Licking is one of the easiest calming activities you can give a dog. 🐶
It is repetitive, soothing, easy to set up, and useful in all sorts of real-life situations. After a busy walk, a grooming session, visitors at the door, a pub trip, or any other exciting moment, a licking activity can help your dog slow down, settle, and decompress.
If your dog seems wired after stimulation, this matters. A lot of owners jump straight to “more training” when what their dog really needs first is help regulating their arousal. That is exactly why licking can be so valuable.
Why Licking Calms Dogs
Licking is a naturally calming, self-soothing behaviour. It gives your dog something repetitive and predictable to do, which can help them come down from excitement, frustration, or stress. In simple terms, it helps turn the volume down.
This is one reason licking fits so well into my wider Dog Training: 6 Essentials Before Training Works approach. Dogs do not learn at their best when they are overstimulated, overtired, or constantly on edge. Regulation comes first.
It also sits perfectly within Chew • Lick • Sniff. These are not silly little extras to keep dogs occupied while we do something else. They are core calming outlets that support emotional balance and help many dogs switch off more successfully.
That is especially helpful after what Dogs Trust describes as trigger stacking, where several exciting or worrying things happen close together and the dog has not had enough time to come back down in between. Giving your dog a favourite calming activity, such as enrichment that encourages licking, can help them recover more effectively. Dogs Trust explain this really nicely here.
When a Licking Activity Can Help
You do not need to save LICKIMATS for special occasions. They are often most useful in very normal, everyday moments.
- After a stimulating walk
- After seeing dogs, people, traffic, or other triggers
- After training sessions
- When visitors have been over
- During grooming or handling practice
- While settling in cafés or pubs
- When building calm independence in puppies
- As an evening wind-down activity
- During rest days when you want calm enrichment rather than more excitement
For example, if your puppy struggles to settle in public places, a familiar LICKIMAT can make a big difference. I talk about this more in 7 Puppy-Settling Tips for Cafés and Pubs, because licking gives the puppy a clear job to do and helps them focus on something calming rather than every distraction in the room.
Likewise, if your puppy is learning to spend short periods away from you, a stationary licking setup can support calm independence. That is where tools like the LICKIMAT Crate Mate can be useful when introduced properly and ethically. I explain that in more detail here: How to Prevent Separation Issues in Puppies.
If your puppy tends to get wild in the evening, licking can also be a smart part of the puzzle, alongside sleep, routine, and age-appropriate fulfilment. It is not a magic fix on its own, but it can absolutely help bring the arousal level down. That pairs nicely with the ideas in Why Does My Puppy Get Zoomies? Causes & How to Help.
Which LICKIMAT Is Best for Different Jobs?
Different licking tools suit different situations, so it is worth choosing the right one for the job rather than assuming one mat does everything.
For everyday calming at home
A standard LICKIMAT is a brilliant all-rounder. Great after walks, after training, or in the evening when you want your dog to settle with a calm activity.
For dogs who shove the mat across the kitchen
The LICKIMAT Keeper is ideal for dogs who push, flip, or carry mats around. It keeps things steadier, reduces mess, and works especially well with frozen spreads. If you have a dog who turns enrichment into indoor hockey, this is the one I would look at first.
For larger portions or longer sessions
The LICKIMAT SlowMo XL is handy when you want a bigger surface area, a bit more variety, or a slower experience that lasts longer. It can work well for dogs who finish smaller mats in record time.
For grooming, bath time, and handling practice
The LICKIMAT UFO is particularly useful here because it sticks to a suitable smooth surface. That makes it great for grooming, brushing, nail work, baths, or any calm handling session where you want your dog focused on licking instead of fidgeting. It also ties in nicely with your Grooming Hack: LICKIMAT UFO article.
For bath panels, tiles, and travel-style setups
The LICKIMAT Splash can be useful when you want a suction-based option on a smooth surface. Some owners find this helpful for washing muddy dogs, calm prep for handling, or car-related setups where a fixed licking outlet helps the dog stay occupied.
For portable frozen snacks
The LICKIMAT Yoggie Pot is brilliant for soft mixtures, yoghurt-style fillings, and frozen cooling snacks. It is a nice option in warm weather or for dogs who enjoy a slightly more contained licking task. Your Summer Snack: Yoggie Pot post already complements this really well.
For crate setups and calm independence
The LICKIMAT Crate Mate is useful because it stays put. Unlike something your puppy can grab and bring back to you, it creates a fixed calming spot. That can be especially helpful when you are gently building independent settling skills, as covered in How to Prevent Separation Issues in Puppies.
For dogs who need something deeper or longer lasting
If your dog powers through flat mats quickly, the West Paw Toppl can be a good alternative or add-on. It is not the same experience as a flat mat, but it can give you a longer-lasting licking and food-enrichment option. If you use Toppls a lot, your Toppl Tricks You’ll Love article is a great internal fit here too.
What to Put on a LICKIMAT
Simple is usually best. You do not need elaborate recipes. Most of the time you just want something safe, smearable, enjoyable, and easy to prepare.
- 🍌 Mashed banana
- 🥜 Purest Dog Peanut Butter
- 🧀 Soft goat’s cheese in small amounts
- 🥣 Natural yoghurt
- 🍖 Arden Grange Liver Paste
- 🍗 Nature’s Deli Paste
If you want the activity to last longer, spread the food thinly and freeze it. That works especially well in a LICKIMAT Keeper, a Yoggie Pot, or on a SlowMo XL.
For owners who like easy, low-fuss options, I do think the ready-made pastes are handy. Nature’s Deli Paste is especially practical because it squeezes on neatly, freezes well, and works for recall rewards, food toys, and quick calm-settle setups.
How to Use Licking Well
A licking activity works best when you use it intentionally, not just randomly hand it over once your dog is already at full volume.
- Offer it before arousal escalates too far
- Use it after stimulating events to help your dog come down
- Keep the setup easy and repeatable so you actually use it
- Choose the tool that suits the job instead of forcing one setup to do everything
- Freeze when you want duration
- Supervise new products and fillings at first
For example, if you are heading to a dog-friendly café, a familiar frozen mat can help your puppy settle before the environment gets too overwhelming. If you are grooming, a suction option like the UFO often makes more sense. If you are encouraging calm independence, a fixed option like the Crate Mate is usually better than giving your puppy something they can carry back to you.
That is really the key idea here: match the tool to the task.
Common Mistakes With LICKIMATS
- Using them only once the dog is already wildly over-aroused
- Choosing fillings that are too rich or too large for the dog
- Making the setup so complicated that you stop using it
- Using the wrong product for the job
- Assuming licking alone will fix deeper stress, lack of sleep, or unmet needs
Licking is powerful, but it works best as part of the bigger picture. If a dog is chronically stressed, under-slept, uncomfortable, frustrated, or overwhelmed by their lifestyle, you still need to address those foundations. Licking helps, but it is not a substitute for the rest of the puzzle.
Final Thoughts
If you want an easy, practical way to help your dog relax, licking is one of the best tools to have in your routine. It is simple, calming, adaptable, and useful in more situations than most owners realise.
Whether you use a standard LICKIMAT, a Keeper, a UFO, a Yoggie Pot, a Splash, a Crate Mate, or a West Paw Toppl, the goal is the same: give your dog a calming outlet that helps them settle, decompress, and feel better in their body.
Sometimes the most helpful training tool is not more cues. It is simply giving the dog something soothing to do.
FAQ
Why does licking calm dogs?
Licking is a repetitive, self-soothing behaviour that can help dogs come down from excitement, frustration, or stress. It gives them a predictable calming activity and is often useful after walks, training, visitors, grooming, or other stimulating events.
Do LICKIMATS help anxious dogs?
They can help many dogs feel calmer, especially as part of a wider routine that includes enough sleep, appropriate exercise, fulfilment, and emotional support. They are not a cure for severe anxiety, but they can be a very useful calming tool.
What can I put on a LICKIMAT for my dog?
Popular options include mashed banana, natural yoghurt, soft goat’s cheese in small amounts, dog-safe peanut butter, liver paste, and ready-made dog pastes such as Nature’s Deli Paste. Keep ingredients suitable for your individual dog and introduce new foods sensibly.
Should you freeze a LICKIMAT?
Freezing is a great idea when you want the activity to last longer. It can be especially helpful after walks, during café settles, or when you need a longer calm activity at home.
Which LICKIMAT is best for grooming?
The LICKIMAT UFO is often the best choice for grooming or bath time because it sticks to a suitable smooth surface and keeps your dog focused on licking while you work.
Are LICKIMATS safe for puppies?
Yes, they can be very useful for puppies when introduced sensibly and supervised. They are often helpful for calm settling, gentle independence work, and creating positive associations with handling, crates, and new environments.
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