Using freeze-dried beef heart as a training reward

Beef heart for dog training works as a reward when you snap the pieces small, because freeze-dried beef heart breaks easily, rides dry in a pouch, and stays light in your hand. The brand rates its training value 5 of 5. Count every reward against the 10 percent treat guideline on the product page.

Does freeze-dried beef heart work as a training reward?

By the brand's own count, yes. Its scorecard for the product gives training value 5 of 5 and crunch 3 of 5, with a medium piece. Those are the brand's ratings of its own product, not an outside test, so read them as a starting point and let your dog have the final vote.

What the product page says about the pieces is practical. They snap into smaller pieces for fast rewards, and they are dry rather than greasy. They are firmer than liver and the smell is milder than liver, which matters if the treat lives in your pocket or on a shelf near your own lunch.

This is a setup page, not a training manual. We are not going to explain timing, markers or how to fade rewards, because that is a different subject from what is in the bag. The bag is one ingredient, beef heart from a Pennsylvania farm, freeze dried raw in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania. What you do with it in a session is up to you and whoever teaches your dog.

How small should you break it for a session?

Small enough that your dog finishes a piece in a moment and looks back up at you. There is no official size, and the product information does not give a piece count or pieces per ounce, so the size is whatever you decide.

For a puppy, the product page says to snap pieces down small, and the product is listed for dogs of all sizes, adults and puppies. A small dog can take smaller pieces than a large one, and it is easier to snap one more time than to wish you had.

Setting up a session is a short list:

• Snap a handful of pieces small before you start.
• Put them in a pouch or a pocket.
• Count the session against the daily 10 percent.
• Wash your hands when you finish.

Doing the snapping first means your hands are busy with the dog, not the bag. It also keeps the main bag sealed and the broken pieces where you can reach them.

How does beef heart ride in a treat pouch?

Well, as long as it stays dry. The product is light and dry, not greasy, so it does not smear the inside of a pouch or leave a slick on your fingers the way a moist treat can. If you use a pouch with a fabric lining, expect a little dust at the bottom, which is what happens when freeze-dried pieces get jostled around.

Shake the pouch out now and then. The crumbs are still beef heart, and they work as a topper over a meal. The brand notes that it crumbles over kibble or a raw meal as a topper.

Reseal the main bag after every fill and keep it cool and dry. The pouch is for the session, and the bag is for storage. Keeping the two separate means the bulk of the beef heart never sits in a damp pocket or a warm bag. If a piece ever feels soft or smells different from the rest, leave it out.

The beef heart is freeze dried raw, so the wash-your-hands line applies to the pouch too. Wipe or wash up after you fill it and after you hand rewards out.

How many rewards fit inside the daily treat budget?

The product page says to stay within 10 percent for your dog's size, and that is the number to build a session around. The label gives an energy figure for the product, so the math can be done for you. The treat budget tool takes your dog's daily calories, from your vet or the food bag, and shows what 10 percent looks like in grams and ounces of beef heart.

It is arithmetic, not feeding advice. We do not know your dog, and we are not going to name a daily amount.

Because piece counts are not stated, count in weight, or count the rewards you actually hand out for a week and see where you land. A session of tiny rewards uses much less of the budget than a session of big ones, which is the whole point of snapping them small.

How do you split the day between rewards and meals?

Treat the rewards as part of the day's food, not an extra on top of it. The bag says the product is a treat or a meal topper, not a complete diet, so the main meals still do the main job. Whatever you hand out in a session comes out of the same 10 percent as every other treat that day.

On a busy training day, that can mean a lighter pass on the other treats. On a quiet day, it can mean using the same pieces as a topper at dinner. Both are the same bag, used two ways.

The bag says: "Always supervise your dog while feeding. Provide fresh water at all times." If your dog is on a special diet, ask your vet before you add anything new.

Training is one of several uses, and the home page shows the others under training rewards, meal topper and reseal and store. For more reading, the guides hub collects everything in one place, and the beef heart product page lists the three bag sizes: 1.5, 3 and 6 ounces.