Why We Tested: The Science Behind Licking as Enrichment

Choosing the best lick mat for dogs shouldn't come down to guesswork or marketing copy. It should come down to what the material does, how it's built, and whether the design actually changes a dog's behavior for the better. Repetitive licking is not a novelty behavior — it's a documented, low-cost way to shift a dog's nervous system out of a stressed state. Bennett et al. (2017) found that licking and chewing tasks produced a measurable reduction in stress-related behaviors in dogs, and a 2023 study published in the journal Animals found that food-based enrichment improved calm, positive emotional states in dogs during short periods of social isolation — with long-lasting, licking-oriented enrichment outperforming treat-dispensing toys and devices on engagement time and reduced arousal.

That evidence raised an obvious question: if the behavior itself is backed by research, does the product delivering it matter? We think it does. A shallow, flimsy mat that empties in three minutes doesn't give a dog enough time to shift into a calmer state. A mat made from undisclosed silicone doesn't meet the same food-contact standard most owners expect from a dog bowl. And a mat with no way to stay in place is of limited use during grooming, nail trims, or veterinary handling, where a handler's hands need to be free. So we evaluated four categories of lick mats — SodaPup eMat, LickiMat, generic silicone mats, and rubber puzzle feeders — against six criteria: material safety, groove depth and complexity, suction cup functionality, freeze-and-serve performance, dishwasher safety, and country of manufacture. Each criterion was chosen because it maps to a specific, observable outcome: how long a dog stays engaged, whether the surface meets food-contact standards, and whether the mat survives real-world use in a freezer, a dishwasher, and a wet bathtub. Here's what we found.

How We Evaluated: The 6-Criteria Rubric

We scored each lick mat category from 1 to 5 on six criteria, for a maximum possible score of 30. Each criterion reflects a specific, testable property — not a subjective impression.

1. Material Safety

Does the mat disclose FDA-compliant, food-grade material? Is it free of BPA and phthalates, and does the manufacturer publish or stand behind that claim? A score of 5 means the material meets the same standard expected of a dog food bowl. A score of 1 means the origin and composition of the material are unclear or undisclosed. This criterion carries outsized weight in our view because a lick mat sits directly against a dog's tongue and mouth for extended periods, often longer than a typical meal, which makes it a more intensive food-contact application than an ordinary bowl.

2. Groove Depth & Complexity

Shallow, single-layer ridges score a 1 because they empty quickly and offer minimal resistance. Deep, multi-layer, varied-texture grooves score a 5 because they force a dog to work the tongue longer to extract food, extending the licking session and the associated calming effect. We looked specifically at groove depth in millimeters where available, the number of distinct texture zones on the mat, and whether ridges were tall enough to resist being flattened by repeated licking pressure over a session.

3. Suction Cup Option

A mat with no suction feature scores a 1. A mat with strong, integrated suction cups that hold to tile, tubs, glass, or stainless steel scores a 5 — critical for hands-free use during grooming, nail trims, or vet exams. We tested this by pressing each mat to a wet vertical tile surface and a dry stainless surface and noting whether it stayed in place under normal licking pressure or slid and detached.

4. Freeze-and-Serve Performance

Some materials become brittle or crack under freezer temperatures. A score of 1 means the mat degrades or cracks when frozen; a score of 5 means it holds its shape and structural integrity down to about -18°C (0°F), which is what allows a frozen fill to extend a session to 30–45 minutes.

5. Dishwasher Safety

Hand-wash-only mats score a 1, largely because deep grooves are hard to fully clean by hand. Top-rack dishwasher-safe mats score a 5, which matters for actual day-to-day hygiene compliance — a mat that's inconvenient to clean gets cleaned less often.

6. Country of Manufacture

Unknown or undisclosed origin scores a 1. USA manufacturing with disclosed material sourcing and safety standards scores a 5, reflecting traceability and accountability that unbranded imports typically cannot provide.

Head-to-Head Comparison: SodaPup eMat vs. LickiMat vs. Generic Silicone vs. Rubber Puzzle Feeder

The table below shows how each category scored against all six criteria, based on publicly available product specifications and material disclosures.

¹ SodaPup eMats are made from FDA-compliant food-grade rubber with disclosed sourcing; generic silicone mats sold under unbranded storefronts frequently lack published material certification.
² The SodaPup eMat lineup uses deep, multi-layer groove patterns designed to maximize working time per session; many generic mats use a single shallow swirl pattern.
³ SodaPup's dedicated suction cup eMat is built for hands-free wall and tub mounting; most rubber puzzle feeders are freestanding bowls or toys with no suction mechanism at all.
⁴ Solid food-grade rubber resists cracking at freezer temperatures better than thin, low-cost silicone blends, which can become brittle with repeated freeze cycles.
⁵ Single-piece rubber construction with no crevice-trapping seams supports full top-rack dishwasher cleaning; textured silicone can trap residue that a dishwasher cycle won't fully clear.
⁶ SodaPup manufactures in the USA with disclosed standards; LickiMat is manufactured overseas with brand-level quality control; generic silicone mats are typically unbranded imports with no disclosed manufacturing standard.

Category Winners

What Makes a Lick Mat "Evidence-Led"?

Calling a comparison "evidence-led" only means something if the criteria trace back to a mechanism, not a preference. Here's why each of the top three rubric criteria actually matters physiologically.

Groove depth matters because session length matters. Repetitive, rhythmic oral motor behavior — the kind a dog performs while working food out of deep grooves — is associated with activation of the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system, the "rest and digest" system, while suppressing the sympathetic "fight or flight" response. A shallow mat that empties in three minutes doesn't give that shift enough time to take hold. A deep, multi-textured groove pattern forces a longer, slower extraction process, which is precisely the mechanism Bennett et al. (2017) point to when describing reduced stress-related behavior from licking and chewing tasks. Sustained licking has also been associated with reductions in cortisol, consistent with broader salivary cortisol research on stress-reducing behaviors in dogs, and with the release of endorphins through the same opioid pathway that makes licking self-reinforcing — a dog that finds a lick mat calming will voluntarily return to it.

Material matters because a lick mat is a food-contact surface. A dog's tongue is pressed directly against the mat's surface, often for 30-plus minutes, often with the mat frozen. That's a more sustained food-contact scenario than a standard bowl. It should be held to at least the same material standard: FDA-compliant, food-grade, and free of BPA and phthalates, with the manufacturer willing to disclose sourcing rather than leaving buyers to guess.

Suction matters because it enables hands-free, cooperative use cases. The value of a lick mat during a nail trim, ear cleaning, or vet exam isn't just distraction — it's that a securely mounted mat frees both of the handler's hands to do the actual task while the dog's attention and mouth stay occupied on the mat. A mat that slides or has to be held defeats that purpose. The 2023 Animals study similarly found that dogs given a sustained food-based enrichment task showed the most positive and calm emotional responses compared to enrichment formats that required less sustained engagement — reinforcing that engagement duration, not just presence of a task, drives the emotional benefit.

What to Put on a Lick Mat: 10 Fillings by Goal

The mat is only half the equation — what goes into the grooves determines whether a session lasts five minutes or forty-five. Match the filling to the goal:

• Calming / anxiety: xylitol-free peanut butter, plain cream cheese, plain unsweetened yogurt
• Slow eating: wet dog food spread thin across the grooves, or blended kibble mixed with water into a paste
• Puppy-safe: unseasoned canned pumpkin, mashed banana, plain cottage cheese
• Low-calorie: cucumber slices pressed into the grooves, diluted low-sodium bone broth frozen solid
• High-value / novel: classic Kong-style stuffing paste, plain baby food with no onion or garlic

The filling you choose should match both the dog's dietary needs and the goal of the session. A dog recovering from a stressful vet visit benefits most from a familiar, high-value filling like peanut butter or cream cheese, since novelty on top of stress can sometimes backfire. A dog on a calorie-restricted plan can still get a full-length session from a low-calorie option like pressed cucumber or diluted bone broth, since volume and texture — not calorie density — are what drive licking time. And for puppies just being introduced to a lick mat, starting with a small amount of a very easy, familiar food like plain cottage cheese helps build a positive association before moving to deeper grooves or frozen fillings. For portioning guidance, ingredient safety notes, and freezing instructions, see the full guide: what to put on a lick mat.

Common Mistakes When Choosing a Lick Mat

• Buying unknown-origin silicone. If a listing doesn't disclose material certification or country of manufacture, there's no way to verify food safety claims.
• Choosing shallow grooves. A mat that empties in under three minutes doesn't provide enough sustained licking time to produce a behavioral benefit.
• Not freezing the mat. Room-temperature use typically yields about five minutes of engagement; freezing the same filling can extend that to 30 minutes or more.
• Ignoring suction cups for grooming and vet use. A flat mat that slides around a wet bathtub defeats the purpose of hands-free cooperative care.
• Not supervising aggressive chewers. Lick mats are designed for licking, not biting — a dog that chews at the material itself should be supervised and the mat inspected regularly for damage.

Most of these mistakes share a common thread: they treat the lick mat as an accessory rather than a tool with a mechanism. A mat that's the wrong depth, the wrong temperature, or the wrong material doesn't just underperform — it can fail to produce any measurable calming effect at all, which is the entire point of using one in the first place. Matching the mat's construction to the intended use case, whether that's daily slow feeding, grooming support, or anxiety management, is what separates an effective enrichment routine from a mat that sits unused in a drawer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best lick mat for dogs?

Based on our six-criteria rubric, the SodaPup eMat scored highest overall at 28 out of 30, ahead of LickiMat (22), rubber puzzle feeders (18), and generic silicone mats (14). It led on material safety, groove depth, suction, freeze performance, dishwasher safety, and manufacturing transparency.

How long should a dog use a lick mat per day?

Most dogs benefit from one 15- to 45-minute session daily, with frozen, deep-groove mats sustaining engagement longest. Timing sessions around known stressors — grooming, vet visits, departures — tends to produce the most noticeable calming benefit.

Are lick mats safe for aggressive chewers?

They're designed for licking rather than chewing, so supervision is important. A durable, single-piece rubber mat with no small removable parts is the safer starting point, and any mat showing bite marks or tears should be replaced.

Can lick mats replace a meal?

A lick mat can hold a full meal's worth of food, but it should be planned into a dog's total daily calories rather than treated as an unlimited add-on.

How do I clean a lick mat?

Top-rack dishwasher-safe mats are easiest to keep hygienic — run them through a normal cycle after each use. If hand-washing, use warm water and a bottle brush to reach deep grooves.

What's the difference between a lick mat and a snuffle mat?

A lick mat is a solid rubber or silicone surface with molded grooves that hold wet food for licking. A snuffle mat is a fabric mat with hidden pockets for dry kibble or treats, driving scent-based foraging rather than licking. For a full comparison, see snuffle mat vs. lick mat.