What can I put on a Lickimat?

There are so many different ways you can use a LickiMat for your dog... here are our top suggestions to help you get the most out of them.

First of all, what are LickiMats and why are they great for dogs?

LickiMats allow you to spread or press dog food or treats on the mat surface, encouraging your dog continue licking to get the food or treat as a reward. The pockets of the LickiMat challenge your dog to extract the raw, wet, dry or liquid food or treat as a reward, enriching their feeding experience.

Your dog will get a lot of enjoyment out of licking and nibbling at crunchy elements you add to their LickiMat. Here are a few reasons why LickiMats are great for your dog...

• Reducing anxiety & stress in situations you can't control such as fireworks season and thunder storms.
• Promotes licking which is a pleasurable experience for both dogs and cats. Licking generate saliva which helps protect teeth & gums, the rubber surface can scrape food particles and bacteria off your dog or cats tongue therefore promoting fresher breath.
• Serving healthy foods/treats such as yoghurt, peanut butter, grain free treats, JR Pate & Liver Paste. You can also freeze healthy foods on the LickiMat to allow your dog to enjoy a chilled treat on a hot day.
• Encourages slower eating habits which can help reduce bloating and improve digestion. You can use this instead of a bowl and freezing the food on the LickiMat can help slow them further.

Your dog can really enjoy a food platter, and choose what foods they find the most delicious. They will enjoy smelling, licking, tasting the food & treats on the mat as well as enjoying different textures you may have added to the LickiMat. 

Here are a few of our favourite combinations...

LickiMat Buddy has a complex surface but still has room to fit treats and pastes / pates on and is an all round great mat. We've found our dogs love to have a bit of a crunch to change up the textures and flavours so we've added fish skin cubes which we break up (top tip, pop them in a sandwich bag & step on them to break them down into a lovely crunchy crumb) and sprinkle on top. Our 100% meat treats fit in the gaps beautifully and add a different smell and taste to the mat. 

Next up is the LickiMat Playdate. With its discrete square pockets you can pop little training treats in the gaps or just fill them with peanut butter, JR Pate or any kind of healthy grain free paste your dog finds delicious! You can even put a wet food pouch on here too.

Finally we have the LickiMat Soother, this one has a brush tip design and is perfect for using pastes or pates with. It allows soft liquids and good to be licked out with extra tongue stimulation. Our dogs love to lick Natures Menu Country Hunter Pouches, Arden Grange Liver Paste or Peamutt Butter. You can also use yoghurts and purees too!

You can shop the full range of LickiMats here and see what we've added to the collection as great fillers for your dog to try. 

Let us know in the comments below what your dog loves on their LickiMats!