Almonds themselves are not the problem
Unlike macadamias, which are genuinely toxic to dogs, plain almonds are not poisonous, and almond butter removes the main physical worry of whole almonds — a hard nut lodging in the throat or gut of an eager dog. Spread smooth on a lick mat, almond butter is a reasonable rotation from peanut butter for a dog who enjoys the slow, calming licking pattern. The risks sit almost entirely in the jar's ingredient list and in the portion, not in the almond itself, so those are the two places to be careful before his tongue ever touches the mat.
Read the jar before you open it for him
Choose a jar whose ingredients are simply almonds, or almonds with a little salt at most. Sweetened, flavoured, and reduced-sugar nut butters are where the danger hides: xylitol, also listed as birch sugar, is extremely dangerous to dogs even in small amounts and does appear in some nut butter products, so if the label mentions it in any form, that jar never gets shared. Cocoa-flavoured spreads are also out, since chocolate and dogs do not mix. When in doubt, keep a plain, dog-shared jar separate from the household's fancier spreads so nobody smears the wrong one in a hurry.
Why the portion should be smaller than his peanut butter
Almond butter is energy-dense and richer in fat and fibre than the peanut butter he is used to. A thick layer can mean a greasy, unsettled stomach, loose stools, and — if rich extras become a habit — weight gain or, in dogs prone to it, a painful bout of pancreatitis. Spread a thin film that fills the mat's grooves rather than a dollop, and count it as part of his day's food rather than an extra on top. For a small dog, a teaspoon-level smear is plenty; a large dog can manage a little more, but the mat is about the licking time, not the volume, and a thin spread actually lasts longer because he has to work it out of the texture.
Building the lick mat session well
Press the almond butter into the mat, then freeze the loaded mat for a while before serving if you want the session to last — frozen spread slows enthusiastic dogs and makes the small portion go further. Offer it on an easy-clean floor, supervise as you would with any food toy, and wash the mat thoroughly afterwards, because nut butter residue in grooves turns rancid and grows unpleasant fast. Introduce almond butter on a day when nothing else new is happening in his diet, so if his stools soften you know exactly which change caused it and can dial the amount back next time.
Dogs who should skip it, and signs to stop
Dogs with a history of pancreatitis, dogs on a strict low-fat diet, and dogs already carrying extra weight are better kept on lower-fat mat fillings such as a little plain cooked pumpkin or their own soaked food. Stop and speak to your vet if a rich treat is followed by repeated vomiting, loss of appetite, a hunched or painful belly, or diarrhoea that does not settle within a day, because those signs matter more than the treat that preceded them. A dog who coughs or gags after licking should also be checked rather than offered a thinner spread next time.
Keeping the treat rule consistent across the household
Lick mats are often prepared by different people — whoever is settling him before a call, a visitor, or a dog walker — and portions quietly grow when each person guesses. Writing the exact spread, the amount, and which jar is his into his KinsLe Care Teams notes means the person on treat duty prepares the mat the same way every time, and the completed task timestamp shows he has already had it today.