Mental & Physical Stimulation Solution : Is Your Dog Getting What They Need?
Keeping Spot busy is not only good for his happiness but also for his health too! Mental and physical stimulation is an important part of your doggo’s day-to-day routine, and it should be considered a vital need alongside food and health care.
It Betters your Dog’s Physical and Mental Health
If your dog is digging or chewing inappropriate items or if he’s running all over the house out of control, look at the mental side of the equation. A mentally stimulated dog is a tired dog and a tired dog is a calm dog. A calm dog is a happy dog, and that’s what we all want.
Engage Your Dog’s Senses
In fact, the put-nose-in-stinky-stuff impulse has long meant pursuing a major in laundry bags, a passion for exploring the cracks between sofa cushions, or an insatiable interest in (let’s be honest) your crotch.
Force Your Dog to Eat Slowly
For dogs who eat too quickly, this Salad dog snuffle mat can force them to slow down a bit at chow time. Dogs took anywhere from about 5 to 25 minutes to find one serving of kibble hidden in a snuffle mat.
Adjustable Size
Nature Felt Material
Lucia –
My 7 year old pug usually gobbles down food without chewing in less than 60 seconds and will choke. This is such a good buy! At first he spent 20 minutes finding the food. Now He spends at least 10 minutes finding food. It’s great exercise! He’s got finding the kernels of food down to 9 minutes now, but it’s still one of the best buys I’ve made. Haven’t washed it yet but I hope it holds up.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Caitrin Williams –
This has been a life-saver for me and my CCD dog. My 16 year old bichon-poodle boy has CCD, aka doggy dementia, and has had dramatically worsening separation anxiety the last few months. He used to panic when I left the house, even for an hour, pacing constantly, barking, whining, etc. I’m so glad I bought this finally. He LOVES it. He can’t wait for me to put it on the ground with broken up bits of treats in it every morning. He spends a good 30 minutes to an hour sniffing through the mat hunting for treats. It’s a great way to exercise his brain and keep him busy. I can’t recommend this enough, especially if you have a dog that needs mental stimulation but doesn’t play with toys anymore, like my boy. I’ve only had this for about a week and a half so far so I can’t speak to the durability or ease of cleaning yet, but so far I love this thing and so does my buddy, Matty.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Sally SlapTear –
I bought this product for my very curious 12 week old puppy (Jack Russel Terrier). The first time I filled it I used a small hand full of puppy training treats and sprinkled them over the top. The mat was closed like a bowl. Not only did my puppy go crazy, but our other dog got into it to. Both of them digging and sniffing. This lasted for only 10 minutes, and my puppy decided the long string, and rubber was more interesting then sniffing for treats. So…the next day I spread out the mat so it was a semi bowl/mat and used a small handful of different treats and kibble. I also put them in one at a time in between the felt pieces, around the edge, some easy to find, others deep in there. The dogs loved it! Went nuts!! Circled it and dug at it. Snuffed so much I could hear them across the room. They were having so much fun. This time it kept them busy for at least 45 minutes. Then they went back just in case they missed something. Love this product. The reason I gave 4 stars for durability was because of the string. My puppy ate through it, and started chewing on the rubber fastener. I just tied up the string and put it under the product while they use it.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Michelle Westy –
So for whatever reason, my new beagle/lab wasn’t eating all her food. I notice that she would eat if the food was something she had to “look for” or if it was on the floor rather than a bowl. (Side note: only thing I knew about her when I got her was she was found so no idea how long she had been living outside on her own).
Because this challenges her to find her food, I think she LIKES to eat it. She will sniff through it and find every piece of food.
Easy to clean too, just throw it in the wash, just make sure no food is left in it. Mine has stayed intact, my Beagle doesn’t really chew on it though.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
TStoneSC –
What can I say, other than maybe I have the smartest or maybe the laziest dog in earth because it only took him a matter of minutes to figure out that all he has to do is flip this over and the food and/or treats fall out all over the floor.
Maybe this isn’t meant for 5 month puppies, but I love the idea of it, and hoped it would occupy an energetic puppies time.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
MissElaineious –
I have a small Chihuahua terrier mix and she loves this rug!! It keeps her entertained for a while and she is obsessed with finding her treats. This is mostly for small dogs. A big dog will probably tear it apart because it is just too fun not to.
If I you are crafty with a sewing machine I think it would be fairly simple to make one. It is similar to a shag carpet from the 70’s of you are old enough to remember those. For me it was worth every penny and will buy again.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Emmers –
I gave this to our dog and within 30 seconds he had torn off one of the green tabs with minimal effort. I shrugged it off and was hopeful it was a fluke. The next day I gave it to him and he LOVED it but I turned my back for a minute (literally) and he’d chewed the cinch strings apart and eaten a large portion of string and the plastic cinch clip.
I know I’m partly to blame for not just staring at him the whole time but that was pretty dang fast. Hoping the stuff he swallowed passes ok.
I would not buy this for a young dog, nor anything bigger than a shihtzu. Just not made for bigger guys. Not durable at all. Cool concept, he did like it but I’m not comfortable with it anymore. Sad!
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Deia –
We are trying to keep my 3 month old Husky busy and work for his food so we use items like this and it has helped make him use his nose more to find food and to take longer while eating instead of all at once.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Rori –
My dog can not be anymore obsessed with this snuffle mat! Scout has a tendency when we go for walks to sniff out anything and everything he can. I always said he was like a truffle pig. This mat gives me peace of mind that he’s only sniffing out dog treats and not poisonous berry’s or bones of dead cats (sadly that happens often). This mat entertains Scout and even when he has found all the treats he will go back and look for more. Great way to keep him busy but also give his brain a little work out!
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch
Stephanie G –
This is great! Slows my pup down but she can still eat pretty easily. No problem to wash. Easy to use.
(0) (0) Watch Unwatch