Cooling Mats, Raised Beds and Pools: What Actually Works

Every October the pet aisle fills up with cooling products, and a fair number of them do very little. Here is an honest run through what actually shifts a dog's temperature, what only appears to, and which is worth your money for the dog you actually own.

Shade and airflow — free, and better than most of what you can buy

Before anything else: a shaded spot with a breeze moving through it beats almost every product on this list. Shade removes the radiant heat load, and moving air carries warm air away from the body instead of letting it sit there.

Two things people get wrong. Shade moves — the corner that is shaded at ten o'clock is in full sun at two, and a dog shut outside may have nowhere left by mid-afternoon. And a still, shaded shed or kennel can be hotter than open shade, because there is no air exchange. Shade plus airflow, not shade alone.

Raised beds — the most underrated thing in the category

A bed that lifts the dog off the ground on a taut deck lets air move underneath the entire body. That matters because the biggest single source of trapped heat is the contact patch between animal and floor, and a stuffed bed makes it worse by insulating.

No power, no water, nothing to freeze or recharge, and it works continuously for as long as they lie on it. It is also the easiest thing to hose off, which matters more than people expect by February.

Best for: dogs who spend time outdoors or on a verandah, heavy shedders, and anyone whose dog has abandoned their bed for the tiles.

Cooling mats — good, with one thing to check

Worth understanding the difference, because it decides whether the thing is useful.

• Gel mats use a pad that absorbs heat on contact. They feel dramatically cool for the first while, then saturate and need time off the dog to reset. Some need freezing. The cooling is real but it is a burst, not a background.
• Breathable textile mats work by letting air move rather than by absorbing. Less dramatic in the first minute, more useful over an afternoon, and nothing to charge, fill or freeze. They also go in a crate or a car, which is where a lot of overheating actually happens.

Whichever you choose, the deciding question is whether your dog will stay on it. A mat the dog steps off after two minutes has cooled nothing.

Best for: dogs who already have a bed they love — lay it on top rather than replacing it. Also crates, car floors and caravans.

Paddling pools — only for the dogs who want them

Evaporation from wet fur is genuinely effective cooling, and for a dog who loves water a shallow pool is the most enjoyable version of it. It also solves the afternoon-energy problem on days when a walk is off the table.

Be honest about your dog though. Plenty want nothing to do with standing in water, and no amount of encouragement changes that. A pool for a dog who hates water is a large plastic ornament.

Worth knowing: anything inflatable is one enthusiastic claw away from being finished. A pool that holds its own shape through the walls avoids that entirely. Empty it between uses rather than letting it sit — still water in the sun goes off quickly, and a full pool is a drowning risk for small children.

Best for: water-mad dogs, and hot afternoons when a walk would be unsafe.

Cooling vests and bandanas

These work by evaporation, so they are effective while damp and in moving air, and close to useless once dry or in still humidity. Genuinely useful for a specific outing — a walk at the warmer end of acceptable, or a car trip. Not something to leave on an unsupervised dog all day, because a vest that has dried out is just an extra layer.

Fans

Dogs do not sweat across the body, so a fan does less for them than it does for you — but it is not useless. Air movement helps a panting dog considerably, and it helps a lot more if the coat is damp. A fan pointed at a dog on a raised bed is a genuinely effective combination for very little money.

Things that do not do what people hope

• Ice cubes in the water bowl. Fine, and dogs enjoy them, but the cooling effect on body temperature is negligible. Fresh, cool water in more than one location matters far more than ice.
• A wet towel draped over the dog and left. Once it warms up it is insulation. Wet fur plus moving air is the version that works.
• Shaving a double coat. Covered in our piece on which dogs feel the heat — it usually makes things worse and risks sunburn. Brush the undercoat out instead.
• A fan in a closed shed. Recirculating hot air. It needs somewhere for the heat to go.

What I would actually buy, in order

1. Nothing — first, sort shade, airflow, water in several spots, and walks at the ends of the day. That is most of the benefit available, and it is free.
2. Something breathable to lie on — raised if they are outdoors or have abandoned their bed; a mat if they already have a bed they are attached to.
3. A fan, pointed at wherever they actually sleep.
4. A pool, only if your dog is the sort who will use it.

And the one worth repeating: if a dog is panting frantically, drooling heavily, unsteady or confused, none of this is the answer. Cool them with water and moving air and ring your vet straight away.