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Dog enrichment toys are an excellent tool you can use to help your dog in multiple ways. Firstly, these toys are a form of entertainment for your furry friend. So they can be considered an ideal way to spoil and treat them. Yet at the same time they come with numerous other benefits. These plus points will help you as a dog owner and help out your four legged pal in the long run with the right type of training and feedback.
Dog enrichment toys are all about providing mental stimulation to your dog in an appropriate setting. They are built to reinforce positive actions, tend to be quite cost-effective and are a way for you to be able to bond with your dog faster and more strongly. They can help when it comes to alleviating negative problems and actions your dogs may be taking. You can look at dog enrichment toys as chewers to get them to stop that bad behaviour. Remember, your dog doesn’t want to behave badly; it just doesn’t know any better without proper motivation and guidance.
In this article, we’ll look at specialized dog mental enrichment toys known as licking mats, which will help to enhance certain positive behaviours and help to ween them off those negative actions they may be doing.
In addition, you may consider getting one of our options instead of DIY dog enrichment toys. We offer dog enrichment toys that are meant to last and also reinforce those positive behaviours. This allows you to spend time with your dog in a safe environment.
What are Dog Licking Mats?
When it comes to dog treat enrichment toys or just enrichment dog toys, the dog licking mat is a staple option. They come in various designs, shapes, sizes, and different textures to supercharge the benefits of your dog feeding.
As well as that they tend to be made from durable silicone, plastic, or rubber construction, making them a much better option than making DIY dog enrichment toys. They are also durable and food-safe and will last quite a long time. That means you won’t have to keep replacing these items as you would other dog toys that seem to break easily with continued usage.
Additionally, they are much easier to maintain than any other type of homemade dog enrichment toys. They are also suitable as small dog enrichment toys or large dog enrichment toys, depending on which size you end up getting.
They can also be a fun alternative for helping with your dog’s entertainment and providing entertainment to you, the owner, as your dog attempts to figure out the best way possible to get all that food out of those dog licking mats.
What are the benefits of dog licking mats?
There are a wide range of advantages that you can link to dog licking mats as your dog enrichment toys. First, they help to provide mental stimulation, which is key. You’re providing them with a challenge to get all their food without making it too difficult. They need to figure out how exactly to get those treats off of the dog licking mat, and that will mean them using their brain power in a positive way to resolve.
This will then also lead to physical stimulation, as it will get their jaw muscles working, as well as their body as they move around to different positions and angles to try to remove all the treats with their tongue. This helps keep your dogs in the best physical condition, combined with, of course, a daily physical routine.
Also, being mentally and physically stimulated with these dog treat enrichment toys will improve the overall mood of your dog, too. They will experience boredom and anxiety less due to being active in such a positive way. That means less destructive behaviours to be worried about, such as barking or chewing. A win-win situation.
From a health perspective, dog licking mats are excellent to help with supporting healthier teeth in dogs. They can help to reduce overall tartar and plaque buildup. This comes from the licking motion needed to get the treats out, which are also there to help with teeth cleaning and eliminating any leftover food particles. This is as opposed to your dog simply eating their food quickly and not having the extra motions and licking to remove the food with regular feeding times.
At the same time, with a slower eating time, their digestion can improve as well. They will not only eat slower but also produce more enzymes through saliva and licking, which will naturally help with breaking down the food while it’s consumed.
How to use dog licking mats
These are very easy dog enrichment toys to use, and there are a few ways to start using them properly. You don’t have to worry about anything complicated when setting up any dog-licking mats. There’s no ‘wrong’ way to use them that would lead to potential negative reinforcement, which you want to avoid if you’re trying to train your dog.
You can simply spread treats or food throughout the mat and let your dog get their fill. They will still slow down their eating and reap the benefits of their meal times or treat times with these enrichment dog toys. They are built for you to be able to crush their food and distribute it throughout the mat.
It’s also a great way to offer more natural treat options to your dog such as certain fruits instead of store-bought processed dog treats that aren’t always the best option.
You can also place food on the mat and freeze it. This is an excellent option for both entertainment for your dog and if it’s also a particularly hot day as well. Your dog will then continue to lick the mat to try to get to the food, prolonging the overall enrichment process.
You don’t just have to use dog-licking mats for food, either. It can be a great way to keep your dogs hydrated or serve them liquid-based foods such as yoghurts or broth. They’ll be hydrated and still take those enrichment actions, offering another ideal scenario.
What are the different types of dog licking mats?
There are so many options out there on the market, so it really depends on your needs and the overall size of your dogs. You need to also consider that your dog may not respond well to complex dog licking mats or dog licking mats without enough texture. These things really need to be weighed up before you opt for one.
You can go with a basic option that is just a flat surface and with this you can spread the food around. It will act more like a plate of food providing minimal stimulation. However, it will still be a step up from a regular dog bowl. This is also a good option to see if your dog will actually eat off such a mat and not simply out of your hands or a bowl.
Then, you can get yourself a dog-licking mat that has textures and different surfaces and designs on the same mat. That means you can get one mat with varying levels of difficulty for the dog, so as they get used to it, you can place the food on harder areas. An avenue where you can build up the challenges and reward their achievements.
You also want to consider getting dog licking mats with some type of suction or ability to stick. There are dog licking mats that can be stuck on the wall, and you can place your dog’s food or treats in there, giving them yet another vantage and angle for them to be able to eat their treats. Moving around the areas where the treats are will only help keep your dog physically and mentally fit, as well as it being a treat for you to watch!
If you get yourself a dog that is a picky eater, then a dog licking mat is just the ticket to appease them. They will have a variety of different shapes and compartments to be able to spread the food out in various sections. Your dog will then be happy, eat their treats and be enriched at the same time.
In the end
We’re here to help you get your UK dog enrichment toys at the best pricing possible. Feel free to view our selection of both large dog enrichment toys and small dog enrichment toys. We strive to carry the best enrichment dog toys on the market and will continue to update our offering to do just that.
Our dog licking mats are extremely durable while at the same time easy to use and wash. You can quickly do it by hand or throw them in the dishwasher and clean them as you would your own dishes. This allows you to easily and consistently use these dog enrichment toys.
As you can see, we also help to offer competitive pricing so that you’re able to get multiple dog toys for enrichment and test a few out without worrying about harming your finances in any way.
We’re also dog owners ourselves, so we even use our own products. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions when it comes to our dog licking toys or any of our dog food enrichment toys. We also help cater to other areas outside the UK and help to offer NZ dog enrichment toys and Australia dog enrichment toys too!