How to use a lick mat to create calm in your dog
A lick mat is a flat mat, usually made of soft silicone with a pattern of grooves and indentations, into which you spread a soft food. The dog then uses its tongue and snout to lick it all out, and it is precisely that slow, repeated licking motion that is the whole point: it keeps the dog occupied for a long time at a stretch and has a soothing effect. Licking is a natural, self-soothing behaviour in dogs, and many dog owners therefore use the mat in exactly those situations where the dog would otherwise become restless: during nail clipping, bathing, alone time, vet visits or New Year's Eve with fireworks. Instead of struggling with a stressed dog, you give it a task that keeps it occupied. The mat also works as a simple form of mental stimulation on days when the walk turns out short. If you want more ways to keep your dog active at home, we have gathered 5 brilliant enrichment ideas that the lick mat fits nicely into.
How to get a fast-eating dog to slow down
If your dog wolfs down its food in under a minute, a lick mat solves two problems at once. When the food is spread thinly into the grooves, the dog cannot gulp it down but has to work it out a little at a time. This extends the meal from seconds to several minutes, and the slower eating means fewer air swallows and a more comfortable digestion. The mat is best suited to soft food rather than dry food, precisely because it needs to be able to be spread into the pattern. That makes dog pâté an obvious choice to fill the mat with, and if you have a dog with a sensitive stomach, it can be worth looking at our food for sensitive stomach, so that neither the contents nor the pace strains the stomach.
What can you put on a lick mat?
Anything soft enough to be spread out and thick enough to stay in the grooves works. Wet food and pâté are the most obvious choices, because they both taste good and have the right consistency. If you want to make the task harder and get the mat to last longer, you can freeze it after spreading: this turns it into a cooling activity that can take a long time to get through and is pleasant on warm days. Avoid ingredients that dogs cannot tolerate, such as chocolate, onion, grapes and products containing xylitol. If you are unsure what is safe and healthy to fill it with, our pâté is a simple starting point, and you can use the whole range of dog pâté and topping for the purpose. If you want to read more about the idea itself, we have written about the lick mat as an everyday stroke of genius.
How to clean the lick mat
Because the mat is typically made of food-safe silicone, it can withstand both the dishwasher and ordinary hand washing. After use, it is best to rinse it right away, while the food residue is still soft, so it does not dry stuck in the grooves. A soft dish brush easily reaches down into the pattern. If you have frozen the mat, let it thaw completely before cleaning it. The flexible silicone makes it easy to bend the mat so that dried-on food comes loose. Precisely because it is so easy to clean, it can become part of the daily routine without any trouble.
Treats as an alternative to the spread mat
The lick mat is not the only way to give your dog a calming task. If the activity needs to be taken along on a walk or used as a reward in training, small treats are more practical, because they do not need to be spread or cleaned. Our Delights Treats and the smaller mini Delights treats work well here, and for the very smallest there are puppy treats. If you need many small pieces for training without overfeeding, treats that are low in fat are worth a look. That way the lick mat can cover the calm moments at home, while the treats take care of the walk and the training.
