A lick mat is a flat sheet of silicone with a textured surface. You spread something soft across it, the grooves hold the food back, and your dog has to work at it with their tongue instead of getting it in one mouthful.
The surprise is that the main benefit is not the time it buys you. It is what licking does to a dog's state of mind.
Why licking calms a dog down
Repetitive licking is a self soothing behavior. It is why dogs lick their paws when they are unsettled, and why a dog in a stressful situation will often lick the floor for no obvious reason. The action itself appears to lower arousal.
Put practically: giving a dog something to lick during something they find difficult makes the difficult thing easier. This is now common practice at good veterinary clinics, where a lick mat stuck to the table during an examination noticeably reduces struggling. It is also the most useful thing to hand a dog as you leave the house, for the same reason.
The five times it earns its place
Bath time. Stick it to the tile at nose height and most dogs stand still for the whole wash. This is the reason most people buy one.
Nail trims and brushing. Same principle. Occupied mouth, still dog.
The first half hour alone. The hardest part of being left is the beginning. Frozen, a mat covers twenty to thirty minutes and carries a dog past the worst of it into sleeping.
Thunderstorms and fireworks. Not a cure, but it gives a worried dog something to do with themselves.
At the vet. Take it with you. Most clinics are happy for you to use it. It is just as useful at home during recovery, covered in keeping a dog entertained on crate rest.
What to put on it
Plain yoghurt, wet dog food, pumpkin puree, mashed banana, or peanut butter. Check the peanut butter label for xylitol, sometimes listed as birch sugar, which is toxic to dogs even in small amounts.
Freezing is the single biggest improvement. Spread it, lay it flat in the freezer overnight, and it lasts three or four times longer. Keep two so one is always frozen.
Portions are small. A tablespoon spread thin covers the whole mat, and the point is the licking rather than the calories.
Choosing one
Look for food grade silicone, a pattern deep enough to actually hold food back rather than a shallow texture, suction feet so it does not travel across the floor, and dishwasher safe construction. Flat is better than bowl shaped, since flat freezes evenly and cleans properly. The BorkBrain Lick is built on those lines.
How to introduce one so it works the first time
Do not save it for the bath. If the first time your dog ever sees a lick mat is the moment you are trying to wash them, the mat starts to predict something unpleasant, and you have wasted it.
Give it three or four times in a calm setting first, on the kitchen floor with nothing else going on, so it becomes a thing they like on its own terms. Then start using it during the hard stuff. This takes a week and it is the difference between a mat that works and a mat that sits in a drawer.
Keep the first few sessions short and take it away while there is still something on it. A dog who is removed from a good thing before they are finished comes back keener next time.
How long it should last
Unfrozen, five to ten minutes for most dogs. Frozen, twenty to thirty. If yours is clearing it in two minutes, the layer is too thick and the grooves are not doing their job, so spread it thinner and push it down into the texture with the back of a spoon.
Two things to watch
Dogs who chew rather than lick should only use one under supervision, because silicone comes off in pieces if a dog decides to work on the edge.
And if your dog was licking obsessively before you introduced a mat, licking their paws raw or the floor for long stretches, that is worth a vet visit rather than a new toy. Compulsive licking can be a sign of pain, allergies or nausea.
Where it fits with everything else
A lick mat is for calming down. It is not for burning energy, and a dog who is bouncing off the walls at four in the afternoon will lick a mat clean in ten minutes and still be bouncing.
For that dog you need something to chase. A ball that keeps moving on its own covers the energy, the lick mat covers the settling, and most households end up needing both. If you want food based activity that also takes effort rather than just soothing, a snuffle mat sits between the two.