Dog sitters
Leaving liver treats and instructions for a sitter
Updated
Liver treats for a dog sitter go smoothly when nothing is left to guess: a written daily amount, ideally pre-portioned into one small container per day, the bag resealed in a cool, dry spot, and a note of what the label says. Then the sitter hands out what you planned, not what the dog asks for.
What should your note to the sitter say about liver?
Write it like a recipe card, because a sitter is cooking from your kitchen without you. Say how much liver your dog gets per day, in a form the sitter can measure: a number of containers, or a weight from your own scale. Then say when it is used, such as on walks or for the cues you want rewarded.
Copy the label's feeding line onto the note, word for word. The bag says: "Feed as a treat, reward, or topper. Intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only." It goes on to ask for supervision while the dog eats and fresh water alongside, and it says the liver is not intended as a complete and balanced diet. That tells a sitter more than a paragraph from you would, and it comes from the bag.
Your daily amount comes from your dog's calories, not from this page. VCA Animal Hospitals puts the ceiling at 10 percent of daily calories for all treats, with 90 percent from complete and balanced food. {{src:https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/pet-health-articles/dog-treats|2026-10-15}} Our treat budget page turns your dog's daily calories into a weight of liver, so you can fill in the note before you pack.
Should you pre-portion liver for each day you are away?
Yes. Pre-portioning is the most reliable instruction you can leave. Set out one small container per day, label each with the day, and let the sitter work through them in order. An empty container means that day's liver is finished, and nobody has to count.
Break the pieces at home before you leave, since they break apart by hand and you know your dog's size. The sitter then has a container to open, not a bag to measure from. If a day's share is not used, the sitter can leave it in its container for you to see when you get back.
Pre-portioning also keeps the sitter from guessing. A sitter who does not know your rules might hand out more than you planned, and a container with a day's worth in it settles the question without a conversation.
Where should the bag live while you are gone?
In one place, sealed, cool and dry, and somewhere the dog cannot reach. Tell the sitter exactly where, and tell them to reseal it after every opening, because the label asks for that. A bag that migrates from counter to counter gets left open on one of them.
Write down the bag's best-by date if you like, since it is printed on the bag, and the day the bag was opened. The open-bag clock is covered in our guide on how long freeze-dried liver treats last. If the bag is not in use at all, the sitter can leave it alone and use only the containers.
What should the sitter do if the dog gets into the bag?
Put the bag away, note roughly how much is gone, and call your clinic. Leave the clinic's name and number in the note, along with the number for an emergency clinic, in your own handwriting where the sitter will see it. We do not put numbers in this page, because the right one is the one for your dog.
Add one line telling the sitter that you would rather hear about it than have it go unmentioned. A sitter who thinks they will be blamed may stay quiet, and the call is easier to make early. What happens next is for your veterinarian to decide, not for us or for a web page.
How do you pack liver for boarding or a sitter's house?
Send the pre-portioned days in a sealed container, with the dog's name on the lid. Send the original bag only if the facility or sitter wants it or you have more days than containers. Ask the boarding facility what it allows, since its rules are its own and differ from place to place.
If the bag goes along, make sure it is resealed and put in a bag or box that keeps it dry. A sitter's house may be full of things you have never seen, so a dry, closed container is the one thing you can control. Bring a copy of the note as well, so the instructions travel with the liver.
The beef liver page lists the 1.5, 3 and 6 ounce bags, and the guide hub has the rest of our liver guides.
Questions
How do I explain the treat budget to a sitter?
Give them a daily number and a container, not a theory. Say that treats make up a small part of the day's calories, and that the container holds all of it. The sitter does not need the percentages. They need to know that when the container is empty, the liver is done for the day.
Should the sitter use liver for my dog's cues?
That is up to you. Write down the cues you want rewarded and the ones you do not, in plain words. A sitter who knows that liver pays for coming when called, and not for jumping at the counter, will use it where you want it.
Can a sitter give liver to my puppy?
The bag is listed for adult dogs and puppies. The same rules hold for a puppy: a written daily amount, small pieces, one container per day, and the label's feeding line in the note. Your puppy's daily amount comes from your vet's calorie figure.
What if the open bag passes 30 days while I am away?
Our rule for an open bag is to use it within 30 days of opening. If an open bag will run past that while you are gone, open a fresh bag before you leave and send only that. Do not send an old bag along just to use it up.
Should the sitter wash up after handling liver?
Yes. The back of the bag prints wash hands after handling, and the pieces are freeze-dried raw beef liver. Put a line in the note, and the sitter will wash up after handing out liver, the same as you do.
Does a sitter need to keep liver in the fridge?
No. The liver is shelf stable and needs no refrigeration. The sitter keeps the bag resealed in a cool, dry place, and the pre-portioned containers stay closed until each day's share is used.