Question 1

Which size does my dog need - Small, Medium or Large?

Accepted Answer

Our Phino-Sniffpad Small is particularly suitable for small dog breeds such as Chihuahuas, Spitz or Miniature Pinschers. We designed our Phino-Sniffpad Medium for medium-sized dog breeds such as Beagle, Terrier or Cocker Spaniel. Our Phino-Sniffpad Large is suitable for dog breeds such as Labradors, Golden Retrievers or German Shepherds. If your dog has a flat muzzle, we also recommend size large. If you are not sure which size suits your dog, please send us an email to office@phino.at with a photo of your pet and we will find out together.

Question 2

What material are our Phino-sniffpads made of?

Accepted Answer

For the upper material we use a canvas cotton fabric that is very robust.
To further strengthen the sniffpad, we use a fabric insert, also made of cotton. We source the fabrics from wholesalers in Germany and the Netherlands. Unfortunately, the origin of the cotton and the processing of the materials cannot be traced for us due to a lack of supply chain laws.

Our labels are made from FloraPap, a vegan leather made from a mixture of cellulose and latex. FloraPap is free of harmful substances, environmentally and health-friendly - without pentachlorophenol, PVC or BPA - and is produced in Germany.

We source the cotton cord from Germany.

Our sewing thread is made of polyester, as cotton thread is unfortunately not robust enough for wild sniffing noses and tears too easily.

Question 3

How is the price made up?

Accepted Answer

1.) Material: We use a high-quality canvas cotton fabric that is very thick and solid. An additional reinforcement is added using a cotton lining between the top and bottom parts. Furthermore, our logo is made of vegan leather and the cord is also cotton.
2.) Manufacturing: Crafting one sniffpad takes about four hours and is a technical challenge in terms of sewing. Our skilled seamstresses perform excellent work, which is compensated accordingly.

3.) Donation: Our love for animals is the base of our business. In order to help as many dogs as possible, we donate €10 from our profit for every sold sniffpad to an animal welfare project.

4.) 20% of the gross prices represent sales tax, which is directly remitted to the tax authorities through us.

5.) Fixed Costs: Website maintenance, hosting, various software programs, printing, advertising, accounting, etc.

For us, transparent and fair compensation is the foundation of a sustainable business, and that includes ourselves. This is the only way Phino can thrive and bring happiness to many dogs and their owners.

Question 4

At how many degrees can you wash our Phino-Sniffpads?

Accepted Answer

Our sniffpads can be washed at a maximum of 30 degrees Celsius, preferably using a hand wash program. Since our sniffpads are made of pure cotton, they can shrink slightly when washed. 
They are not suitable for the dryer.

Question 5

How sustainable are our Phino-Sniffpads made?

Accepted Answer

The majority of conventional sniff pads are made from fleece. Fleece, mainly made of polyester, is one of the main causes of microplastics, as fine fibers come loose during washing and these cannot be completely removed by sewage treatment plants.

We looked for a plastic-free alternative for our dogs and finally created one ourselves. We use 100% cotton fabrics and our labels are made from natural vegan leather. We make every effort to produce our sniffpads and everything associated with them as environmentally friendly as possible. This not only affects the product itself, but also our packaging material or our advertising materials. Wherever we can improve, we do so and see it as a great responsibility towards our nature and all future generations.

However, we deliberately do not declare our product with the term “sustainable” because something newly produced, in our abundance, cannot be sustainable per se. Nevertheless, we would like to emphasize that our Sniffpad has a comparatively low environmental impact compared to conventional alternatives due to the material and production in Hungary. Especially because we do not use fleece fabrics. We also put a lot of effort into making our sniff pads durable and of high quality, so that you and your dog can enjoy them for a long time.

Question 6

Do all Sniffpads look identical?

Accepted Answer

Each Sniffpad has been cut and sewn by hand and is therefore unique. The manufacturing process for our sniffpads is complex and technically demanding. We looked for a long time for a production company that could implement our project exactly according to our wishes. Please note that small deviations from the product photos are possible. Depending on availability, we may also use different cotton cords. We always use the same cotton fabric, but this can also have slight differences in color depending on the batch.