| |

3 Snuffle Toys For Dogs

ByCaitlin

A few years ago I discovered an awesome enrichment activity for dogs called dog snuffle mats. If you’ve never heard of dog snuffle mats before, and are wondering, “what is a snuffle mat”? Essentially, it is a mat made out of felt and other materials that has places to put treats and kibble. This requires your dog to sniff out their food or treats, providing sensory and cognitive enrichment for dogs!

Providing enrichment activities for dogs like this helps stimulate their brain and can prevent boredom in dogs, destructive behavior in dogs and more. Plus, dog snuffle mats can also double as slow feeder bowls! 

I’m always looking for new dog snuffle mats to try for my pups and I have found three new washable snuffle mats that I’ll be sharing in this post.  

P.S. I’ve featured a fourth dog snuffle mat on my YouTube channel that is not featured in this post (and it’s pretty darn cute!). Scroll to the bottom of this post to watch the full video which goes over all three of these snuffle toys for dogs plus one bonus one!

1. ZMUBB Dog Snuffle Mat

The first dog snuffle mat and probably our current favorite is the ZMUBB Dog Snuffle Mat from Amazon. One thing I love about all of these dog puzzle mats are that they are washable snuffle mats! Anything washable is every dog owner’s dream, ha! Since this dog puzzle mat is so big, in my opinion this is one of the best snuffle mats for large dogs. 

The ZMUBB Dog Snuffle Mat is designed with a garden theme and every aspect of it can be used to stuff your dog’s kibble. Plus, when you’re done, it rolls right up and has a buckle to secure it together. Perfect for easy storage! In the photos below I’ve shared many places that you can put your dog’s kibble. Even the carrots are removable and have small slits to hide kibble. 

Large Dog Pro Tip: If you have a large dog like me, the following places might be hard for your dog to reach:

  • The green tubes that hold the carrots. They are a little narrow and my dogs had trouble fitting their snoots in there. 
  • The triangles in both corner near the “grass”. They will probably eventually get it out by pawing at it, but it was definitely a harder area for my big dogs.

Spanomic Snail Snuffle Mat

The second snuffle toy for dogs and probably one of the cutest ones I’ve ever seen, is the Spanomic Snail Snuffle Mat! I honestly went on Amazon and searched “dog snuffle mats” just to see what was new out there and immediately hit “Add to Cart” once I saw this cutie! 

This snuffle toy for dogs is a great snuffle mat for puppies who are being introduced to dog snuffle mats and dog enrichment activities or even a quick enrichment activity for dogs since this snuffle toy for dogs isn’t as large as the first dog snuffle mat shown. Plus, it also squeaks, which got my dogs really excited, ha!

The Spanomic Snail Snuffle Mat can be rolled up or down with the help of Velcro on the head and body. On the actual body you will find slits to place your dog’s kibble or treats. In the pictures I wasn’t quite sure how big the slits actually were, but after seeing it, you can fit large dog kibble in the slits, just not more than two, maybe three if you’re lucky. 

Pro Tip: To make this snuffle toy for dogs challenging, unwind it and stuff your dog’s treats or kibble. Then, roll it back up and secure it with the Velcro. Your dog will have to first undo it before it will actually get to the food. 

Nina Ottosson by Outward Hound Activity Matz Dog Puzzle Mat

The third dog puzzle mat that I’ll be sharing about is the Nina Ottosson by Outward Hound Activity Matz, Dog Puzzle Mat. I have been using Nina Ottosson dog puzzles for years now and actually learned about these brand new dog puzzle mats at The Global Pet Expo this past March at the Outward Hound booth! 

The Nina Ottosson by Outward Hound Activity Matz come in two different themes: Fast Food Dog Puzzle Mat and Garden Dog Puzzle Mat. What’s cool about this dog puzzle mat is that it actually has a lot of working compartments:

  • French fries are a classic dog snuffle mat design with felt
  • The hotdog dog toy is attached and can be put in or taken out of the pocket.
  • The silverware has Velcro and opens up to show a pocket with a cookie that is also attached and can be put in or taken out of the pocket. 
  • The silverware section also has pockets on the inside where you can hide food.

This mat is a bit smaller at 21.5″ by 14″. The pockets are also a bit smaller, so I wouldn’t recommend this for extra large dogs as they would have trouble getting into any area other than the French fries.

Pro Tip: To create an added challenge, fill every single pocket (hot dog pouch, every pocket inside of the silverware, Velcro shut the silverware, stuff all the toys back into the pockets. All of these steps take this dog enrichment game to the next level!

As promised, check out my YouTube video below to learn more about these snuffle toys for dogs plus one BONUS dog snuffle mat that your dog will love!

Which dog snuffle mat was your favorite? The ZMUBB dog snuffle mat is definitely my dogs favorite but my personal favorite is the Spanomic Snail Snuffle Mat because it’s just too stinking cute! 

If you’re excited to start trying dog enrichment activities, I highly recommend trying out snuffle toys for dogs! I also have another blog post about dog snuffle mats called How To Use A Snuffle Mat For Dogs that includes another great option.  

If you loved learning more about these dog snuffle mats, make sure to check out more reviews of some of my favorite dog puzzles and other enrichment ideas for dogs like:

P.S. Sign up for my newsletter to get the best dog enrichment ideas and activities before anyone else:

Photography: Kate Kelley Collection