How To Introduce Snuffle Mats & Puzzle Toys (without your dog destroying them!)

“Hello Chloe, I have been reading your e-mails with interest and a little sad for ages, interest as it all makes so much sense, and sad as my rottweiler seems to think that anything soft has to be dismembered into each individual fibre.

When I used peanut butter on a snuffle mat, and turned my back when the phone rang, I turned back to find he had not bothered with licking but chewed the mat to pieces, and was just swallowing the last few bits...

Your snuffle plaits and balls look like so much fun, but are a little pricey for me if it is a one time use. Can you reassure me that dogs will get the idea that getting the treats out is more rewarding than total destruction?

An e-mail to this effect or even one that teaches us how to introduce such a toy to our dog (or vice versa) may even help other people who have dogs like mine. Thank you so much.”

Great question and topic! Thank you so much for sharing this.

Let’s dive straight in.

Thanks to @roamingrotties for this photo! (Not the rottweiler question 😄)

1. Prevention is the best cure.

I always recommend supervising your dog with snuffle mats and puzzle toys, paying particular attention when you first introduce the toy.

Of course, life happens and if you find you have to go answer the phone or door etc. In these instances, it would be best to pick up the toy until you can give your dog your full attention.

Either use a "drop" or "leave it" cue if your dog is well versed with this (teach them if they don't this yet) or redirect their attention from the toy by chucking a tasty treat away from the toy with the cue "find it". 

We don't want to be confrontational when removing toys as this can lead to resource guarding* in some dogs.

Being able to redirect your dog is the best way to prevent the destruction of your brand new snuffle mat or puzzle toy as you can intercept quickly.

*Avoid giving resource guarders any toys they could consume.

We're going to cover the reasons your dog may be trying to chew the toy next, as well as what to do about it.

...But supervision is vital.

2. Consider the food you use with snuffle mats and puzzle toys.

Only use dry food or treats in snuffle mats and soft toys.

If you have a dog that gets overly excited by food, start out with low value dry food. This can help prevent them from trying to get to the food by any means possible.

Overtime, you can gradually introduce some more interesting treats if you wish, though it’s fine to stick to kibble.

Keep in mind that snuffling and licking are different actions. It’s very tricky to lick sticky foods from thin, movable fleece and soft toys. So it’s understandable that a dog would resort to using their teeth to pull at the strips. Unlike offering your dog a bone, fleece is too delicate to withstand this stripping action.

So it may not be that your dog is destructive, just that the challenge posed was too difficult.

Also, be aware of low-quality snuffle mats which are made from thin felt rather than fleece. This felt is not durable at all. They may be cheaper but this is often false economy. Good quality fleece should withstand years of use and washing.

Low-quality snuffle mats are more likely to have been imported from other countries and these may not have the same standards. Make sure your dog toys are made with Oeko-Tex 100 certified fabric as this assures you it's free from harmful substances. It's wild how toxic fabric can be. It's one thing to wear it on our skin (though remember skin is our largest organ), but when your dog is mouthing a toy, it's particularly important!

Wet foods such as peanut butter are best reserved for rubber or silicone toys such as Kongs, Toppls, Yoggi Pots, Lick mats, etc.

Important safety note: It’s dangerous for dogs to consume fabric as this can get stuck in their gut, so we must prevent dogs from consuming toys by supervising use and removing them when necessary.

3. Snuffle mats and puzzle toys may not be as easy to figure out as you think. Show your dog what to do.

If your dog is confused about how to use the snuffle mat or toy, it’s important to show them what to do. Otherwise, this can lead to frustration and resort to them destroying the toy to get to the food.

The easiest way to introduce snuffling is with scatter feeding. You can scatter the food on the grass and give the cue “go snuffle”. This will engage your dog’s nose first, rather than teeth, which is what we want. As there’s nothing for your dog to chew and destroy, it’s a guaranteed win. 

(Of course, any environment may pose hazards, so keep switched on to this.)

Once your dog is accustomed to snuffling for food in the grass, you can then try them with a snuffle toy.

The easiest snuffle toy would be a snuffle mat, followed by the snuffleball and lastly the puzzle plait poses the most challenge.

Snuffle mats are helpful for when it’s wet and cold, or if you don't have access to a lawn or green safe, otherwise you can continue scatter feeding.

The snuffleball involves more movement, which can be fun for dogs. As the snuffle pockets are spacious and snout friendly, this is not too challenging. As it’s more interactive and play oriented than a snuffle mat, it can be a satisfying activity.

The puzzle plait is a more involved enrichment activity combining sniffing and extraction. While the ‘pockets’ are still spacious, steady work is required.

Unless you scatter over a large area, the puzzle plait is likely the most long-lasting activity.

It’s satisfying for dogs that enjoy bedding down to pick apart a meal. However, keep in mind that this could be challenging for some dogs. I recommend starting with long treats that poke out of the pockets for easier extraction.

Gradually decrease the size of the treat overtime. If your dog struggles, then go back to treats that poke out.

As the plait is around 1 metre long, and you can fill it front and back, this still provides a longer lasting activity and sniffing time.

If you are concerned about calories from lots of treats, try something like thinly sliced carrot sticks. Just be sure to introduce any new foods gradually as you don’t want an upset stomach!

My spaniel loves chewing bones and ripping apart the egg boxes I give him, but he’s never chewed the puzzle plait. I would put this down to this gradual introduction process.

Do a little reshaping of the plait ‘pockets’ as needed.

Don’t forget to continue using your “go snuffle” cue as you place the toy down.

4. Provide appropriate outlets for chewing.

Dogs love to chew, some more than others. So the best way to ensure they don't chew their toys is to provide appropriate chews. 

Chews are a whole topic in themselves. We'll look at options in another post. Just avoid cooked bones and raw hide at all costs!

Even healthy chews may pose a choking hazard, so it's crucial to supervise your dog. You can get chew holders to help prevent the chew from becoming small or ensure you can safely remove it before it gets to a risky size.

As ever, all dogs are different, so I can’t assure you that anything is right for your dog.

…But I hope this was helpful to get you thinking about the process of introducing toys or activities.

Dogs have the mental capacity of a two-year-old child, so we need to keep that in mind. They don’t mean to ‘behave badly’ they are just doing what works for them. So we have to guide and show them the way.

If toys are not right for your dog, then there are other activities such as scent work that can provide enrichment.

Photo: @roamingrotties

Happy snuffling,

Chloe