Homemade Liver Treats for Dogs, Baked
Baked chicken liver treats for training your dog, cut into 3/8-inch pieces. How many to give because of vitamin A, and how to freeze them in portions.
- Time
- 40 min + 15 min resting
- Makes
- 400 pieces
- Type
- Treat
- Difficulty
- Easy
- 45 % chicken liver
- 30 % oat flour
- 25 % egg
Follows THE RULE. All 3 ingredients are on our safe list: nothing that could harm your dog.
These homemade liver treats for dogs are a sheet of chicken liver, egg and oat flour, baked and cut into 3/8-inch (1 cm) pieces. They are the trainers' "high-value reward": the one you save for recall at the park, the first vet visit or the exercise your dog finds hardest.
Your kitchen will smell strong while they bake, which is part of the appeal for your dog. And it is worth understanding one thing from the start: liver is very rich in vitamin A, so these are treats, not food. Few, small and for the moments that matter.
Why it works
Chicken liver has a smell and flavor that almost no dog turns down, and it provides iron, vitamin A and B vitamins. Oat flour and egg "dilute" it and give it shape: once baked it becomes a firm sheet that cuts into clean pieces without staining your fingers the way plain liver does. That way each piece contains very little liver.
Step by step
Prep the pan
Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 350 °F and line a pan of about 8 × 10 inches (20 × 25 cm) with parchment paper.
Blend the liver
Blend the raw liver with the eggs in a food processor or with an immersion blender until you have a runny purée, about 1 minute.
Add the flour
Stir in the oat flour with a spatula until you have a thick batter, like a dense cake batter.
Bake
Spread the batter in the pan in a 3/8-inch (1 cm) layer and bake for 20-25 minutes, until firm and a toothpick comes out clean.
Cut into small pieces
Let it cool slightly for 15 minutes and cut the sheet into 3/8-inch (1 cm) cubes. For dogs under 10 kg (22 lb), cut them in half.
Dry, if you like
To make them last longer and keep them from staining your pocket, spread the pieces out on the baking sheet and dry them for 45-60 minutes at 100 °C / 210 °F, until firm and slightly leathery.
How many a day?
As a treat, keeping under 10% of what they eat each day.
— pieces a day at most
| Weight | 3 kg | 5 kg | 10 kg | 15 kg | 20 kg | 30 kg | 40 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pieces/day | 10 | 15 | 26 | 35 | 44 | 59 | 74 |
Puppy, senior, very active or on a diet? Calculate the exact portion.
- Energy
- 2.4 kcal/piece
- Protein
- 31 % dry matter
- Fat
- 14 % dry matter
Values estimated from the ingredients (BEDCA/USDA data). A treat: keep treats under 10% of what they eat each day.
Storage
Soft (not dried): fridge, 5 days in a closed container. Dried: fridge, up to 2 weeks. Freezer: 3 months. Freeze them in small bags with one session's worth each: they thaw in 15 minutes in your pocket.
If you don't have…
- You have beef liver
- 150 g beef liver and 50 g chicken breast: beef liver is stronger and has more vitamin A
- Your dog doesn't tolerate oats
- Rice flour or chickpea flour in the same amount
Cooking tips
- The 10% rule: all the treats in a day shouldn't exceed 10% of your dog's calories. The table in the recipe gives you the number of pieces for their weight, but with liver it is wise to stay below that figure because of the vitamin A.
- Use them as a high-value reward, not an everyday one: if you give them for everything, they lose their effect. For routine training, the chicken and oat treats are a better choice.
- If your dog eats home-cooked food that already contains liver, use a different treat on the days they have it.
- For growing puppies, the chicken treats without liver are a better option.
Safety
- Vitamin A limit: liver stores vitamin A and, if a lot is given for weeks, it can cause hypervitaminosis A, with bone and joint problems. As a reference, the liver in your dog's whole diet, adding up meals and treats, shouldn't exceed 5% of the animal portion of the diet (10% as the absolute maximum). Each of these pieces contains little liver, but they are not meant to be handed out by the fistful every day.
- Always fully cooked: raw liver can carry bacteria such as Salmonella or Campylobacter.
- Very small pieces: in training, dogs eat them fast and without chewing, so the size has to be safe for their mouth.
- Hygiene: wash the food processor, utensils and your hands with hot soapy water after handling raw liver.
Frequently asked questions
Is liver good for dogs?
Yes, in small amounts. Liver provides iron, B vitamins and vitamin A, and it is one of the most appealing foods for a dog. The problem is excess: vitamin A builds up and, at sustained high doses, damages bones and joints. That is why liver shouldn't exceed 5% of the animal portion of the diet (10% as the absolute maximum), and it is always served cooked.
How much liver can a dog eat a day?
As a general rule, liver shouldn't exceed 5% of the animal portion of what your dog eats in a day, adding up meals and treats, and 10% is the absolute maximum. For a 10 kg (22 lb) dog on home-cooked food, that is roughly 10-12 g (about 0.4 oz) of liver a day, and never more than 20-25 g. If you use these treats in an intense training session, skip liver in their meals that day.
What is the best treat for training a dog?
The one your dog values most and can eat in a second. For most dogs, that means small, soft pieces of baked meat or liver. It helps to have several levels: regular treats for everyday practice and a high-value one, like these liver treats, saved for the hard stuff. That way liver keeps its effect and you don't overdo it.
What's in it, in detail
If they liked it, try
The fridge list
The foods your dog can eat, can have in moderation and must never eat, on a single printable page.