Hi Friends, I realized I was going to be going through a lot of treats for a long time, so I wanted to try making my own. My dogs eat a raw diet, and I thought I would try making meat treats.

Here is what I did:

1. to the super market - I bought chicken hearts, chicken livers, regular beef hamburger, and a beef kidney;

2. in the kitchen - I cooked the meat separately, and cut the pieces up into bite size portions;

3. into the fridge - I now have this collection of cooked meats in separate containers, all in bite size pieces;

4. also into the fridge - as I microwaved each batch, I poured the liquid off into a separate container - so I now have this container of super-charged flavor liquid - it is also has a layer of fat on the top;

5. what to do next - I have ascertained that these meat morsels are more attractive to the dogs cooked than raw;

6. I'm thinking of combining all the different meat treats together to make a meat treat 'trail mix';

7. then - I was thinking of freezing this trail mix in training size pouches that I can just grab for a training session and head out;

8. I was thinking of using the super-charged flavour liquid to liven up the Orijen kibble I have been using for treats because the dogs were getting tired of the same old same old.

Any comments, suggestions?

I'm yet to try the egg white/anchovy paste combo. I was thinking of another idea to try later was flavored egg white puffs - mixing the super-charged flavour liquid into the egg whites as they are beating up into soft peaks and then baking them in little drops.

Now to go and clean up the kitchen - after Jethro so kindly licked some of the plates clean.

"I have ascertained that these meat morsels are more attractive to the dogs cooked than raw"


Yes, cooking makes it more odorous -- and of course far easier to handle for marker rewards.

I'm not sure what your "bite size" is, but I make them very small, like an M&M, except when I'm working with inhaler-dog who doesn't notice the reward unless it causes him to give half a chew (I make those long threads of egg white sheet for him).

I like to be able to use as many as I want without having to reconfigure the diet (and these treats would require adjustments if they ended up being a big part of the diet, since they aren't calcium:phosphorus balanced). So I make them tiny.

Also, I don't want there to be a pause in the action for chewing. LOL

PS
About the Orijen treats: This is going to sound over-the-top picky, but I personally would not use kibble with a raw diet. Makes no difference that it's quality kibble; it still has the potential to unnaturally slow the raw food transit time. (Cooking the meat will not do this.)

 Quote: Jenny Arntzen

I was thinking of another idea to try later was flavored egg white puffs - mixing the super-charged flavour liquid into the egg whites as they are beating up into soft peaks and then baking them in little drops.

Watch out that they don't get gobbled up by humans with a few glasses of wine!

I remember you mentioning the egg white strips. I must make some of those, too! I did read about the incompatibility of the dry kibble and the raw. When we finish this stash I won't buy anymore.

I was surprised at how much meat was in a package for less than $2 - when I think of how much treat is in a bag that costs $5. I have cut them about m & m size. Its amazing how small the treat can be for them to work for it.

Our next step is to purchase a small chest freezer and buy meat in larger quantities.

For now, though, I just saved us a bundle of money and am providing a much better treat.

I use hot dogs that I slice in to halves then dice up. I then cook them jerky style at 200* for two hours so they aren't as wet and they last a while. Works wonders for keeping treats. and they end up about m&m size after the drying process.

Advice on liver:
I just had a steer butchered, sold 3/4, keeping 1/4 plus the heart and liver.
The liver just grosses me out to the max raw, I have to cook it.
Can it be boiled? Any thoughts about this?

I love mixing them with these: http://leerburg.com/treat.htm (the top three).

The homemade ones scent up the little bought ones nicely and there's a ton of variety.

#1 and #3 there in the top row provide millions of treats. I buy them both and keep them well-sealed (chewy) and mix every handful with whatever I have that's fresh and meaty (or salmon skin ...).

 Quote: Betty Landercasp

Advice on liver:
I just had a steer butchered, sold 3/4, keeping 1/4 plus the heart and liver.
The liver just grosses me out to the max raw, I have to cook it.
Can it be boiled? Any thoughts about this?

It can be boiled but I hate the smell of boiling it. It's smells MUCH less bad in the oven or even skillet. MUCH less.

 Quote: Chris Knepper

I use hot dogs that I slice in to halves then dice up. I then cook them jerky style at 200* for two hours so they aren't as wet and they last a while. Works wonders for keeping treats. and they end up about m&m size after the drying process.

Yup, I occasionally buy the no-chemical hot dogs and do this too. They aren't cheap, but one package yields a ton of treats, even for FST.

My kitchen did smell pretty bad by the time I finished with the beef kidney. I sliced it in thin sheets and microwaved a plateful for 3 minutes. Then I diced the cooked slices.