Quick Answer

A slow feeder bowl is the better everyday choice for full meals because it forces your dog to navigate around obstacles with every bite. A LickiMat is the better choice for enrichment, treats, and licking-based calming because its textured surface spreads soft food thin. Many dogs do best with both: a slow feeder bowl for regular meals and a LickiMat for treats, boredom busting, or when you need your dog occupied.

How Each One Actually Slows Your Dog Down

A slow feeder bowl works by putting physical obstacles between your dog and the food. The Dogit Go Slow Anti-Gulping Dog Dish uses a specially designed interior that encourages eating or drinking at a slower pace, which helps reduce excess air intake. That matters most at mealtime, when a dog is hungry and likely to gulp. The bowl can be used for wet or dry food and even as a water dish, so it covers the main feeding event of the day.

A LickiMat works differently. Instead of blocking food, it spreads it across a textured surface. The LickiMat Tuff Buddy has a cross maze design intended for thick, sticky treats like doggy peanut butter, wet food, or soggy biscuits. Your dog has to lick rather than gulp, which stretches out the feeding session and turns a small amount of food into a longer activity. It is less about managing a full meal and more about giving your dog a job to do.

Where Each Option Falls Short

A slow feeder bowl is not ideal for every food type. Very liquid meals or certain raw diets may not sit well in the maze, and some flat-faced breeds or dogs with very short muzzles can struggle to reach into deeper channels. The Dogit bowl comes in three sizes, so matching the bowl to your dog's muzzle and meal size is the main decision point.

A LickiMat is not a meal replacement. It holds small amounts of soft or sticky food, so it will not slow down a full bowl of kibble. It also requires more setup and cleanup than a bowl, and some dogs learn to flip or chew the mat if it is not secured. The Tuff Buddy is available in four colours, but the option that matters most is whether your dog will actually work at a mat rather than try to eat it.

Choosing Based on Your Dog's Eating Style

If your dog inhales a full bowl of kibble in under a minute and then looks for more, start with a slow feeder bowl. That is the tool designed for the meal itself. If your dog is fine at meals but gets bored, anxious, or needs to be occupied while you work or leave the house, a LickiMat is the more useful purchase. If you are dealing with both issues, use the bowl for meals and the mat for a daily enrichment session.

For small pets such as hamsters, rabbits, or guinea pigs, neither dog-specific tool is the right fit. The Happy Pet Carrot Stripe Pet Bowl is a ceramic bowl for small pets, sized at 12.5 x 12.5 x 5cm with a 400ml capacity, and it is dishwasher safe. It is a straightforward food or water bowl rather than a slow feeder, so it suits small pets that do not need eating-speed management.

Grooming and Feeding Routines Go Together

Feeding tools and grooming tools often get used in the same session, especially for long-haired dogs. The Ancol Ergo Dog Grooming Aluminium Comb has coarse teeth for detangling long and thick fur and medium teeth for shorter fur or smoothing a coat after detangling. The stainless steel teeth are rounded at the ends to be gentle on the skin, and the ergonomic handle helps during longer sessions. If your dog is occupied with a LickiMat, that can be a practical time to comb through tangles without as much fidgeting.

Trade-Offs at a Glance

  • Mealtime speed control: A slow feeder bowl is built for the full meal and directly reduces gulping. A LickiMat spreads only small amounts of soft food, so it does not manage a full bowl of kibble. Choose the bowl for meals, the mat for treats.
  • Enrichment and calming: A LickiMat gives your dog a licking task that can occupy them for longer than a bowl. A slow feeder bowl finishes when the food is gone and offers less mental engagement. Choose the mat when you need your dog busy or settled.
  • Food type and cleanup: A slow feeder bowl handles wet or dry food and water. A LickiMat is limited to thick, sticky, or soft foods and needs washing after each use. Both need checking for wear. Match the tool to what you actually feed.

Product Facts

  • LickiMat Dog Lick Mats Slow Feeders Tuff Buddy 4 Colours: LickiMat Tuff Buddy measures 20 x 20cm / 8 x 8 inches and has a cross maze design for thick sticky treats like doggy peanut butter, wet food, or soggy biscuits. The size suits small to medium dogs and the maze pattern holds soft food in place, so it is best for enrichment rather than full meals.
  • Dogit Go Slow Anti-Gulping Dog Dish Blue 3 Sizes: Dogit Go Slow Anti-Gulping Dog Dish is designed to encourage slower eating or drinking, reducing excess air intake, and can be used as a water or food dish for wet or dry food. This is the tool for the main meal because it directly targets gulping and works with the food your dog already eats.
  • Happy Pet Carrot Stripe Pet Bowl: Happy Pet Carrot Stripe Pet Bowl is a ceramic bowl for hamsters, rabbits, and guinea pigs, sized 12.5 x 12.5 x 5cm with a 400ml capacity, and is dishwasher safe. Small pets need a bowl sized to them, and this one is easy to clean rather than a slow-feeding device.
  • Ancol Ergo Dog Grooming Alluminium Comb: Ancol Ergo Dog Grooming Aluminium Comb has coarse teeth for long and thick fur and medium teeth for shorter fur, with rounded stainless steel teeth and an ergonomic handle. Useful during quiet enrichment time, especially for double-coated or long-haired dogs that need regular detangling.

Which Should You Get?

Best for

  • Dogs that gulp full meals and need a slower eating pace
  • Owners who want a simple, low-setup feeding tool for wet or dry food
  • Dogs that need daily enrichment, treat time, or a calming activity
  • Households that want to use one tool for meals and the other for treats

Not for

  • Small pets like hamsters, rabbits, or guinea pigs, which need a properly sized small pet bowl
  • Dogs that will chew or flip a mat instead of licking it
  • Owners looking for a single tool to replace both a food bowl and an enrichment toy
  • Dogs with very short muzzles that cannot comfortably reach into a deep slow feeder bowl