Make your own sniffing carpet

The weather outside is changeable and your desire to go for long walks is limited? Here comes an exciting change for you and your pet, if you prefer to stay indoors: a DIY sniffing carpet.

This not only challenges your craft skills, but above all your favourite's nose. The popular intelligence toy for nose work can be easily made by yourself. All you need are a few utensils that you already have at home or can get cheaply at the household goods shop. And let me assure you: With these instructions, even for people who are bored in craft can get along very well.

You need that:

• Sink liner (alternative: coarsely perforated rubber mat)

• 1-2 fleece blankets (or solid fabric remnants)

• Scissors

• Ruler or tape measure

• Pen
  

  

  
  

DIY sniffer carpet - this is how it works

1. Measure fleece stripes

First you measure the rough size of the individual fleece strips. We recommend a size of about 2-4 cm wide and 30 cm long, which you can draw in with a pen. Use the first strip you knot on the sink liner to test whether the length and width suit you. The longer and wider the strips, the thicker your carpet will be.

2. Cutting fleece strips

Nutze den ersten abgemessenen Zuschnitt als Muster, um die nächsten Fleecestreifen zuzuschneiden. Verfahre so, bis du beide Fleecedecken zerschnitten hast. Dann ziehst du die Streifen durch die Löcher.

3. Tie knots of the strips on the sink liner

Im nächsten Schritt werden die Fleecestreifen mit einem einfachen Knoten an die Löcher der Spülbeckeneinlage geknotet. Die beiden Enden des Stoffstreifens sollten dabei etwa gleich lang sein. Das Verknoten kostet etwas Geduld, aber es lohnt sich – versprochen!

Sniffing nose ready? Let's go!

The use of your sniffer carpet is very easy: Hide some treats your pet likes in the fluffy fringes. Alternatively, you can also use other small bites or dog food.

Our tip: Depending on your temperament, play instinct and age, a sniffer carpet can be moved around the flat without any problems despite its non-slip underlay - especially on smooth surfaces such as tiles, parquet or laminate. We therefore recommend that you do not leave your dog alone with it. This way you both benefit: You have the joy about the enthusiasm of your favourite and your pet has a real challenge!

Advantages of the sniffer carpet

This fluffy dog toy is not only perfect for little treats, but also for hiding other fragrant objects. The smells are exciting for your four-legged friend and can be used to create all kinds of search games. A praise and a reward when your four-legged friend has found what he was looking for is a matter of course! In addition, a sniffing carpet is much more than just an activity for rainy days:

• Mental demand: Your dog is challenged and the nose work offers an excellent opportunity to keep your pet mentally busy. In this way, it is also an ideal leisure activity for older dogs, who are not so mobile anymore but like to be encouraged to sniff. This type of brain jogging keeps your dog young and mentally fit!

• Intelligence training: If you use the sniffing carpet regularly and your four-legged friend increasingly enjoys it, he will develop techniques to reach the treats quickly. You'll be surprised how much fun your pet can work efficiently!

• Compensation: You can train temperamental dogs to concentrate and calmly search for food with the sniffing carpet. Especially quiet dogs like this task.

• Healthy food intake: Searching and digging in the fringes of the carpet means work for your pet, you prevent your pet from snapping hastily. By eating the food chunks at different times, the feeling of fullness gradually sets in - just as it should.

• Washable: If it is used frequently, it is worth washing it in the washing machine at 30 to 40 degrees every now and then. In no time at all, the toy is ready to use again for nasal work.