So, you’re thinking about incorporating enrichment items into your bully’s feeding time, and you’ve decided to start with a snuffle mat. Now what? Do you need to teach your bulldog to use a snuffle mat safely, or will they just ‘get it?’ We’re answering those questions today and giving you multiple step-by-step guides on how to do it… just in case your bully needs a little help.
Make yourself comfortable, friends and I will begin.
- A quick intro to snuffle mats
- How to teach your bulldog to use a snuffle mat
- Snuffle mat tips for bulldogs
- Give them time to get used to it
- Take the mat away when you’re done
- Alternative between feeding enrichment tools
- What not to do with a snuffle mat…
- Don’t leave them unsupervised
- Don’t force it on your bulldog
- Don’t forget the differences between bulldog puppies and adults
- Teach your bulldog to use a snuffle mat: conclusion
A quick intro to snuffle mats
Snuffle mats are a great tool for both feeding and enrichment, encouraging your beloved bulldog to remember their doggy roots and sniff or hunt out food. It stops them from scoffing the food alongside the repercussions of it, and it also encourages them to use their brains a little more than just gobbling kibble from a bowl on the floor.
Dr. Joanna Woodnutt MRCVS said this for Pets Radar:
“Dogs in the wild would have spent many hours looking for food, whereas pet dogs are served up their dinner in a bowl of food that is finished within minutes.”
For many doggos, particularly apartment or mostly indoor ones, snuffle mats provide much needed enrichment – but they seem to be like Marmite for the four-legged friends in our families. Dogs either love or hate snuffle mats, rarely in-between.
Today, though, we’re going to take a deep dive into how to teach your bulldog to use a snuffle mat safely and effectively. If your bully isn’t bothered after these tips, they’re probably on the ‘hate snuffle mat team.’
(Sorry!)
For more information on the benefits (and studies behind those benefits,) we recommend that you take a look at this article on Planet Bulldog: Top 10 Snuffle Mats for Your English Bulldog.
How to teach your bulldog to use a snuffle mat
As with most things when it comes to bulldogs, patience is key when trying to teach your bulldog to use a snuffle mat (safely.) That’s not all, though; you must remember that you have put a random object down in front of your dog, that may or may not smell faintly of food. You can’t expect them to just ‘get it.’
That would be like putting down plumbing tools in front of you and asking you to fix the sink… when you’ve never done plumbing in your life, ever.
Sometimes, as daft as it sounds, you need to show your bulldog what you want them to do with the snuffle mat – or any other tool or enrichment item.
Let’s look at the different ways you can teach your bulldog to use a snuffle mat.
Method one: the deep end
If your bulldog is particularly food motivated, there’s a pretty good chance that they’ll automatically start sniffing around and trying to find the food as soon as you put the snuffle mat on the floor.
I like to call this approach, “the deep end approach.” Throw your doggo (and the mat) in at the deep end and let them figure it all out.
This approach might not work if your bully isn’t food-motivated, though. Thankfully, we have backup approaches for you to try.
Method two: treats first
Give your doggo a couple of treats. Make it their favourite treats if they’re being particularly stubborn about avoiding the snuffle mat.
Once they’ve had a couple, put the next treat on the snuffle mat. Make sure that your bulldog sees where the treat has gone. If your bulldog successfully takes the treat from the snuffle mat, move on to the next step. If they haven’t, repeat this step again – two or three times, if necessary.
Then, hide the next treat somewhere in the snuffle mat – but, again, make sure that your bully can see the treat and where it goes. Repeat this with another treat.
You are, essentially, breaking down how to use the snuffle mat into smaller, manageable chunks for your bulldog to easily process and understand.
You can either leave it there, until the next training session (because it’s best to keep things short n’ sweet with bulldogs,) or you can move on to hiding a treat in the snuffle mat without your dog seeing. Take the mat away, hide the treat, then give it back to them.
Hopefully, they’ll understand what they’re meant to do (because you’ve just showed them in those smaller steps,) and they’ll use the snuffle mat!
It’s okay if they don’t get it just yet; you can always repeat the first couple of steps again until they finally do get it.
Method three: bonus food
We call this approach the ‘bonus food approach’ because, to your bulldog, it might feel like they’re getting bonus food on top of their dinner – and we all know how greedy bullies can be once they find a food they live.
Give your bully their dinner in a bowl as you usually would, but only give them half or three-quarters of what you’d normally give them. Keep the rest to one side.
Once your doggo has finished eating their food out of the bowl, pop the snuffle mat on the floor with the additional kibble tucked away inside it.
This, to your dog, looks like extra dinner – and it might entice them to use the snuffle mat.
Method four: no, no, no
Nothing gets your dog to eat faster than saying no and trying to take it away. If all else fails, drop the snuffle mat on the floor, with the kibble or treats inside it, right in front of your dog. Then, try the “no, no, no,” approach – with a calmer voice than you’d usually use to stop your bully from doing something.
Food that your bully isn’t meant to eat? Well, they’ll probably eat it right up… snuffling around that snuffle mat by proxy.
Snuffle mat tips for bulldogs
If things still aren’t working quite as you’d like them to, don’t worry; we’ve got a few extra tricks and tips to teach your bulldog to use a snuffle mat up our sleeves.
Give them time to get used to it
Bulldogs can be particularly anxious about new things in the home. Sometimes, those things don’t even need to be new; Frank the Bulldog developed a deep and sudden hatred of one particular lamp in the home… which hadn’t ever moved since Frank’s arrival in the home.
Snuffle mats might come under the category of New Things for your bully, so it’s a good idea to give them time with the mat – to sniff, look at, and generally become accustomed to it. Once they’re slightly more comfortable with it, you might find that it’s easier to get them to actually use it.
Take the mat away when you’re done
This isn’t just for safety reasons; it’s also to signal to your doggo that mat-food time is over. It’s not a toy to be used every day; rather, it’s an enrichment tool to help with feeding.
All the straggly and flappy bits can pose a choking or digestive blockage problem with dogs, so never leave it out when it’s not being used.
The mat should also be regularly cleaned, so consider giving it a wipe-down or shake after every use, too.
Alternative between feeding enrichment tools
Alongside snuffle mats, incorporate rolling food balls, slow feeder mats and bowls, lick mats, and other tools into the mix. This gives your bulldog time to miss a certain enrichment item, and it’ll also help you determine which one is their favourite – which, in turn, gives you a great training tool.
Alternating between different items also ensures that your bulldog doesn’t get bored, does get all the enrichment they need, and are constantly mentally stimulated with different feeding approaches.
What not to do with a snuffle mat…
Now that you know what you should do with a bully when trying to teach them how to use a snuffle mat, it’s time to look at what you shouldn’t do.
Don’t leave them unsupervised
If your dog is an avid chewer, which so many bullies can be, there’s a chance that they’ll chew and eat the snuffle mat parts… or even the whole mat! There are countless Reddit users with stories of exactly that happening!
Always watch your bulldog when they’re eating – and especially with snuffle mats or other slow-feeding or enrichment items.
It takes just a second or two for things to go wrong… and if you’re not there to see it, how can you give your doggo the help that they so desperately need?
Don’t force it on your bulldog
Not all doggos like all enrichment items. You could have two bulldogs of the same age, side-by-side, and they’ll opt for two different toys. One bulldog might love snuffle mats… but another might not get the big deal about them.
One Reddit user says:
“Your dog isn’t a cookie cut animal. They are an individual with their own preferences.”
We couldn’t agree more with that statement!
If your bulldog doesn’t seem interested in the snuffle mat despite repeated attempts, don’t repeatedly force it on them. They’ll get irritated and annoyed at you, and perhaps even a little confused, too. What do you actually want them to do with the snuffle mat that they don’t like/understand?
There are other enrichment items and ideas that you can use to entertain and slow down your bulldog’s eating. It’s not the end of the world if the snuffle mat doesn’t work.
As another Reddit user states:
“My dog… practically rolls his eyes when I roll out the snuffle mat. He’ll keep at it if I starve him but he’d much rather be hand-fed.”
Don’t forget the differences between bulldog puppies and adults
Is your bulldog just a baby? Younger puppies are likely not going to have extended periods of interest in the snuffle mat. They have shorter attention spans, so short bursts of using it are best.
Older bullies, from around nine or ten months of age, will appreciate the snuffle mat a lot more. They have longer attention spans, so they’ll be interested in the enrichment item more.
Teach your bulldog to use a snuffle mat: conclusion
I hope that you’ve found a few tricks that’ll get your bulldog to actually use their new snuffle mat, but always remember that dogs are different in the same way that humans are different. If you don’t like Marmite, it’s entirely possible that your doggo just doesn’t like the snuffle mat.
Thanks for stopping by and checking out Planet Bulldog today! Frank the Bulldog and the rest of the team appreciates your support.
