Puptastic Dog Training Treat Recipe

For dog training, you need high-value rewards in the form of delicious (and safe) training treats. Save by making your own. They're cheaper and don't have any nasty additives.

Homemade dog treat recipes

The best treat for dog training has a pungent smell to keep your hound focused on you. Ingredients like bacon, chicken, liver, and tuna work wonders on your pup’s sniffer! This recipe isn’t going to win any awards for cuteness (no dog-bone cookie cutters required today) and it might not be so enjoyable to make. However, your dog will absolutely love you for making these!

Dog treat recipe ingredients

• One pound of raw chicken livers.
• Two cups of all-purpose flour.
• Three pasture-raised chicken eggs.
• One cup of water.

If you really can’t stomach the smell of the chicken livers, you can substitute tuna. Make sure to use low-sodium tuna tinned in water. A lot of salt is not good for your pup’s health. An alternative is tuna packaged in olive oil. Try to avoid other oils as these may be inflammatory to some dogs.

A word on flours. Some doggos might be gluten intolerant or develop inflammatory reactions when they eat wheat-based flour. A stone ground wholewheat flour could be a better option than your pantry staple cake flour. Otherwise, give a gluten-free pre-mix a go. Or try oat flour instead.  

Puptastic dog treats: Method

Now that your dog treat recipe ingredients are ready, it is time to get baking!

1. Preheat your oven to 350 °F.
2. Grease a cookie sheet or half-lip baking pan.
3. Put the chicken livers into your blender. Blend until smooth.
4. Add the water and eggs to the blender. Blend to combine.
5. Pour the liver mixture into a large mixing bowl with the flour.
6. Stir to combine. The mixture should have the consistency of a heavy batter.
7. Pour the batter into your baking pan.
8. Place in the oven and bake for about thirty minutes.
9. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and score the treats into 1/3-inch squares.
10. With the oven switched off, return the treats to dry out for ten minutes.
11. Remove the treats from the oven and loosen them from the cookie sheet with a spatula.
12. Toss them about a bit to expose the other sides and place them in the oven to dry out for ten more minutes.
13. Once your dog training treats are cool, you can package them up and store them in the refrigerator or freezer.

How long will homemade dog treat recipes keep?

These liver dog treats can keep fresh in the refrigerator for four to five days. Keen to make a big batch? They also freeze well. Homemade dog treats can keep in the freezer for up to four months. Bonus tip: Portion the treats into training session amounts and store them in small packets or containers in the freezer. An hour or so before a training session, take a packet or two out of the freezer and leave them to thaw until you are ready to begin.

High-value rewards for your pooch that don’t cost a lot

DIY dog training treats are a great way to save money. Check out the Save mailer for more useful pet care advice like safety tips for fall and how to create a pet-friendly garden. Bonus tip: discover easy ways to stretch your dollars by finding coupon book offers in your neighborhood.