Mentally Stimulating and Calming
An Enrichment Mat is a great way to slow dog’s down whilst eating.
Labrador's, for example, are very fast eaters, they can almost finish eating their food before you can fill their bowl, which is not good for their digestive system.
✅ It gives our dog’s a chance to use their amazing noses and brains to work out how to get the food - this is mentally stimulating for them.
✅ For dogs that aren’t very food motivated, making them work and forage for their food encourages them to use their noses to snuffle and sniff, increasing the value of food and making it more exciting.
✅ Sniffing is a calming activity for dogs as it’s releases endorphins.
✅ 20 minutes of sniffing is equivalent to an hours lead walk !!
Below is a list of foods suitable to use on an Enrichment Mat.
- Kibble
- Crushed kibble
- Feelwells Healthy Training Treat, crumbled
- Fish4Dogs variety of their different size kibble, the tiny one is ideal for a Snuffle Mat
- Fish4Dogs Sea Jerky crushed
- Fish4Dogs Freeze Dried Treats
- Natures Menu Mighty Mixer crushed
- Vegetables chopped
- Jr Pet Product chopped Paté
- Parmesan cheese grated and sprinkled
- Other healthy small treats
Canine Enrichment mats are handmade in York by Katie Issac who runs Wagtainment.
Katie has autism and is waiting for her own assistance dog.
They are robust and made to last with good quality fleece and rubber base with no sharp plastic pieces for dogs to chew, as some of the less expensive options have and are machine washable at low temps.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Wagtainment
10% of profits go to Dogs for Autism: https://dogsforautism.org.uk/
*NB: Puppies and dogs should always be supervised when using any enrichment activity toy or feeder.
