What is a snuffle mat?
Snuffle mat is probably a term you have never heard of. It is a mat made out of fabric that is a bit like a carpet. You take food and hide it in the mat for your dog to sniff (or snuffle) out. The act of sniffing out treats or food is very mentally engaging for your dog. This is a great activity for any dog but particularly ones who need to be kept busy. It is also a great way to feed dogs who are bad about eating their meals too quickly. Dogs who eat too quickly are at risk for developing deadly bloat, so anything we can do to slow them down is great. If you want other ideas for enrichment products or slow feeder food bowls, visit my recommendations page.
Materials needed
- Either 24″ of a single cut of 58″ wide fleece or 16″ each of two different types of 58″ wide fleece.
- Fabric scissors
- ruler
- sink mat or shower mat
Time needed: 1 hour and 30 minutes
How to Make a Snuffle Mat
- Gather your supplies
You will need fleece fabric, fabric scissors, a ruler, and either a sink mat or a tub mat for the base.
I used scrap fleece plus an old torn fleece blanket and my base is a sink mat. You could cut with regular scissors because it doesn’t need to be neat, but fabric scissors will make your life easier. Fleece is the best choice in fabric because it will not fray and it is sturdy.
- Fold your fabric
Our strips are going to be 8″ long by 1″ wide. In order to do this as quickly as possible, you are going to fold your fabric every 8 inches so that we have 3 to 4 layers of fabric to cut through. I found 3 to be easy to cut through and 4 was a little more difficult.
- Use a ruler to snip every inch mark
Lay a ruler along the folded edge. Use your scissors to snip on every inch mark.
- Cut the strips
Now that your fabric has been marked every inch, use those marks as a guide to cut your layered fabric into strips. This absolutely does not need to be perfect. Just do your best to keep them pretty much even. I ended up using 80 strips of each color for my mat but yours could be different depending on how big your base and how many holes it has.
- Cut through the folds
Now you will need to cut through the folds at the bottom and top of the strips. This is accomplished quickly if you leave them lined up on the table as you cut them out. You can just thread your scissors though and cut many at once.
- Tie your strips onto your mat
Feed the strip though the holes in your mat and pull tight into a single knot. You do not need a double knot.
- Continue adding more strips
I was going to add a second color so I left spaces in my mat for the next color.
- Finish out with second color if desired
You can add a second color or even a third if you want. Or if you want, just use one color. There are no rules here. Just keep adding strips until you are happy with how plush your mat is.
- All done!
Time to add some food and treats to your mat and let your pup have the time of their lives!
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