Snuffle Mat Fun

By: Valerie Ferguson, ZimmVet

Let’s face it, Minnesota winters can get LONG.  I am always looking for new ways to add mental stimulation to my pets’ lives when it is too cold to spend a lot of time outdoors. Mental stimulation is often found through exercising their minds and through performing nose work, such as sniffing out hidden treats.

My dogs really enjoy trying to find treats and cheerios that I have hidden in the snuffle mat that I made for them.

What you will need to make your own snuffle mat:

A rubber anti-fatigue mat with holes in it

Fleece fabric cut into strips approximately 7 to 8” long and varying widths ranging from 1 to 2” wide.  You can use any colors and mix and match to customize it to your liking.

Once you have your mat and the fleece fabric strips are cut all you have to do is string the strips through the holes and tie them – the fuller the mat the better it is to hide treats in J

This is a photo of my dog, Bear sniffing out Cheerios that I hid in his snuffle mat