Are snuffle dog toys good for canine enrichment? Learn the key benefits they offer for your dogs mental stimulation.

Getting Started with the Snuffle Thing

Okay, so my dog seemed bored. Like, really bored. Just lying around sighing. I saw these snuffle toys online, looked easy enough, but the prices? Bit much for some fabric tied to a mat. Figured I could knock one together myself. How hard could it be, right?

Gathering the Bits and Pieces

First thing, I needed fabric. Dug around in the closet and found an old fleece blanket. Perfect. Soft, washable, and I didn't care if it got destroyed. You definitely need fleece, or something similar that won't fray too badly when you cut it.

Then I needed something to tie the fleece onto. I remembered seeing one of those rubber sink mats, the ones with holes all over them, cheap ones at the discount store. Grabbed one of those. If you don't have one, I guess you could just tie a massive knot ball of fleece, but the mat seemed sturdier.

Stuff I used:

• Old fleece blanket (any color, dog doesn't care)
• Rubber mat with holes
• Good pair of scissors

The Cutting Part - Takes Awhile

Alright, this part took the longest. I spread the fleece out on the floor. Decided I needed strips, maybe like, six inches long and an inch wide? Didn't measure too carefully, just started cutting. Cut a whole bunch. Way more than I thought I'd need. My hand got pretty tired, not gonna lie. Fleece bits everywhere too, bit of a mess.

Just keep cutting. You need a pile of these strips. Big pile.

Putting It All Together

Got my mat, got my pile of fleece strips. Now, the process was pretty simple, just... repetitive. I took a strip of fleece, folded it kinda in half lengthwise. Poked the folded end down through one hole in the mat, then up through the hole right next to it. Then I just tied a simple knot on the top side of the mat. Pulled it snug, but not super tight.

And then I did that again. And again. And again. For every single pair of holes on that mat. You want to fill it up so it's nice and dense, makes it harder for the dog to find the treats, which is the whole point.

I just worked my way across the mat, row by row. Stick the loop down, pull it up through the next hole, tie a knot. Over and over. Put on some music or something, 'cause it takes a bit.

The Final Product and Dog Test

Once I'd tied fleece strips through pretty much all the holes, I fluffed it all up with my hands. Looked pretty decent! Like a weird, shaggy rug. Trimmed a few bits that seemed way too long.

Then the moment of truth. Called the dog over. Showed him the mat. Then I grabbed a few bits of his kibble, small stuff, and pushed them down into the fleece strips, hiding them. Put the mat down.

He immediately got it. Nose down, tail wagging, snuffling and snorting trying to find all the food. Kept him busy for a good ten minutes, which is a win in my book.

So yeah, took a bit of time, mostly the cutting and tying, but it worked. Dog's happy, I saved some money, used up an old blanket. Pretty good result for an afternoon's work.