A dog who empties a bowl in twenty seconds gets nothing out of the meal except the calories. Scatter that same food into a mat of felt petals and it takes ten or fifteen minutes of sniffing to find it all, which slows the eating down, gives the nose real work to do, and leaves most dogs noticeably calmer afterwards than a short walk would have done.

The mat is felt, roughly 37.5cm across, built as a sunflower with yellow petals around a fluffy brown centre where the smaller pieces disappear. Those two textures give you two difficulty levels in one mat, since kibble tucked between the petals is easy while kibble pushed into the dense middle takes genuine effort. Ties on the underside fix it in place so an eager dog cannot shunt it across the kitchen, and it goes in the washing machine.

• Felt snuffle mat, roughly 37.5cm across
• Sunflower design with petals and a dense fluffy centre
• Ties on to hold it in place
• Non-slip backing
• Machine washable
• Suits both dogs and cats

Supervise it, at least to begin with. Some dogs try to eat the mat rather than the food hidden in it, and felt is not something you want swallowed. Sit with your dog for the first few meals, put it away between uses, and wash it regularly, because hidden kibble and dog saliva go stale quickly. It replaces a bowl of dry food, not exercise, and it is no substitute for fresh water alongside.

Who it's for: Fast eaters, and bored dogs or cats on rainy days, plus anyone looking for ten minutes of quiet mental work indoors.