How to entertain a dog, sniffing rugs and licking pads

Dogs love to sniff and discover the world around them with their senses. Discovering new things is great fun for them! This type of play is good to encourage as it helps develop the dog's most important senses. However, sniffing, licking and foraging for food in the garden or house does not always lead to what we would like and there can be problems with encountering inappropriate things. That's why sniffing and licking pads are becoming increasingly popular Read what benefits they can bring to your dog!

Sniffer pads are a type of interactive toy complete with treats that require your canine friend to sniff and find the food hidden between the strips of material on the pad. The purpose of the pieces of material is to mimic, for example, tall grass in a park where your dog would have to search for food in order to eat it. This behavior is meant to stimulate your dog's natural survival instinct, which is actually invaluable for his mental health and healthy for his brain. Dogs have some of the best olfactory skills and can sniff out almost anything, let alone tasty treats. The dog's nose has about 100,000,000 (one hundred million), some breeds like the sheepdog have more than 200,000,000 (two hundred million) olfactory receptors, while the human nose has about 5 to 6,000,000 (five to six million). Therefore, this kind of play is ideal and important for the dog.

Sniffer pads are a great way to keep dogs entertained throughout the day. Hide treats in a corner and watch your dog search for a treat. The pad helps combat your pup's boredom. If your dog gets bored, he may start to exhibit annoying habits such as chewing shoes, scratching doors, destroying furniture or barking. You can prevent these behaviors by using a sniffing pad to provide your pet with diversion and stimulating play.

Wondering what treats to put in the pad? Any dry treat or food is suitable. Choose your pet's favourite flavours! Keeping the pad clean is also easy, you can wash the pads, just remember to shake off any leftover food or treats before washing.

The next time your dog is hyperactive or bored, this will be the perfect opportunity to use the sniffing mat to entertain and direct his activity and senses to look for cues!

Another great fun for your dog are lick pads, a lick pad is a small, textured rubber or silicone pad with grooves that provide a filling for food. The design of the pad forces the dog to lick to consume the food. Using the lick pad encourages licking, which releases pleasure-related endorphins in the dog's brain. These endorphins can help calm dogs in stressful situations and stimulate the dog physically and mentally.

Wondering how to use a lick pad properly? Mix your dog's food, peanut butter or any other treat your dog likes and spread a little on the mat. You can also add some natural yogurt or milk to the mixture you create to make it more interesting. Don't be afraid to use vegetables, you can blend them up and put them on the mat! When your dog is done, remove any leftover food. Always use ingredients without salt, sugar or artificial sweeteners when preparing recipes.  Be sure to take into account the calories you are putting in the dog's lick pad, as they may contain extra calories.

The mat is ideal for playing by licking and pulling food out of its nooks and crannies It has a soothing and relaxing effect. It also slows down fast eating habits. Encourages hyperactive dogs to rest - licking pads keep our pets busy for longer. Keeps dogs busy and you have time to take care of important chores!

Many people forget another important aspect, licking pads promote oral health: the grooves and soft protrusions on its surface gently touch and scratch your dog's tongue, cleaning it and removing foreign substances and bacteria from it. The licking and saliva production keep the gums and teeth in better condition.

Licking pads are also a way to improve digestion, you certainly know yourself how it goes with quickly absorbing a large portion of food on the run! Licking pads reduce the risk of gas and improve digestion.