Best Snuffle Mats For Dogs & Why You Need One

Dogs love to use their senses! It is inbuild and fun for them. A snuffle mat has a lot of fabric layered over each other on the mat which offered great hiding spots. You place the food or treats in between to hide them. You then let your dog follow its nose to find the food.

Benefits of a snuffle mat

Stimulation Of Senses

For one, this activity stimulates your dog’s brain, and he can use his senses to find the food. This feels rewarding and also is a lot of fun for them.It is similar to a treat dispensing toy where your dog needs to figure out how to get to the treats or food.

Slower Eating

By default, if you feed your dog this way, he will take more time to eat. If you have a pup that loves to just swallow down his whole meal in a matter of seconds, this snuffle mat can actually help get your dog to eat slowly and enjoy his food more. It is best with dry food. If you want to feed your dog wet food, we recommend getting a slow feeder bowl instead to keep it less messy.

Fun & Activity

A snuffle mat is lots of fun for your dog. On a small space it gives your dog the opportunity to be active, use his paws and nose. It is also a great way to keep your dog busy and distracted if your he tends to get bored and you don’t have time to play right now. Some dogs get sad when their owner leaves the house. Using the mat then can distracts your pup from the fact you are leaving and makes him focus on something nice.

There is a lot out there to choose from and too many options can often be overwhelming. At DoggyAdvice we have compiled a list of our favorite snuffle mats for you to look at.

The Best Snuffle Mats For Your Dog

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AWOOF Snuffle Mat Pet Dog Feeding Mat, Durable Interactive Dog Puzzle Toys Encourages Natural Foraging Skills

❤ RICH FEEDING GAME – Look at the Big Orange Flower in the middle of the snuffle mat dog puzzle toys. Total 4 layers of orange petals can hide large chunks of food easily. Outer ring of the rich and messy grass suitable for small size of food. Unlike other snuffle mat’s rare and regular grass can’t hide any food! It doesn’t help your dog at all.
❤ EXTRA FUN ATTRACTS YOUR PUPPY – We are extremely positive of our snuffle mat. But in order to provide more fun for lovely puppies, we set up 4 additional feeding game for the smart and experienced dogs! And there is a BB call under the logo in the middle and 3 bells, 4 pieces of ringing paper randomly place in the petal.
❤ EXCELLENT RELEASE BUCKLE DESIGN – Have you ever bought a snuffle mat for your dog that want to develop good habits in your dog. But your dog likes to lift the mat? 4 release buckles will help you! Button up the string we sent you then you can tie it to the furniture. You don’t have to worry about the mat will be overturned anymore. And these 4 release buckle can help you pack this snuffle mat easily.

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Paw 5 Dog Snuffle Mat for Dogs Small. Dog Toys Interactive - Reduces Boredom & Anxiety. Premium Feeding Mat for Slow Eating & Smell Training. Dog Brain Stimulating Toys + Small Dog Bed

Happy Dog Promise: Our premium snuffle mat for dogs will keep your puppy calm & occupied, fulfilling your dog's natural desire to sniff. It can be used with your dog's normal dry food instead of a dog bowl, or as a small dog bed
Improves Metal Health: Ideal for all-sized dogs, Paw 5 dog enrichment toys make mealtimes fun & stimulating. Promoting slower eating, reducing bloating & gulping. Improving your dog’s health & mood. A boredom buster dog feeding mat your dog will love
100% Pet Safe - 7 years of R&D: Whether you’re using it as a dog snuffle mat or dog beds for small dogs, Paw 5 pet supplies are quality assured & durable. Handmade from soft organic cotton fibers, the sniff mat for dogs is machine washable

Snuffle Mat for Dogs Small Large Pets - Distracting Training Natural Foraging Snuffling Nose Work Training for Dogs Stress Release Slow Eat Machine Washable Anti Slip

STIMULATE NATURAL BEHAVIORS - The snuffle mat stimulates pet's foraging instinct and satisfies sense of smell. Make your dog's nose and brain to work by mimicking the hunt for food. (10mins snuffling = 1 hour running). Hide your pet's food and treats in the snuffle mat, encourage them to search it, to keep them busy when you needed. Keeps your dog occupied and avoid your dog being bored and engaged in destructive behavior.
SLOW DOWN EATTING SPEED - There are different parts to hide treats to help them Slow Down the eating speed to prevent from choking or digestive problems. Bright color also stimulates pet's foraging instinct and satisfies pet's senses so that mealtime is more enjoyable. Your dogs will enjoy searching for the delicious food while playing to meet their curiosity.
EASY TO CLEAN & MACHINE WASHABLE - The main fabric of the suffle pad is felt cloth, eco-friendly, easy to clean and durable construction. Machine washable, no floating-hair. This pet feeding mat is soft and safe for for pet exploring. Recommend washing it often to avoid addled food.

STELLAIRE CHERN Snuffle Mat for Small Large Dogs Nosework Feeding Mat (23.6" x 39.4") Easy to Fill and Machine Washable Training Mats Pet Activity/Toy/Play Mat, Great for Stress Release - M

ENGAGE YOUR DOG’S SENSE OF SMELL - Our dog snuffle blanket puts your dog’s nose and brain to work by mimicking the hunt for food in nature, encourages natural foraging skills.
EASY TO USE DESIGN SLOW FEEDING MAT - Easy to fill, you can mix kibble and hide a few treats to spark dog's interest. Challenge through dog training mats, avoid your dog's bored and engage in destructive behavior. Great for stress release.
EASY TO CLEAN AND CARRY - Machine washable pet snuffle mat made of polar fleece and upcycled materials, eco-friendly and durable construction. Roll up for storage and carrying.

LIVEKEY Pet Snuffle Mat for Dogs, Dog Feeding Mat, Nosework Training Mats for Foraging Instinct Interactive Puzzle Toys (Gray&White) (Gray&White)

The snuffle mat stimulates pet’s foraging instinct and satisfies pet’s sense. Make your dog’s nose and brain to work by mimicking the hunt for food.
Hide your dog's food or toys in the snuffle mats, encourage them to search it, helps correct bad eating habit.
Multiple mats can be put together to be a big mat ! Your pet definitely like to play and search on the mat, just meet their curiosity. The mat is made of dense and sturdy fleece. Worth the money, do the job.

Tips & Tricks For Using A Snuffle Mat

Keep an eye on your dog when introducing the mat. If your dog keeps biting the mat or doesn’t understand what is going on, try to help by showing him where treats might be hidden.
Wash the mat to keep it clean. A lot of mats you can wash in a machine! How often might depend on how often you use it, what kinds of treats you hide in it, and where you store it.
If you notice that your pup is having trouble getting treats out from the layers, try bigger treats.
If you have a larger dog, we recommend getting a larger mat. They might be going through the treats quicker and they can also eat some more than a smaller dog.
You can also DIY your own mat or extend one you bought to make it bigger!

Making Your Own DIY Snuffle Mat For Dogs

Materials you need:

A base
- A mat with holes in it such as a rubber sink mat. There are different sizes you can choose from depending on how big or small you want the mat to be.
  
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- Or you can use a piece of fabric and sew the fabric strips to it.
Fabric
- Most people use fleece as the fabric for the strips as they are pretty sturdy and the edges don’t easily wear out.
- You could also use other old fabrics or blankets you have at home to cut your strips.
- How much you need depends on how big your mat will be and how long and thick you plan to make your strips.

How to make it:

Making the base

Cut your base if you are using a fabric base.

Cut your strips

We recommend making them 2-3cm wide and 20-30cm long depending on your base size.
If your mat has smaller holes, you might need to cut it thinner. It is best to try to tie one piece to test if you like the width and length.
You can also cut different lengths to give more of a variety in the mat.

Connect your strips to the base

Push your strips through one hole and back to the other side through another hole.
Tie your strips to the rubber mat with a double knot.
Or sew them to your fabric base
Repeat until your whole mat is covered. You might want to add additional strips if your holes in the rubber mat are big.