Game #14 · Brain & Foraging
Snuffle Mat Hunt
Calming foraging activity that naturally lowers a dog's heart rate.
- What you need:
- A fabric snuffle mat (or a thick, folded-up old towel).
How to play
- Drop treats or dry kibble clearly on top of the fabric loops.
- Release your dog with a "find it" cue to let them eat.
- Next time, bury the pieces deeper into the folds of the fabric.
- Sit quietly nearby while they spend 10–15 minutes sniffing out dinner.
Coach's notes
- Serve a whole meal from the mat 3–4 times a week to slow fast eaters.
- Wash the mat weekly — food oils build up.
- Great pre-vet-visit calming activity 30 minutes before you leave.
- Pair with your dog's regular dinner cue so it becomes a wind-down ritual.
If your dog loses interest
Quick fixes when engagement drops mid-session.
- Losing interest in 30 seconds? Use smaller, smellier treats and press them deeper into the fabric strips.
- If your dog flips the mat, weight the corners with a book or step on one edge.
- Rinse the mat weekly — a stale mat smells like nothing and kills the game.
Why it works
Duranton & Horowitz found dogs allowed to sniff freely show reduced heart rate and more optimistic cognitive-bias scores versus dogs kept on a tight leash.
References
- [4] Duranton, C., & Horowitz, A. (2019). Let me sniff! Nosework induces positive judgment bias in pet dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 211, 61–66.
Which cognitive muscle is your dog's strongest?
Run the same science-based tasks from Duke in your living room and get your dog's full cognitive profile.