Sniffing games
Hiding freeze-dried liver bits in a snuffle mat
Updated
Liver treats for snuffle mats work as small broken bits tucked through the fabric, so your dog noses them out one at a time. Count the whole scatter as part of the day's treat budget, not on top of it, and stay in the room while the mat is down, as the label's supervise line asks.
How small should liver bits be for a snuffle mat?
Small enough to drop down between the strips of fabric, and big enough that your dog can still pick one up. Think about the size of a pea, a bit less for a small dog and a bit more for a large one. Our pieces are medium sized and break apart by hand, so you can set the size yourself, one piece at a time, over a bowl.
Smaller is not always better here. Aim for bits, not powder, so there is something to find. A bit your dog can smell from the top and reach with its nose is the one that keeps the game going.
Because the bits are tiny and go in one by one, a mat stretches a little liver a long way, which suits a budget.
How do you load a snuffle mat with liver?
Shake the strips up first so they stand loose, then tuck bits low and deep with your fingers. Start easy. For the first few rounds, leave a few bits near the top and let your dog find them quickly, so it learns that the mat pays.
Once your dog is hunting well, push the bits farther down and spread them around, with a few in the corners and a few in the middle. Keep a mental tally as you load. You are building a puzzle, and you should know roughly how much is in it, since the whole thing counts toward the day.
Any flat, strip-style mat will do, as long as you can pull the fabric apart and wash it. Why the nose goes straight for liver is covered in our piece on why dogs love liver.
How much liver belongs in one session?
Whatever is left in the day's treat budget after everything else. For all treats combined, the limit from VCA Animal Hospitals is 10 percent of daily calories, and the 90 percent that remains is complete and balanced food. A snuffle mat is easy to overfill, because a pile of tiny bits looks like very little.
So weigh it. The calculator on how much liver a dog can eat takes your dog's daily calories and returns a weight of liver for the day. Weigh the day's share onto a small plate, break it up and load only what is on the plate. Whatever the mat does not give up goes back in the bag, and the bag is resealed and goes back to a cool, dry place.
How do you clean a snuffle mat after liver?
Shake it out first, outdoors or over a bin, and pick out anything still caught in the strips. Then wash it the way the mat's own care label says, since fabrics differ, and let it dry all the way before it goes back in a cupboard.
A mat put away damp is a bad idea in any season, so leave it flat somewhere with air moving over it. The bag asks you to "WASH HANDS AFTER HANDLING," which covers the part that touched the liver before you got to the sink.
What other sniffing games work with liver?
Scatter a few bits in short grass and let your dog hunt them. Or try the three-cup game: three cups upside down, a bit under one, and the dog shows you which. Both use the same tiny bits and both count toward the same budget.
In every game the rule stays the same: you pick the amount first, then you play.
Questions
Can I leave my dog alone with a snuffle mat?
No. The bag says: "Always supervise while feeding and provide fresh drinking water." Stay in the room while the mat is down, and pick it up when the liver is gone so it does not turn into something to chew.
Should I mix liver with kibble in the mat?
You can, if you plan it. Liver on the food is still liver, so count it in the treat budget. Put in the bits you weighed, plus the kibble you meant to feed anyway, and treat the mat as a bowl with a game attached.
How often can my dog use a snuffle mat with liver?
As often as the budget allows. We give no schedule, because each session's liver comes out of the same daily allowance as every other treat. Use fewer bits per session if you want to play more than once.
What if my dog starts chewing the mat?
Pick it up. A mat is for nosing, and once the dog starts pulling at the fabric the game has changed. Stay close while it is down, and reload only when the dog is back to sniffing.
Can two dogs share one snuffle mat?
It is easier with one mat each. Two dogs working a single mat have to share a small space, and the faster one tends to take the bits. Put the mats in separate spots, load each from its own dog's share and keep watch.
Do whole liver pieces work in a snuffle mat?
Usually not. A whole medium piece sits on top of the fabric, so the dog picks it up and leaves, which spoils the point of the mat. Break pieces into bits that sink into the strips, and keep whole pieces for hand rewards.