Keep Your Dog (and Yourself) Happy and Calm With a Licking Mat
I was at home most of the time before lockdown, so it wasn’t a huge transition for me to suddenly be home with my dog for days on end. Even so, over the past few months Hero has gotten even pushier, and he likes to switch between two states of being: Sleeping, and demanding attention. He gets upset when I’m on Zoom calls because I’m talking to someone who is NOT HIM. (Let me clarify: He wants for naught. He is well taken care of. Sometimes these demands for attention come after an hour of us going to the park, or taking a walk. He is indefatigable.)
All I’m asking for is like, an hour of peace. Sometimes i want to do a Peloton workout without a dog barking and me constantly having to go “HEY! NO! STOP!” because I worry he’s getting too close to my bike pedals. Sometimes I need to know that he’s content and busy so I can do a video call without holding a bone for him just out of frame. Sometimes it’s 38 degrees and rainy and look, neither of us want to go for a walk, OKAY?! This state of agitation and hopelessness led me to look into lick mats, and OH MAN do I wish I had gotten one of these six months ago.
Lick mats come in many varieties, but the basic gist is that they are textured silicone mats that you can spread peanut butter, pumpkin, dog/cat food, or any other appropriate treat on, and your pet will then lick them. They’re often advertised for use in the bath or the car, where your dog may be a bit anxious, but for Hero, the mat comes out when I need to exercise, make a call, or just do some work without being interrupted.
I have two mats: The blue one has suctions cups on the back so you can stick it to any surface you like. I usually put it on the freezer, but it also sticks to the glass door to my backyard. It lost a bit of its suction power after I washed it in the dishwasher, but I’ve hand washed it since and it’s all suction-y again. I will say it takes some trial and error to decide if you want to spread treats on it, THEN stick it somewhere, or stick it and then add treats. Do what feels right for you - I spread peanut butter on it, then push it on the freezer with a paper towel between my hand and the PB.
The other mat is actually for cats, partly because that’s all they had at my local pet supply store,but also because I wanted it to be small so I could keep it in the freezer. Just putting peanut butter on the mat will easily buy me 30 minutes of dog occupation, but if the peanut butter is frozen? That’s a good HOUR. Hero is a bit obsessive (same, tbh) so he will try and get every last bit of peanut butter from each nook and cranny, and I bet he would be happy for even longer, but once I’m done with whatever task I need to be uninterrupted for, I take the mat away.
I’ve only used peanut butter on the mats, but I’m thinking of trying frozen pumpkin, and there are lots of other options. And here’s my disclaimer: This isn’t something he gets every day, maybe twice a week, and I make sure to use peanut butter that is 100% peanuts, and he gets about 3/4 of a tablespoon at most. I also never leave him completely unsupervised with the mat. If I attach it to the freezer, I can lean back on my bike and see him, and if I’m on my laptop I sit at the kitchen table while he’s enjoying his treat. He’s never tried to eat the mat, but you never know, so he doesn’t get left alone with it. I also make sure he has a lot of fresh water nearby.
The grey mat doesn’t have suction cups, and at first I was worried that Hero’s licking would scoot it all over the kitchen, and maybe it would end up under the fridge or something. It did end up sliding around a bit (not a lot) but he pushed it into a corner and used that as a holder of sorts. I’m sure it was an accident but let’s say it was because he’s a smart good boy.
These mats are saving my sanity during lockdown, and once I find a healthy enough option I might use them more than once or twice a week. Hero is happy, I’m happy, and I’m able to get things done without my roommate demanding to lay on my chest and lick my face for hours on end (never what I want. No thanks). It’s also fun to take a break and watch him lose his mind over a licky PB treat, and setting up this photoshoot gave me some great outtakes:
