Liver treat recipe

(image from the iheartguts.com website. check out their cute products! )

Use this for a high-value training treat.  All the dogs go CRAZY for it.

Ingredients:

– Whole liver (beef or ostrich)
– Garlic powder
– Star anise (or anise in any form should work) [this is the secret ingredient]

Cut the liver into several big chunks.

Use a big pot because the liver is usually very large.  Add enough water to cover the liver by at least an inch, and bring it to a boil.

Add the liver chunks with lots of garlic powder and couple pieces of star anise.  Cover and boil for about 30 minutes, turning the liver a couple times so it is cooked through.   Be careful not to boil too long otherwise the liver will become waterlogged and falls apart.  Remove it from the water when done.  [I scoop out the bits floating on the top and save it to mix in the dog’s food for an extra treat]

Let it cool slightly, then cut the liver into thinner slices and put it on a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for at least an hour or until the treat is the consistency you prefer.  My preferred consistency is when it is firm but still breakable by hand.  If it is too hard/dry then you will need to cut it into smaller pieces using a knife.

Once it’s done, turn the oven off and let the treats cool in the oven for at least a couple hours.   The finished product for me is usually 1/3″ thick slices of liver about 3″ x 4″ in size.   This gives the dog something larger that they see (and covet) when training, but when you reward you just break off little pieces at a time.

Be sure to freeze the treats you aren’t immediately going to use so they don’t get moldy.