Snuffle Mat

Somewhere I saw someone had made a snuffle mat, or mentioned one, and had to see what it was about. I found a tutorial by The Honest Kitchen so I decided to make one for my dog. First, I ordered this dish mat from Amazon. It cost about $6. The edges are a little curled because we put it through the dishwasher before I added the strips. It had a smell when it arrived.

I reached into my fleece scraps bin and cut a bunch of pieces roughly 1" wide by 6-7" long and sat down to make the snuffle mat.

It's a super simple project that doesn't take long. Once you get the pieces cut you just sit down with your favorite podcast and tie all the strips onto the mat.

Here is what it should look like on the back (this was the only thing missing from the tutorial that I thought might help) once you get all the strips tied on. The density of the strips keeps it flat on the floor so those curled edges aren't really an issue.

Because I cut the pieces both width-wise and length-wise based on the scrap at hand, some of the strips stretched and others didn't. That left me with an uneven surface. I shoved some small training treats into the spaces between the strips and encouraged my dog to find them. The first time was too exciting because it was new and she wasn't quite sure what to expect. I had to make her put it down more than once the first use. The second time she knew what she was doing and was excited to find the treats. Definitely a fun addition to rewards and it only cost me $6 and some time.

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle
Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
Kitchen Protector Regular, White, Sink Mat