What are the benefits of a lick mat and are they worth the hype?
It doesn’t matter which pet shop you visit these days, they are bound to have some version of a lick pad for sale, and if we look back to where it all started it’s easy to see why. Back in 2012, LickiMat was founded here in Australia, and they have sold over 8 Million up to 2022. You’ll find a lot of similar products on the market.
Here at Zach’s Pet Shop, we sell the full range of LickiMat, plus a variety of lick mats from other great brands, now let’s unpack the many benefits.
- Boredom Buster - Often we think about our puppers at home more than we think our partners and one of the benefits is keeping your dog busy and enjoying themselves. Lick mats are very useful if you have a playful woofer. They’ll thank you ten times over for stimulating their mind! Handy Tip: If your woofer is new to lick mats, supervise the first few times and remove once finished, they need to learn this isn’t a toy.
- Digestion - The longer your dog takes to eat their meal, the better the digestion. Using a lick mat slows down meal time when you spread the food into the grooves of the mat. They’ll have less stomach pain; or if your dog vomits after gulping down the meal, this will decrease this happening. Active licking increases saliva, too.
- Reduce Anxiety - This would have to be the main reason pet parents look to buy a lick mat. The Lickimat in particular are designed by vets to reduce anxiety and promote calming behaviours. Stimulating the tongue and extended licking action aids in releasing a calming hormone in both dogs and cats. All lick mats available at Zach’s Pet Shop are an economical and medical free method to promote calm behaviours and stress free storms or fireworks.
- Training and Distraction - From time to time we meet little terriers, like Zach, that hate his nails being cut, ears cleaned or even taking a bath. They’re like teenagers! If you can smash your dog’s favourite treat into a lick mat and stick it on the wall, you’re in luck. Both the All For Paws lick mats and Paw Lick Pads come with suction cups on the back. You can stick this to the floor or wall wherever needed to distract and reward your dog at the same time.
You might be thinking, well that sounds great but what on earth am I going to put on these mats. You don’t have to look far, and you’ll find a tonne of Inspo! If you follow LickiMat on socials or head to their recipe page this is a great start. You can spread your dog’s wet food, mash a banana and mix in your dog’s kibble. You can also put in gravy, yoghurt, peanut butter, or even bone broth - anything your your dog or cat already loves can surely go on a lick mat. The options are endless!
Better yet, most lick mats are dish washer, microwave and freezer safe. Try one today, you won’t be disappointed!