What to Put on a Lick Mat, 18 Easy Spreads and Combos

TL;DR: Anything spreadable and dog-safe works on a lick mat. The easy bases are plain Greek yogurt, natural peanut butter, mashed banana, pumpkin puree, and wet food. Combine two or three for more interest, press in a few bits of fruit or meat, and freeze the mat for an hour or two to turn a 5-minute snack into a 20-minute calming session. Keep the layer thin, count the filling toward your dog's daily treat calories, and skip xylitol, chocolate, grapes, onions, and garlic.

The first time I handed my golden retriever Maple a lick mat, I expected her to bore of it in a minute. I had spread a thin layer of plain yogurt across the grooves and pressed a few blueberries in. Twenty minutes later she was still working at it, totally zoned out and calmer than she had been all afternoon. That is the whole appeal of a lick mat: it takes a snack the size of a tablespoon and stretches it into real mental work.

The most common question we get is simply what to put on one. The answer is broad, so this guide breaks it into single-ingredient spreads, mix-and-match combos, savory options, and a few "occasion" fillings for bath time and vet visits. Plus the freezing trick that makes any of them last longer, the calorie math, and the foods to leave off.

The Single-Ingredient Spreads

If you want zero fuss, any one of these works on its own. Spread a thin layer into the grooves and you are done.

• Plain Greek yogurt. Our default. High protein, lower lactose than regular yogurt, and good probiotics. If your dog tolerates dairy, this is the easiest base there is. See our full guide on yogurt for dogs for safe brands and the xylitol warning.
• Natural peanut butter. The only ingredient should be peanuts (no added sugar, and absolutely no xylitol). A tablespoon spreads a long way. More on safe peanut butter in our peanuts and peanut butter guide.
• Mashed banana. Sweet, soft, easy to spread, and most dogs love it.
• Plain canned pumpkin. Not pie filling. Gentle on digestion and naturally low calorie. Our pumpkin for dogs guide covers portion sizes.
• Wet dog food. The cheapest filler if your dog already eats it. Counts as part of a meal, not an extra.
• Cottage cheese. Lower lactose than most dairy, and the thicker curds hold in the grooves nicely.
• Mashed sweet potato. Cooked plain and mashed. Sticky, fibrous, and a little sweet.
• Low-sodium bone broth. Must contain no onion or garlic. Pour a thin layer and freeze (more on this in the savory section).

The Mix-and-Match Combos

One ingredient is fine, but a swirl of two or three is more interesting and slows the dog down more. These all freeze well.

• The Classic. A thin layer of plain Greek yogurt with a handful of blueberries pressed into the grooves.
• Peanut Butter Banana. Half a mashed banana mixed with a tablespoon of natural peanut butter, spread across the mat.
• Pumpkin Power. Two tablespoons of plain canned pumpkin swirled with a tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt. Easy on sensitive stomachs.
• Berry Swirl. Yogurt with mashed strawberries and a few whole blueberries.
• Apple Cinnamon. Yogurt with finely diced apple (no seeds, no core) and a tiny pinch of cinnamon.
• Sweet Potato Yogurt. Mashed sweet potato thinned with a spoon of yogurt for spreadability.
• Banana Oat. Mashed banana with a tablespoon of plain rolled oats stirred in for texture.
• Triple Layer. A stripe of banana, a stripe of yogurt, and a stripe of pumpkin side by side so each lick is a little different.

The Savory Options

Not every dog is a yogurt-and-banana dog. Plenty go even crazier for meaty fillings, and these tend to be lower calorie.

• Bone Broth Drizzle. Pour a thin layer of low-sodium, onion-and-garlic-free bone broth across the mat, scatter in a few small pieces of cooked chicken, and freeze. Very low calorie.
• Pumpkin and Chicken. Plain pumpkin with small bits of plain cooked chicken pressed in.
• Wet Food and Broth. A thin smear of wet food loosened with a splash of broth, frozen so it lasts.
• Cottage Cheese and Salmon. Cottage cheese with a little flaked, fully cooked salmon (no bones, no seasoning).
• The Pupsicle Smear. Mix one of our freeze-dried meat Pupsicle mixes with water per the directions, then spread the thick paste across the mat instead of pouring it into molds. High protein, real meat as the main ingredient, low calorie. Our chicken and sweet potato mix sticks beautifully to the grooves.

Occasion Fillings

A lick mat earns its keep during the moments your dog hates. Match the filling to the job.

• Bath time. A swipe of peanut butter pressed into the grooves, mat suctioned to the tub wall. Your dog holds still while you wash. This use alone is worth owning one.
• Nail trims and grooming. Occupy the front end with yogurt while you handle the back.
• Vet visits and fireworks. A frozen mat with peanut butter or a Pupsicle smear redirects anxious energy into a calm, focused task.

Should You Freeze It? Almost Always

Freezing is the single biggest upgrade you can make. A room-temperature smear of peanut butter is gone in 90 seconds. The same filling frozen lasts 20 to 30 minutes because the dog has to work the food loose as it thaws.

To freeze: fill the mat, lay it flat in the freezer with the suction cups facing up so it does not stick, and wait at least an hour. Two hours is better. Once frozen, it stays cold and entertaining for the whole session. The only time you would skip freezing is a quick, short distraction (a brief crate session, a fast handling at the vet).

Keep the Layer Thin

The most common mistake is loading too much filling on. A thick blob just gets scooped off in three swipes. A thin layer that has to be worked at is far more engaging and burns more time. You want the dog using their tongue to chase food out of the grooves, not eating a pile sitting on top of them.

Calorie Math

Lick mat fillings count toward your dog's daily calories. The general rule is that treats and extras should be no more than 10 percent of what your dog eats in a day. That tablespoon of peanut butter is roughly 95 calories, which is a big chunk of a small dog's budget. Quick guide:

• Small dog (under 20 lbs): keep fillings around 40 calories. A thin layer of yogurt with a few berries fits easily; go light on peanut butter.
• Medium dog (20 to 50 lbs): roughly 70 calories of filling.
• Large dog (50+ lbs): roughly 120 calories.

If you are smearing your dog's actual meal (wet food) across the mat, that is just dinner served differently and does not count as extra.

What to Leave Off the Mat

Spreadable does not mean safe. Never put any of these on a lick mat:

• Xylitol. Hidden in some peanut butters, sugar-free yogurts, and "lite" spreads. Deadly to dogs. Read the label every time.
• Chocolate. Toxic.
• Grapes and raisins. Toxic, even in small amounts.
• Onion and garlic. Toxic, and they sneak into commercial broths and gravies.
• Macadamia nuts. Toxic.
• Heavy salt and added sugar. No reason for either in a dog treat.
• Cooked bones. They splinter. Keep them out of any filling.

A Word on the Mat Itself

The filling only matters if the mat stays put and survives the dishwasher. Go for food-grade silicone with real suction cups on the bottom and grooves deep enough to actually hold a frozen smear. Clean it after every use, since old peanut butter left in the grooves turns into a science experiment fast. And supervise the first few sessions to confirm your dog is a licker, not a chewer.

The Cooper's Treats Approach

We built our lick mat around exactly this kind of use: food-grade silicone, suction cups that hold to a floor or a tub wall, and deep grooves that grip a frozen filling. It pairs naturally with our just-add-water Pupsicle Starter Kit, since the same thick, real-meat paste you would pour into a mold spreads perfectly across a mat. Mix with water, smear, freeze, and you have a 20-calorie, no-sugar, no-dairy enrichment session in about a minute of work.

Whatever you spread on the mat, take it away and supervise the next round if your dog starts chewing the mat itself. Lick mats are for licking, not for eating.