Dog parents usually engage the problem of their dogs eating too fast or being panicked when bathing. Such issues are common for dogs, and they should not concern you because we have solutions to these. As you face the situation of eating too fast and panicking, the most practical method is getting a lick mat. It helps to slow down your puppy's eating or calm down the dog. Here are a few options you may want to take as references.
Here are the best dog lick mats you can buy in 2024:
- Best Overall: LickiMat Classic Slow Feeder For Calming and Boredom Reduction
- Runner Up: LickiMat Slow Feeder For Heavy-Duty Tasks And Chewers
- Best Budget: Hyper Pet Licking Mat For Both Dogs And Cats With Fun Treats
- Best For Bath Time: Aquapaw 07671 Slow Treater For Bath Time
- Best For Calming: Hyper Pet IQ Slow Feeders For Panic Dogs
- Best For Calming: Hyper Pet IQ Slow Feeders For Panic Dogs
| 6 Best Dog Lick Mats | ||
|---|---|---|
Best Overall | LickiMat Classic Slow Feeder For Calming and Boredom Reduction | |
Runner Up | LickiMat Slow Feeder For Heavy-Duty Tasks And Chewers | |
Best Budget | Hyper Pet Licking Mat For Both Dogs And Cats With Fun Treats | |
Best For Bath Time | Aquapaw 07671 Slow Treater For Bath Time | |
Best For Calming | Hyper Pet IQ Slow Feeders For Panic Dogs | |
Best For Calming | Hyper Pet IQ Slow Feeders For Panic Dogs | |
Best Overall: LickiMat Classic Slow Feeder For Calming and Boredom Reduction
- Reduce anxiety and boredom remarkably
- Effective slow feeding
- Non-toxic and scented, safe for dogs
- Not recommending dishwasher cleaning
Coming up first on the list of the best lick mats for dogs is the Lickimat classic slow feeder. This will improve your dog’s fast eating, which can sometimes lead to your dog getting choked on food. It is 100 percent safe for pets with no scent or toxic substances.
This slow feeder is perfect for small treats and meals during the day. When taking your dog for a bath, you can also use the Lickimat slow feeder to reduce his or her anxiety.
| LickiMat Classic Slow Feeder For Calming and Boredom Reduction Specifications | |
|---|---|
Product's dimension | 7.87 x 0.28 x 7.87 inches |
Weight | 3.53 ounces |
Material | Rubber |
Main usage | Slow feeding |
Cleaning | Hand cleaning |
Though the item should not, or we can say must not be washed in your dishwasher, it is easy to clean and non-toxic for dogs. Hence, we think that non-dishwasher cleaning should not be a problem.
Runner Up: LickiMat Slow Feeder For Heavy-Duty Tasks And Chewers
- Available for heavy duties
- Non-toxic of scented, safe for dogs
- Durable and ready for long-term usage
- Not dishwasher washable
If your dog is aggressive and constantly chews all the feeders you have bought, you have come to the right place. Another item is from Lickimat that can do with aggressive and chewing dogs.
When your dog chews or gets aggressive, it can be a sign that she or he is panicked and scared of the surroundings. Or this can be one of his or her personality traits. It can be tamed and gradually changes. Therefore, you should start with the smallest details then the lifestyle.
This Lickimat slow feeder is quite similar to the aforementioned, but it is more durable and can handle the chewing from dogs.
| LickiMat Slow Feeder For Heavy-Duty Tasks And Chewers Specifications | |
|---|---|
Product's dimension | 7.87 x 0.47 x 7.87 inches |
Weight | 8.01 Ounces |
Material | Rubber |
Main usage | Calming |
Cleaning | Hand cleaning |
If your puppy is easily panicked or aggressive, this Lickimat item will be ideal for his or her meals or bath times.
Best Budget: Hyper Pet Licking Mat For Both Dogs And Cats With Fun Treats
- Highly affordable for all shoppers
- Applicable for both dogs, cats.
- Safe for dishwashers
- Used for gentle pets only
The third candidate on our list of the best kick mats for dogs comes from Hyper Pet. This is a quite popular pet supplier for shoppers, who have cats or dogs. The Hyper Pet licking mat is claimed to lower the dog's IQ. However, we have not seen the effect.
On the other hand, it performs well on slow eating and entertaining pets during their meals or small treats in the day. It is usable for both cats and dogs. Thus, if your kitty also eats too quickly, this can be one realistic solution.
| Hyper Pet Licking Mat For Both Dogs And Cats With Fun Treats Specifications | |
|---|---|
Product's dimension | 7.8 x 7.8 x 0.4 inches |
Weight | 4.66 Ounces |
Material | Rubber |
Main usage | Entertaining |
Cleaning | Available for dishwasher |
This soft and chewable lick mat will be best for gentle pets. It is fine to use for aggressive ones if you can handle the constant changing. Or else, we would not recommend using it for aggressive puppies.
Best For Bath Time: Aquapaw 07671 Slow Treater For Bath Time
- Show effectiveness of calming dogs when bathing
- Usable for chewing and panicked puppies
- Made of high-quality material that is safe for dogs and owners
- Small treats only instead of main meals during the day
Dogs can be extremely panicked when taking a bath. This can be the result of its being afraid of water, though not many dogs have the same problem, or its first impression about bathing is terrifying. Either way, you must find a way to calm your dog during bath time.
The Aquapaw lick mat is one solution we have found. When taking the puppy for a bath, bring along this lick mat with some dog treats on it. Your dog can eat the treat slowly while bathing, and the bathing experience will not be so scary anymore since he or she has now associated bathing with treats.
| Aquapaw 07671 Slow Treater For Bath Time Specifications | |
|---|---|
Product's dimension | 0.71 x 7.01 x 6.1 inches |
Weight | 1.45 Ounces |
Material | FDA grade silicone |
Main usage | Calming |
Cleaning | Available for dishwasher |
We would rate the Aquapaw slow feeder 9 out of 10 if we have to. It is a cheap and practical way to calm your puppy in each bath.
Best For Calming: Hyper Pet IQ Slow Feeders For Panic Dogs
- Performs impressively on the calming effect
- Reduces both anxiety and stress for dogs
- Available for heavy duties
- Safe for dishwasher cleaning
- No suction is featured for the product
The fifth position belongs to Hyper Pet again. The previous one is about affordability, and this lick mat is about the calming effect. It is featured quite differently from the last one we have mentioned in the best budget section.
This Hyper Pet slow feeder is designed for dogs only. Its major duty is to help calm your dog down, keep him or her entertained with the food, and reduce the current stress that he or she has to face. It is great to use for aggressive dogs who chew a lot.
| Hyper Pet IQ Slow Feeders For Panic Dogs Specifications | |
|---|---|
Product's dimension | 7.8 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches |
Weight | 4.16 ounces |
Material | Rubber |
Main usage | Calming |
Cleaning | Available for dishwasher |
Overall, dogs love this lick mat because it is fun and calms their statement. But lots of shoppers complain that there is no suction.
Best For Calming: Hyper Pet IQ Slow Feeders For Panic Dogs
- Usable for 2 dogs instead of 1
- Durable and available for heavy-duty
- Many patterns are featured for fun and interesting feeding
- A bit hard to clean
Last but not least, we have the Mighty Paw lick mat for multiple dogs. If you have more than one puppy, you should definitely consider buying this lick mat. It is larger than all the aforementioned products, which is suitable for 2 or even 3 dogs.
The lick mat is unscented and made of silicone, which is safe for dogs. It can also handle chewing or other heavy-duty things. This Mighty Paw lick mat is best when used for two dogs. Three dogs using the same lick mat can be not comfortable and trigger your puppy’s instinct to fight for food.
| Hyper Pet IQ Slow Feeders For Panic Dogs Specifications | |
|---|---|
Product's dimension | 9.02 x 6.1 x 0.67 inches |
Weight | 5.93 Ounces |
Material | BPA-Free Silicone |
Main usage | Entertaining for multiple dogs |
Cleaning | Hand cleaning |
The only drawback we have for this Mighty Paw product is that it is hard to clean, compared to others. But the fun patterns and usage for two dogs are the two advantages making up for the cleaning part.
How To Choose The Best Dog Lick Mat?
Types of Lick Mats
There are not any certain names to call each type of lick mat. Nonetheless, you can distinguish one from another for the patterns featured on your purchased lick mat. Here are the three ones we have collected and identified.
The first one is specifically used for treats and feeding. The feature pattern is often not complicated. They normally have square patterns all over the mat. This mat type will be best for feeding and treats during the day only.
The second one is for entertaining treats and boredom reduction. It has more complex patterns with different kinds of shapes. Its pattern can be in a bone shape or cross one.
The last one is for soothing. It has dense and small patterns, normally dots. It is best for tongue stimulation and anxiety reduction in dogs.
Lick Mats' Benefits
Many people who have pets often advise first-hand parents to buy a lick mat for the benefits offered. We also think highly of the advantages of lick mats and have summarized the reasons why you should be using one for your puppy.
- Dental support
- Appropriate eating speed (for puppies and mature dogs)
- Practice their patience
- Reduce stress for anxious dogs
Factors When Choosing A Lick Mat
- Is it safe for our dogs: safety comes first for us in any situation. For the lick mats, make sure you purchase one that has no chemical smell and is made of high-quality material. Your dog will certainly chew the mat, whether they are gentle or not.
- Purposes: as we have mentioned the benefits and types of mats. There is a type for slow eating, stress-reducing, and entertaining. Choosing the lick mat based on your dog's needs will get you the ideal item.
- Cleaning: a lick mat should not be too hard to clean because you have to do the cleaning constantly after each usage. Using a lick mat multiple times can lead to your dog facing some mild or serious health conditions.
- One or multiple dogs: we recommend that each lick mat should be used for one dog only. If you have more than one, check the Mighty Paw mat for multiple dogs. But the maximum number of dogs using the same lick mat should stay at two only.
Which Brands Make The Best Dog Lick Mat?
LickiMat
The LickiMat® story begins in Australia long before the LickiMat with the OH Bowl®. We had been working with two vets to design a product to improve the Oral Hygiene and Oral Health (hence OH) of our dog.
The portion of vet costs associated with pet dental work had been increasing for lots of reasons and was a serious health issue that needed to be addressed. We worked on two principles: stimulating the tongue to produce more saliva that in turn leads to healthier teeth and gums and scraping the tongue to reduce undigested food particles and odor-causing bacteria.
The solution was similar to humans - when your dentist tells you to scrape your tongue using the back of your toothbrush or a tongue scraper, but you forget to do so most of the time! Not forgetting with OH Bowl as the tongue is naturally scraped at the end of every meal without requiring extra effort from the pet guardian.
The LickiMat range takes the same principles and applies them to the entire rubber surface of the mat. It challenges the dog or cat to lick to get the reward that has been spread onto the LickiMat. This resulted in a lot of licking, a lot of interest, and fun! The licking action also produces endorphins that soothe and calm your pet, and it is now recognized as a leading anti-anxiety tool.
Conclusion
Choosing a dog lick mat is not so difficult as some people may claim it to be. When picking a lick mat, you should consider the safety, your puppy's personality and mental statement, as well as the purpose. After checking three of these sections, selecting a lick mat is not so hard at all.
