Trying to keep my dog cool in this heat. Any tips I haven’t tried?

[notmoredirtywashing]

We’ve been going out at 7am and she’s swimming in the river. Thing is, she’s hot and panting in an hour and dried off.

I’m home with her and the curtains and blinds are closed. Fan going. If I try and spray her with water ( mist) or a shower she practically has a breakdown!

How do I keep her cool if she hates water? ( obviously loves the river though 🙄)

Cool mat

We are just letting ours roam the house, keeping windows and blinds shut and leaving fans on. They regulate themselves to some extent and rules are off the table so one is currently under the spare bed (not normally allowed upstairs) and the other is stretched out on the wooden floor in a dark living room.

Both have thick coats but plenty of access to water. Neither will touch the cool mat... fussy creatures!

I've got a wet tea towel draped over mine with the fan pointing at him. He's not pulled it off so I think it must be comfortable.

Thanks for the replies.

The wet tea towel sounds like a good idea. I had a cool mat but it made a crinkling noise and scared her. It’s hard work!

Keep wiping her with a wet flannel. Will she chew on some ice or bob for it in her water bowl?

Tie a damp bandana round their neck.
I’ve heard frozen carrots can go down well.

I wet my hand with ice water and petted mine yesterday he seemed quite content, with that, but as a pp said they do regulate themselves and I just let mine sort himself out , if you fuss over them it might stress them more.

My two are currently lying on the wooden floor in the dining room in the shade. They both hate cool mats! They have only been getting up to go for a drink (big metal bowl with some of those huge slow melt ice cubes in) or go out for a wee then straight back there. They had half an hour in the garden at 6.30 then ate their breakfast before it got too hot

https://www.rspca.org.uk/w/whatwedo/press/heatwave-pet-care-myths

actually damp towels isn’t recommended - stops their fur being an insulator (from heat). Lying on one is ok though.

Thanks for posting that. Very helpful

I have a couple of frozen kongs in the freezer he will get one this afternoon, tbf it isn't as hot here so that maybe helps.

I mean the dogs don't actually use it, but these mats are better than the gel filled ones in my opinion. And they're nice enough to lay on yourself if the dogs aren't interested!

ivyandduke.co.uk/product/cooling-mat/?srsltid=AfmBOoqQZu4FdceLFwYgeRXWtgUHb3sghwh7A0y5P-F__gH3y2Nc1Kb7

My boy is moving in and out of the shade or into a cool room at the front of the house, lying on the tiled kitchen floor so he’s regulating himself pretty well. Access to fresh water at all times.

I put her licky mat in the freezer and then poured cold stock over it and let it freeze. Enjoyed it yesterday, won't lick it today as she is worried because the fan is going. Licky mat is nowhere near the fan. Whoever said it's not easy is damn right.

Mine is hellbent on bbq-ing herself. Ignores the cooling mat and the doggy paddling pool, distrusts ice cubes in her water, massively distrusts frozen kongs, cooling sprays etc… She loves the sun but I’ve forced her to come inside very much against her will, and she is currently flat out on the bed in front of the fan, perhaps she is finally admitting defeat in her old age 🤣

Oh and of course the only thing she is very much interested in is sharing ice lollies…

Cooling coat. They are great.

Ours doesn’t like water either, but she still gets dunked under a cool shower for a couple of minutes. Needs must.. she’s happy afterwards.

I'm another one with windows and blinds closed, fan on. If I put ice in her water bowl she takes it out and spits it out of the dog flap! Frozen carrots go down well. But on the whole I'm just leaving her to it.

I have a large cool damp towel spread on the floor for him to lay on...he's currently laying beside it 🙄 panting

We've got fans going in every room for our two, cool mats dotted about (but mine also ignore them like other PPs do), plenty of cold water dotted about the house, rub downs with wet towels and smaller meals and basically letting them do as they please. Oh and all blinds and doors and windows are closed.
Both are currently asleep on the wooden floor and looking very content.

You can get fabric cool mats now , we've got this one, it's pricey but worth it , machine washable too, my dog loves his

coolsoftsleep.co.uk/product/coolsoft-x-ivy-duke-pet-cooling-mat/?srsltid=AfmBOoqE3HMRHaRUwE4jlbmUYy8R7ZZgbGvVw4yTg2XNvy4GclFYyWTP

My whippet/Bedlington mix is such a sun seeker, if I open the door for a minute she’s outside in the grass sunbathing. I have to go to her and drag her inside. She also hates water with a passion, I think she’d rather die than be misted!

I wipe mine down with a very wet cloth, kinda squeezing the cloth as I move it so water goes into the coat. They aren’t keen when I’m doing it, but tolerate it unlike if I try to spray them.

Mines a puppy so need to be a bit more careful with her. She is struggling but also wants to get outside to be in the sun, so keeps going through the cat flap. She is starting to struggle so will hopefully be too big to go through soon.
In the daytime I have been giving her chopped up cucumber, some dairy free ice cream, some mini milks found in the back of the freezer, soaking a microfibre cloth and soaking her belly and chest in water, soaking a tea towel and tying it like a bandana around her neck, ice cubes.
I'm also not taking her up to her crate for naps, just letting her sleep where she lies, which is mostly on the slate hearth, though she has gone to sleep in her downstairs crate a few times.
We bought a small kids paddling pool, but she doesn't go on voluntarily so I just dunk her in as she dries out but it was too hot to even do that yesterday and I imagine today will be the same.
I am struggling with getting her room cooler at night time. She has a fan with a bowl of water in front pointing towards her crate, I've taken off the cover apart from a small section to hide the ice packs I've put on top and next to it to try and create some cooler air, so any tips for keeping her cool at night would be great.