LickiMat Review (2026): Is the Classic Buddy Worth It for Your Dog?

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This LickiMat review looks at the cheapest piece of dog gear I recommend most often: a flat rubber mat covered in little bumps and grooves that you spread with soft food. Your dog has to lick it off slowly instead of gulping it down. For about $10, the Classic Buddy is worth it for most dogs. The one big exception is a determined chewer, who can wreck a Classic mat in minutes.

Lick mats are also the reason my DIY lick mat recipes page exists, so I wanted a proper look at the mat itself. I pulled together LickiMat’s specs and FAQ, a hands-on comparison from a certified trainer at Whole Dog Journal, and recent owner reviews, and checked each claim against its source.

LickiMat Review: Specs, Price and the Classic Range

LickiMat is an Australian brand, and the company says its mats were “vet developed and designed in Australia.” The Classic range is the original lineup of flat, flexible mats. Each Classic has a different surface pattern, and LickiMat matches them to different foods.

Specs from the LickiMat USA product page and the official LickiMat FAQ.

Within the Classic line, LickiMat says the Buddy suits “mushy foods, wet foods,” the Soother suits “wet and liquid foods,” and the Playdate “holds liquids well and is suited chunky foods.” If you want one mat that works for most spreads, get the Buddy.

Build Quality and Design

The Classic Buddy is thin and bendy, about as thick as a mouse pad. That’s good and bad. It rolls up into a drawer and slips into a travel bag. But it’s floppy when it’s full, so slide a plate or baking sheet under it before you put it in the freezer. Whole Dog Journal’s reviewer noticed the same thing and said the floppy Soother made freezing liquids tricky.

The bumps are shallow enough to get clean but deep enough to hold food, which makes your dog work at it. The texture is soft, and WDJ described it as one that encourages “dogs to lick and calm themselves down.”

Performance Analysis

Keeping dogs busy

A thin layer of yogurt on the Classic Buddy keeps most dogs busy for a few minutes. Freeze it and that stretches out considerably. That’s enough to cover nail trims, a bath or the first stretch of crate time. For longer sessions, deeper bowl-style mats like the LickiMat Wobble hold more. In WDJ’s testing, dogs took nearly an hour to finish a full meal from the Wobble.

Calming and training use

Licking is a naturally soothing behavior for dogs, and trainers use lick mats to build calm habits. I pair one with the settle work in my guide on how to train your dog to be calm. It also helps during crate training and with new rescue dogs who are still settling in. It’s a tool, not a cure. A lick mat won’t fix real separation anxiety, but it can make hard moments easier.

Durability

This is the real weakness. LickiMat itself says “this LickiMat is NOT a chew toy,” and recent Chewy reviews back that up. One owner wrote that her dog “managed to destroy half of it within the first day.” For puppies and chewers, LickiMat recommends its Tuff or Slomo range, which it calls “chew-resistant and virtually indestructible.” Always supervise, and take the mat away once the food is gone.

Scores

Scores are our editorial assessment based on the published tests and owner reports linked in this review.

Living With It: Filling, Freezing and Cleaning

Filling takes under a minute. Spread a thin layer with a spatula so it gets pushed into the grooves. Thin layers take longer to lick off than thick blobs. Freezing works best on a flat tray, and LickiMat recommends letting frozen food thaw slightly before serving so it’s comfortable for your dog. My frozen yogurt treats and peanut butter banana frozen treats both work spread on a mat.

Cleaning is where the sources disagree. LickiMat says Classic mats should be hand washed to avoid warping, and only the Tuff, Slomo, Wobble, Splash and Deluxe lines are “100% dishwasher safe.” WDJ said its Classic Soother “cleaned up easily in the dishwasher.” To be safe, I rinse right away and scrub with a bottle brush. Dried-on yogurt is much harder to get off than fresh.

Lick Mat Calorie Calculator

Pros and Cons

LickiMat Classic Buddy vs. Other Lick Mats

Prices and notes from Whole Dog Journal’s lick mat testing (October 2025) and LickiMat.

WDJ found the Woof mat’s suction cups “stuck well to my hardwood floors,” which helps if your dog pushes the mat around. The Frisco set is cheap but “not the most durable.” For chewers, the LickiMat Tuff Buddy is the safer pick.

What’s New in 2026

The Classic Buddy hasn’t changed; it’s the same simple mat at the same price. What has grown is the lineup around it. LickiMat now sells bowl-shaped, chew-resistant and other specialty mats like the Wobble, Tuff, Slomo and Splash, plus the LickiMat Keeper to hold a mat in place. Lick mats have also moved into mainstream enrichment advice, with certified trainers like Whole Dog Journal’s reviewer testing them side by side alongside other everyday dog gear.

Who Should Buy the LickiMat?

Best for:

• Dogs who get anxious during grooming, baths or thunderstorms
• Fast eaters who need to slow down with wet food or soaked kibble
• Owners working on calm behavior, crate time or a reactive dog plan
• Anyone making frozen teething treats for older puppies, as long as they’re supervised

Skip it if:

• Your dog chews up rubber toys. Buy the Tuff line instead.
• You can’t supervise. Mats should be picked up once the food is gone.
• Your dog is on a strict diet and you can’t budget toppings into it. See my weight-management recipes.

Where to Buy and How to Save

The Classic Buddy costs about the same everywhere. Amazon is easiest if you’re adding it to another order, and LickiMat USA sells it direct.

• Buy two mats so one can be in the freezer while the other is in use.
• Get a bottle brush for the grooves. It makes cleanup much faster.
• If your dog chews, skip the Classic and put the money toward the Tuff version.

Final Verdict

Evidence: What Testers and Owners Say

The Classic Soother averages 4.4 out of 5 from 256 ratings on Chewy. The positive reviews talk about calm, busy dogs and easy washing. The negative ones are almost all about chewing. That matches my verdict: great for lickers, wrong for chewers. For fresh ideas, try my pup cup ice cream recipes spread thin on a mat.

Frequently Asked Questions