Vanguard Awards: Lick Mats

Companies leading the pet licking mat category are whipping up practical and relevant innovation within this up-and-coming category by focusing on multifunctionality, safety and product variety. Whether it’s to keep dogs preoccupied during a pet parent’s work call, bath time or during an at-home nail trim, lick mats are a dependable and safe way to keep dogs distracted and calmer during instances that call for a mellow demeanor—from both pets and their parents. 

“The lick mat category has been growing since pet parents have discovered that it engages their dog and can help soothe their anxieties,” said Melissa Rappaport Schifman, Co-Founder, Project Hive Pet Company. “The Hive Disc & Lick Mat is unique for its multifunctional use—a great gliding disc and a lick mat on the back with a terrific pattern that provides texture. The honeycomb pattern calms dogs as they lick whatever treat is given and we offer a handy grab-n-go squeezable pouch of peanut butter to keep dogs engaged and relaxed for a longer period of time. Dog parents don’t have to buy a lick mat and a disc—they get two for the price of one! It’s also unique because it’s Made in the US, and it floats!”

LickiMat entered the pet licking mat category to offer pet owners a dependable combination of product performance and pet safety. “LickiMats are vet developed in Australia and made from rubber—the designs are all about functionality and food safety,” said spokesperson Ramin Marzbani. “We do not use silicone—ever. We use rubber to ensure: 1) non-toxicity; 2) softness on the tongue for maximizing stimulation; and 3) technical structure for treat/spread retention to maximize licking time—e.g. healthy pet foods like pot set yogurt will not stick to silicone and without repeated licking driven by tongue stimulation, the benefits for a ‘pet licking mat’ are close to nil. Today, there are more than 360 SKUs of LickiMat—a large part of this is colors—for a variety of purposes, ranging from hydrotherapy to enrichment and specialized wet, fresh and raw slow feeders for cats!”

SodaPup offers pet owners one of a kind solutions in a number of ways: pet owners have 35 lick mat SKUs to choose from, the broadest assortment of any brand; these SKUs offer a range of difficulty and designs that combine art with function. “From a retailer’s perspective, it allows retailers to differentiate their assortments,” said Founder Adam Baker. “Retailers in mountain states can assort our mountain themes. Coastal retailers can assort our ocean and water based themes. This way, not everyone carries the same products. The assortments can be much more targeted to the consumer shopping at that location.”

At the heart of Project Hive’s operation is to protect the bee population, which has been steadily declining both in the US and globally. “Project Hive’s mission is to save the bees, and we give a percentage of every purchase to plant healthy wildflower habitat,” Rappaport Schifman explained. “Yes, there are many factors outside of our control impacting our business. Still, we are committed to our mission which motivates us to keep developing innovative dog toys and treats and make them available to pet parents. Project Hive was created to use business as a force for good. Even though the dog toy and treat markets are crowded, we felt there was a need for a mission-driven pet company that gives pet parents the opportunity to purchase with a purpose—and bring pet parents better choices for their dog’s well-being. Our mission to save bees drives our strategy: our toys have bee-inspired designs like honeycombs and hexagons, our treats contain honey and as a member of 1 percent for the Planet, we give a percent of our sales to plant wildflower habitat.”

“We keep focused on pet physical and emotional health, as well as the broadest range of solutions for vets, training, grooming and the like,” Marzbani said. “We have maintained low prices—no price increases in three years—globally and we support pet professionals, shelters, rescues and carers worldwide.”

“At SodaPup we try to stay focused on what’s essential vs what’s nice to have,” Baker said. “We put all of our energy into helping dog moms deliver food-based enrichment to their dogs in a way that’s enjoyable to the dog mom. By offering elevated designs for her, she has more fun and therefore she is more likely to keep doing it, which benefits her dogs.”