Similar to chewing, licking is a naturally soothing behavior for dogs. The best dog lick mats are excellent ways to offer your dog enrichment in a calming, relaxing way.
Most dog lick mats are made of silicone or rubber and have various crevices or textures, making them ideal vehicles for peanut butter, softened kibble, raw food, or canned food. They can also be frozen to extend mealtimes, which is great for dogs who eat too fast.
A frozen lick mat will slow a dog down significantly more than a slow feeder bowl and won’t cause as much frustration for dogs who have trouble with puzzle toys. These handy tools are also good for dogs who get nervous in certain situations (like at the vet or in the car), since licking has a naturally calming effect.
In addition, lick mats can be great enrichment activities when busy pet parents need to keep their pups occupied occasionally.
Here’s how to choose the best lick mat for your dog:
Traits We Want in a Dog Lick Mat
Ease of use: Dog lick mats should be easy to fill, freeze, and clean. Because lick mats have irregular (and sometimes tiny) patterns, being dishwasher safe is a must. You don’t want to have to hand wash sticky peanut butter or leftover wet food from tiny crevices in a lick mat.
Extra features: Extra features like suction cups to keep the lick mat from moving are handy. Some lick mats also offer additional enrichment though extra features, like wobbling lick bowls for an extra challenge, or waterproof suction mats for bathtime.
Note that some dogs get frustrated with more difficult puzzle toys. Lick mats with lots of compartments or options that wobble may not be suitable for dogs who are easily frustrated. Instead, opt for a lick mat with a single, simple pattern.
Durability: The durability your dog needs will depend on their preferences. Puppies or dogs who tend to chew should avoid lick mats and opt for Kongs or the West Paw Toppl instead. Very small dogs and gentle lickers will likely prefer a softer, more soothing mat, while high-energy excitable dogs may enjoy the extra challenge of a lick mat with deeper, irregular crevices.
Whole Dog Journal is reader-supported. If you purchase through links on our site we may earn a commission. Whole Dog Journal does not accept money for its food and product reviews.
The Best Dog Lick Mats
| Whole Dog Journal Rating | Product and Maker | Price | Size | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | LickiMat Classic Soother | $9 | 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.28 inches | The LickiMat classic soother is great at getting dogs to calm down. Less of a puzzle toy and more of a calming activity, the soft bristles and singular pattern reduce frustration and promote decompression. |
 | Woof LickMat | $10 | 8 x 8 x 1 inches | The Woof LickMat is a great suction-backed option, feels sturdy and relatively rigid, and can be used with or without Woof’s innovative LickMix treat. |
| Frisco Silicone Treat Lick Mat (2 pack) | $14 | 8.86 x 7.99 x 0.39 inches | Though they’re not the most durable option (opt for something else for teething puppies), this two pack of Frisco Lick Mats offers enrichment at an affordable price. |
| LickiMat Wobble | $19 | 6.3 x 6.3 x 3.5 inches | The LickiMat Wobble is a good option to feed full meals in, since it holds up to four cups of dry kibble (slightly less if soaked). It’s a bit hard to fill with liquid and freeze, since it has a rounded, wobbly bottom. |
| Spot Belgian Waffle Lick Mat | $8 | 0.3 x 7.75 x 7.75 inches | This waffle-shaped lick mat is divided into four different sections, so you can easily vary the “toppings” or treats you offer to your dog on it. It’s relatively sturdy and thick, so it doesn’t slide around much on the floor. |
| Aqua Paw Lick Mat | $15 | 8.9 x 8.9 x 0.25 inches | This lick mat is designed to suction to your shower walls so your pup can have a treat during bathtime. It has very deep grooves and requires quite a bit of food to be put in it, which is heavy when frozen and may cause your mat to slide off the wall. |
Best Dog Lick Mat: LickiMat Classic Soother
If the goal of a lick mat is to give your dog a quiet, soothing activity, the LickiMat Classic Soother does a good job of that. It doesn’t have a ton of different textures or compartments and isn’t too difficult for dogs to get the food/treats out of, though it entertains them for quite a long time with its dense bristles.
The pattern on this mat is simple and the texture is soft, encouraging dogs to lick and calm themselves down. It’s great for dogs who get frustrated with puzzle toys or who give up on lick mats with complicated textures.
The big rim around the edge keeps watery treats from spilling out, and it cleaned up easily in the dishwasher.
The only downside to this option (like most lick mats) is that it needs to be placed on something rigid when filling it with liquid if you plan to freeze it. It’s a little bit too floppy to fill with liquid then transfer to the freezer without spilling the filling.
Best Dog Lick Mat with Suction Cups: Woof LickMat
Woof is constantly innovating dog enrichment toys and the new Woof LickMat lives up to the hype. It has a few different uses.
First, you can add water to the brand’s LickMix spread (sold separately) and stir it in the center bowl before spreading it onto the rest of the mat. The mix comes in several different flavors and though the powder can get a little messy during the mixing process, it ultimately doesn’t matter since you’ll be spreading the powder mixed with water all over the mat anyway.
The LickMix spread is convenient since it doesn’t require being put in the freezer. It thickens up on its own after mixing with water and sitting for five minutes.
Secondly, you can simply spread your dog’s favorite treat or wet food onto the mat. Freeze the mat after spreading food on it for an extra challenge.
The mat has a bunch of small suction cups on the back of it, so you can affix it to the floor, the shower wall while giving your dog a bath, or any other hard surface. It can be a little difficult to use the suction cups if the mat is already filled with food (your hands may get a little messy), but it stuck well to my hardwood floors and my bathtub walls. Many lick mats slide around while your dog works on them, so the suction helps it stay in one place.
Best Budget Dog Lick Mats: Frisco Silicone Treat Lick Mat (2 Pack)
If you have two dogs or like to prep multiple lick mats at a time, the Frisco Silicone Treat Lick Mat 2 pack is the most economical option on this list. I’ve had these two lick mats for years. They’re not the most durable (the gray one has a few nibbles on it from when my Collie was a puppy), but they’re great for trustworthy adult dogs who don’t destroy enrichment toys.
The two different textures both offer long enrichment periods with shallow crevices for your dog to lick their favorite treats out of. Both mats are top rack dishwasher safe, though they sometimes take two wash cycles to get completely clean if you use a sticky treat, like peanut butter, on them.
The only other downside to these mats is that I wish they were a little more rigid. Since they’re floppy, it’s hard to put them in the freezer with liquids on them without spilling.
Best Dog Lick Bowl: LickiMat Wobble
For smart, high-energy dogs or dogs who eat their meals way too fast, the LickiMat Wobble bowl is a great way to slow down mealtime. It holds about 4 cups of dry kibble—less if it’s soaked since it expands—and can be filled with liquid like water or dog-safe chicken broth and frozen.
With frozen soaked kibble and water, it took my dogs nearly an hour to finish their food in this LickiMat, buying me some much-needed quiet time to take a few work calls.
The only downside of this option is that it’s a little bit difficult to fill and freeze since it has a rounded, wobbly bottom. I put it inside of a slightly bigger bowl to keep it stable while I filled it, then put the bowl and the LickiMat in the freezer together.
Another Good Dog Lick Mat Option: Spot Belgian Waffle Lick Mat
The Spot Belgian Waffle Lick Mat is a great divided option. The four different sections can be filled with a variety of treats, foods, or supplements to keep mealtime fun for your pup.
It’s sturdy and rigid, but the sharp square corners of this mat tend to hold onto wet food and peanut butter, even when put in the dishwasher. It may require multiple washes to get fully clean if you use sticky or thick fillings.
This mat is a bit heavier and more rigid than other options on this list, so it doesn’t move as much when dogs are working on it, even though it doesn’t have suction cups.
Best Lick Mat for Bath Time: Aqua Paw Lick Mat
I used to use the Aqua Paw Lick Mat frequently while giving my Collie a bath when she was a puppy. The suction cups are a great idea to make bath time more enjoyable for dogs and this lick mat sticks well to most shower walls and bathtubs (it can also be affixed to the ground for non-bath usage).
The main downside of this option is that it’s very large (opt for the smaller size for small dogs) and requires a lot of food to be put in it since the grooves are so deep. When frozen, it’s very heavy and during testing, sometimes slid off the shower wall from the weight. This is another option that requires multiple cycles in the dishwasher to get completely clean.
