How to Make a Snuffle Mat

Snuffle mats are a great source of enrichment for dogs, especially those that are high energy and need extra mental stimulation. They're also a great indoor activity to keep your dog busy on rainy or cold days when walks might be shorter than usual. Snuffle mats are also great to use in place of a regular dog bowl for meal times, as they prevent dogs from eating too fast and gulping down their food.

The video below shows how to make a snuffle mat. The rubber mat used in the video is approximately 12x12 inches. You can use any similar kind of mat, as long as it has plenty of holes to tie the fleece strips through.

Fleece is the most commonly used material to make snuffle mats, but you can also reuse other materials like old cotton t-shirts. If you don't care too much about the colors, sometimes you can also find cheaper fleece in the discount bin at a fabric store. Snuffle mats are pretty easy to make, but it can be a bit time consuming to tie all those strips through the mat.

To teach your dog to use the snuffle mat, simply spread some dry treats or kibble throughout the mat. Start out with several pieces of food sprinkled on the top of the mat. Once they get better at finding the food, you can make the game more challenging by hiding fewer treats and burying the food deeper in the mat.