5 Ways to use your Snuffle Mat

A snuffle mat is a great interactive toy for your dog. It trains them to search for items in order to get a reward. It's a fantastic way to exercise your dog and it helps to build a bond of trust. This blog will look at 5 ways to use a snuffle mat as well as what the different features of it are.

What Is Snuffle Mat And How To Introduce It To Your Dog?

A snuffle mat is a toy that makes eating a joy for your furry friend. You should start by placing 3-5 yummy snacks in the fleece on the snuffle mat. Let your dog Sniff out the treats from the mat. If your dog starts lifting or pulling at the mat, command them to Sit or say ‘Leave it.

Then point out the rewards on the mat to encourage them to keep sniffing. Rather than picking up, shaking, or digging in the mat, your dog will enjoy sniffing for rewards. You will see that just in a few sessions your dog will learn to calmly sniff rewards from the snuffle mat.

5 Ways To Use Snuffle Mat

Training Self-Control With Snuffle Mat

Dogs want to explore and sniff out new places, but it can be difficult to stop them from doing this in a place that might not be appropriate. The Snuffle mat helps teach your dog self-control. Command your pup to ‘sit' while you prepare the mat. You can then use the command by saying ‘okay' when you want them to smell.

Slowing The Fast Eaters

Dogs don’t like mealtimes if a bowl of their favorite food is often offered to them once a day. Because they have gulp that food at once or they may simply ignore it and refuse to eat since it is dull. A Snuffle Mat can help. After teaching your dog to sniff for treats, you can gradually place more kibbles in their mat and then replace the mat with a food bowl. This will train your pup to eat slowly from the bowl.

Distraction Purpose

The snuffle mat can be used as both a great distraction and an aid to calm when grooming your dog. Not only that, but it can also keep an anxious dog calm while at the vet or even help a nervous dog while at a pub.

Using The Snuffle Mat To Train Your Dog To Come

Here are some ways to encourage your dog to come to you on command. Consider using the snuffle matt and placing their favorite treats all over the mat, then calling them over and rewarding them generously with praise and additional treats if they go straight to it.

 Once your dog is willing to go to that specific area, place the snuffle mat in a few different places around the house - while they are eating or playing around a toy - and gradually make each location closer towards you as they get better at following your commands.

Energy buster

A great benefit of snuffle mat is that a fifteen-minute of playtime can burn as many calories as an hour of walk. If you have a highly active dog that has infinite energy a snuffle mat is a perfect toy for them.

Conclusion

We love to play with our dogs, but sometimes they get bored. There are many toys out there to keep them entertained, but it can be hard to find one that they love and that you enjoy giving them. Snuffle mats are wonderful toys that have a hidden treat inside, so your dog has to dig in the mat to find it. This is a great way to keep your dog entertained for hours and to release their instincts to forage for food.