Keeping dogs cool

[DorotheaDiamond]

Hi all

DD is doing Product Design GCSE and she is thinking about doing something in the area of keeping dogs cool. She has a couple of questions and would really really appreciate your help:

1. what do you do to keep your dogs cool during extreme heat?
2. are there existing products you use and if so what problems have you found with them?

any responses will be very gratefully recieved!!!

Ah my lab really suffers in the heat so any products to help him would be great.

He has a cool mat which we put on the freezer which he doesn’t lie on! I pop a fan on him which he likes. He has a dog paddling pool to cool down his paws.

I reasorted to putting a damp cold towel in him in the recent heatwave but he didn’t like that!

My dog likes the heat - he's a border collie, long haired, shouldn't like it but does! But he has a cooling mat (although he also likes the kitchen / bathroom tiles). A pool in the garden. He has some toys that you can wet and freeze, and then he can fetch / chew them. Tried a cooling vest but he has never been fond of clothes! He has a doggie sun shelter too, which he actually is quite fond of.

Thank you (and bumping)

Existing products are

Cooling mats
Coolng coats
Cooling bandanas
Elevated beds with mesh cover for air flow
Crate fans
Car fans
Dog paddling pools with non slip bottoms and sides that the dog can easily climb over.

Food products so dog ice creams etc
Iced pupsicles

Issues with cooling mats coats etc is that they are often gel products that are harmful if chewed. Also as they dry out they get hotter and have the opposite effect of cooling and can over heat the dog.

Car fans usually run on batteries so battery life is usual issue

The problems we’ve had with cooling mats are:

1. Too slippy for a geriatric dog - had to buy anti-slip tape to apply to it.
2. New pup is a terrier and thinks it’s great fun to dig and chew at the edges, but the gel is toxic. If it was properly edged somehow, instead of just being sealed it might work better.

Elderly dog couldn’t get in and out of a paddling pool, but new pup likes it. Most important thing for a paddling pool with a terrier is for it to have a no-rip base, as they will dig anything, including water!

They have both enjoyed dog popsicles, but I make my own, as the commercial ones tend to have too much sugar and other unnecessary ingredients.

Thank you so much - one of her research points is problems with existing products do this is incredibly helpful!!!!

we have a small, lazy, hydrophobic dog so paddling pool etc is out - and he actually chewed through the one cooling mat I bought too!!

8mth old pup has a cool mat. Initially, she thought it was a wee mat!!! When it got really hot- she realised it was cool and layed on it instead.

My issue with it, that it is a dangerous slip risk if a human steps on it! If the mat is in a small space, static van, 1 bed flat, bedsit for example- the cool mat is a real slip risk if stepped on. The top layer slides over the bottom and I've nearly fallen multiple times. I'm not only worry about myself but older relatives who might slip. To add, when stepped on- it makes a dreadful fart noise!!!

We used a water spray to put on dog coat to cool her off. Having a shorter coat trimmed at the groomers early in summer has helped, along with using a shallow paddling pool

Out pup also likes to chase and chew ice cubes

Our black lab gets wiped out by the heat and normally copes by flopping into the kitchen tiles which are ceramic so nicely cooling for his belly. Now he's 18 months he does now low on his cooling mat rather than try to tear it up! During the heatwave we kept the downstairs as cool as possible for him - curtains closed etc, plenty of ice cubes in his water and offered for him to crunch on which he enjoyed, fan blowing breeze through room. When it got really hot I followed dog trainer suggestion to cool behind his ears and his nethers with cold damp towel. He ended up lying flat out on his back in the direct breeze if the fan airing his not inconsiderable balls for most of the day. He's got a kids paddling pool he likes but most fun for him was is taking him out at 6am for a cool, shady river swim.

@bingohandjob @MarmiteCoriander @Impossiblepossibilities @Ivedonethisthreetimealready @Delatron @Jalisco

Hope you don't mind me "@ ing" you all.... dd now has a survey that needs as many responses as possible - we would hugely appreciate it if you could fill this in for her! Should only take a couple of minutes. Responses from anyone else also HUGELY appreciated!

s.surveyplanet.com/rv6mfl8z

THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU

Just completed! Good luck to your DD. My Labrador really struggles in the heat so looking forward to any solutions!

I've clicked the link which initially has a blurb with BEGIN underneath. That word soon disappears and there is no way to complete the survey. I shall try again tomorrow, but has anyone else had this glitch?

@MarmiteCoriander can you tell me what OS/browser you’re using and I’ll investigate? Thank you (and everyone else) so much for trying …dd can’t believe she’s got loads of responses already!

What helped our dog during the heatwave was some doggy friendly ice lollies that dd made for him.

He doesn't like getting wet so anything like a paddling pool or cold mat was out.

I was using edge, and tried again tonight and it worked.

Some feedback:

• The questions were rigid. No option for an 'other, please comment'
• 'What price range?' For what exactly??? For a heated dog product, a cooling product or something else??? Its not clear.
• I don't know what a heated bed/plug in is, so an explanation, even in a bubble in brackets, would have been helpful. Again- there was no option of N/A, don't know, what is this, so my data and likely others will clearly be flawed and useless, but I hope some is helpful.

Thanks for the feedback - probably too late to change it but will bear in mind if dd needs to do another!

Thank you to everyone who contributed - it’s already been incredibly useful!

I have to agree with @MarmiteCoriander the price guide is not at all clear .

That said I have completed the survey and wish your DD the best of luck , I no longer have a dog but when I did he hated the heat ( lab x staff ) he hated coats of any sort but a cool coller may of worked .

Just filled it in .
we bought rubber chew toys . They were designed to be filled with water and then frozen .

Thank you all again - fwiw if you have school age kids avoid product design gcse like the plague - it’s more market research than design!