Alabama Football Black Hoodie Bites Beef Liver Jerky for Dogs 4oz

What it is. Four ounces of beef liver, sliced into strips and slow-dried until firm. That is the entire product — there is no second ingredient, which is unusual enough in a jerky treat to be worth saying plainly.

Where it comes from. The liver comes from grass-fed cattle raised by a farmer near us in Alabama, and the drying happens in our own kitchen in small batches rather than in a factory somewhere we have never been. Slow and low is the whole technique: dry it too fast and you get something brittle that shatters, dry it properly and you get a strip a dog has to work at.

Why liver. Ask anyone who trains dogs what they keep in their pocket. Liver is the treat that holds a dog's attention when the room is loud and there is a great deal else going on — which is precisely the situation this treat is named for. It is rich, so a little goes a long way.

How to give it. Break a strip into pea-sized pieces for training, where the point is many small rewards rather than one big one. Or hand over a whole strip when you want a few minutes of quiet. Treats of every kind should stay under a tenth of what your dog eats in a day, and liver is rich enough that starting with less is sensible — especially for a small dog or a sensitive stomach.

Supervision. Stay in the room. Take away any piece small enough to be swallowed whole, and give your dog water afterwards.

Storage. Resealable bag, somewhere cool and dry, and use it within a few weeks of opening. There is nothing in here to keep it shelf-stable indefinitely, which is the trade you make for a one-ingredient treat.

Good for. Training, game day, car journeys, and any dog who has decided that ordinary biscuits are beneath them.