One of our subscribers, Kris Porto, sent me this recipe. You might want to try it… just remember that any use of food during dog training should be used as a motivator, not as a bribe.
It should be used to improve working attitude, or to get your dog to understand a new exercise that may have had a stressful association.
Kris writes: “I’m mom to two Boston Terriers and one Doberman. The Doberman and one of the Bostons are rescues (and I’ve worked with Doberman Rescue for five years). My other Boston was a present from my boyfriend, and we brought her home at 9 weeks old. We began puppy kindergarten at 10 weeks.
“Hot Rod Haley” got the first leg of her CD at six months. She is very finicky and too darn smart for her own good. As you can imagine, obedience training with an oft-reluctant Boston is an experience all its own. I wanted to share with you Haley’s favorite recipe for motivation food!
I have yet to meet a dog who wouldn’t belly-crawl all the way to the moon for these. For some reason, they fall all over themselves trying to win one of these treats. In fact, when they see me get the blender out, I have three pairs of eyes and one huge puddle of drool in the kitchen for the next 30 minutes! Even my Persian cat will sit and beg for these!
Haley’s Favorite Liver Treats!
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix 1 egg 1 pound beef liver Garlic Brewer’s yeast (optional) Parmesan Cheese Jelly roll pan In blender or food processor, liquefy liver. You may need to add a bit of water to it, especially if it is not fresh. Pour muffin mix into mixing bowl, add liver, egg, 1 tablespoon of Garlic and 1 tablespoon of brewer’s yeast (if desired). Mix well. Spray a jelly roll pan with Pam and spread batter into pan evenly. It should be the consistency of pancake mix.
Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake according to directions on box. Allow to cool (this part is torture) and cut into bite-sized squares. I portion it into snack size ziplock bags and freeze them, so they’re ready for class or training sessions. I don’t use them every time, so the specialness won’t wear off. You must keep these treats refrigerated or they’ll mold!”
-Adam