like six pieces every time they go out to pee to really reward them. I will cut up the pieces even smaller and only give her tiny pieces. I think for potty time we will find a better treat.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I chopped each centimetre cube into about 8 pieces - and half a dozen of those gave Sophy the trots! Poppy, on the other hand, was fine with it. Most dogs love chicken, and are OK with it, so that may be a safer high value treat while you work out how much liver she can cope with.

I suspect Dr Dunbar's advice may be geared to rather larger dogs than ours!


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## meredian (Nov 5, 2012)

We bought a tub of dried beef liver for Wade. Seems like it is going to last forever because we break the cubes up into very small pieces. 

We've found that for training, a variety of treats is best to keep him interested. We alternate between dried liver bits, small pieces of ham, and Natural Balance treats that we break up into small pieces. Basically, at his size, we are breaking everything up into small bites as we are using the treats primarily for training. No issues at all so far with anything we've given him.


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## Sookster (Apr 11, 2011)

I use boiled beef liver as a high value reward for mine. Liver definitely isn't _bad_ for dogs (where did you read this, I am curious?) but like anything, too much of a good thing isn't always good! 

Never gives mine the runs, even if I use a pretty significant amount (they both eat raw diets and get liver as part of their weekly ration) but I also have standards, significantly larger than your pup.


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## Minnie (Apr 25, 2011)

The treats given at our vets office is dried liver... Bella loves dried liver treats and has never had a problem - she is only 4.5 lbs. But each dog is different so just keep and eye out. Good luck with your puppy!


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

If you want to make your own liver treats........
Buy thin sliced calves liver(thinner the better) & boil in a skillet for 5 mins. or until there is no more blood coming from it.
Then take the liver and spread it on a baking sheet and bake it in the oven at 250 degrees for 2-3 hours.
This makes a jerky type liver treat. The longer you bake it the tougher it gets so if you want to pocket it, get it good and dry!
Also,you can take the boiled water left over and add it to your dogs food that evening!
This is really a economical way to do liver treats!


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## msminnamouse (Nov 4, 2010)

For high value training treats (for most dogs since Ginger prefers fruit!), I prefer to use pig heart cubed and roasted in it's own juices. Then I dehydrate it at 200 degrees in the oven so the end product is about the size of my pinky fingernail. It's stinky and meaty but not with an over kill on vitamin A. Reduce meals to compensate for a lot of food during training.

I usually soak the cubed heart (before dehydrating) in some water with citric acid, potassium sorbate and ascorbic acid just to preserve it longer. These are natural and safe preservatives. It's a bit of an overkill, I'll admit it.


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## Cin3dee (Jan 5, 2013)

I decided to hold off on the liver treats, as she takes too long to eat them when I am training. I am using chicken breast bits I cooked up. She loves them and eats them quickly, which i like for training since its so darn cold out here! 
I think in about a month I will try the liver treats since I have a whole tub of them. thanks for the advice and tips to all


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I have a toy and I use dehydrated liver as an occasional training treat. I do cut it up into tiny bits and don't overdo it. Fortunately, Swizzle has not had digestive issues but liver is rich so moderation is key. I think a little liver in their diet is very important.


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## Harrymummy (Aug 27, 2012)

Is it ok to give a dog liver soup added to his kibble? 
What is liver soup, I hear u say? 
Pigs liver sliced. Lots of sliced ginger. Boil maybe say 15-20min. That's it. I add chopped spring onion as garnish but understand onions are bad for dogs. 


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