Snuffle Mats for Dogs
Dogs love to play. Choosing the best dog toys is an important part of the relationship and parenting between the owner and the pet dog. One of the best enrichment toys are Snuffle mats, also known as enrichment mats.
Snuffle Mats provide mental and physical stimulation, reduce stress and encourage slower eating habits. A snuffle mat is made with loose fabric and hidey-holes that create the perfect stimulation for your pet to find their treats, putting both their brain and their belly to work, making for a happier and healthier pup every day. What are the benefits of giving a snuffle mat to a dog? Check out the advantages that have been summarized by furrprise below.
Stimulation
Dogs are smart animals. Providing entertainment or toys like snuffle mat can mentally stimulate and maintain brain health so that dogs are happy and healthy. In fact, many pets prefer to work for their food, because the process of sniffing and foraging stimulates the pleasure centres in their brains. It also enhances memory and learning when they have to hunt for their food. So, a snuffle mat will brighten their day and allow them the opportunity to exercise some superior senses.
Sharpening Sense of Smell And Hunting Skills
Dogs are more skilled than us when it comes to sniffing out some tasty morsels. A dog’s nose possesses up to 300 million olfactory receptors, while humans have only six million. Snuffle mats mimic grass and outdoor areas and encourage food foraging in dogs. Searching and working to get the food is a basic and natural doggie instinct and these mats help in stimulating it. Serving food in the Snuffle mat can help dogs to use and sharpen their sense of smell as well as hunting and foraging skills. So, make your pet work for their food – it is in their DNA to hunt, and their sense of smell can enjoy a little challenge!
Daily Exercise
Daily exercise is important to keep your dog healthy. Providing playful toys at home such as a snuffle mat helps your dog fulfil their need for exercise. A snuffle mat will help you give your dog an excellent workout in a small space. These mats act as dog trainers. A snuffle mat could also be a great puzzle toy for your dog. Snuffle mats are hence a great tool to keep your dog physically and mentally healthy.
Reduce Bloat Risk
Ingesting large amounts of food or water too quickly can cause bloating in older, heavier and deep chested dogs. It can lead to a medical emergency for your dog. The standard recommendation for preventing bloating is to feed your dog smaller portions or introduce slow feeding tools, such as food puzzles and slow feeding bowls. But Snuffle mats are another great option! Since Snuffle rugs encourage your pets to uncover their food slowly from under the rug strips, it reduces the speed of eating. Eating more slowly would reduce the risk of bloating.
Overcoming Boredom
A bored dog can turn into a destructive dog. Boredom leads to excessive barking, digging, and chewing. One way to avoid this is to direct some of the dog's energy into stimulating play. Snuffle mats are great mental and physical stimulators for dogs. The foraging for treats makes it exciting for your dog. Snuffle mats keep the dogs busy for 10 to 30 minutes and create excitement and reward for even the most inactive dog. With a snuffle mat, you can be sure that your dog has worked its entire body.
How to use the Snuffle Mat
- You can just throw kibble or dog treats on top of the mat.
- To make it more challenging for your pet, you can hide the food throughout the mat under the mat strips.
- Break the treats into really small pieces and hide them under the strips to make it exciting and interesting.
- It will keep the dog busy for 10 to 30 minutes.
- You need to monitor the use of snuffle mat for hunting and foraging food. Some dogs can chew up pieces of fleece.
- Keep the Snuffle Mat away after use.
- Since they are made from fabric, snuffle mats can not be used for wet food.
- If you have more than one dog, let them take turns at eating from the snuffle mat. Being territorial, they may get guard if another dog is allowed to share the treats.
- Since the snuffle mat is a good cognition enhancing tool, it is a good idea to let your aged dog eat from it for 10 minutes. You can add soft vegetables for the senior dogs to eat.
Make sure your beloved dog has the right toys according to their stage of growth. You can get those interactive toys at furrprise. We curate a special box that will cater to the evolving needs of your pet. Each box is customized based on your pet's life stage, needs and physical characteristics. Unbox your monthly party box with your pet and enjoy the delight we deliver! Ready to furrprise your pet