5 things that help keep a dog cool in a heatwave

Illustration of Nadia Okafor
By Nadia Okafor
Reviewed & updated 5 July 2026 · 6 min read

Independently chosen — nobody pays to be on a list, and we say what didn't make it. How we pick the 5.

The five, at a glance

1Do the seven-second pavement test, every walk2Wet the coat down to the skin, not just the surface3Build an airflow zone, not just a shady spot4Freeze broth-based enrichment, not just an ice cube5Put out three water stations, not one — and use ceramic
1

Do the seven-second pavement test, every walk

Pavement gets far hotter than the air temperature and burns paw pads long before a dog will show you it's in pain. Owners judge walk time by how the air feels at head height in shoes, when the real problem is happening two feet lower on a surface that can run 20-25°C above ambient. I learned this the hard way with a whippet who limped for two days after a 4pm walk that felt perfectly fine to me in trainers — dogs don't complain until the damage is already done, so you're the one who checks, not them.

Try it
Press the back of your hand to the actual route you're walking — tarmac, block paving and sand all hold heat differently — and hold it for seven seconds; if you can't, it's too hot for paws
Shift walks to before 7am or after 8:30pm in a proper heatwave, not just "earlier than usual"
If it fails and the dog still needs to go out, stick to grass verges only, or do sniff-work in the garden instead
2

Wet the coat down to the skin, not just the surface

A quick splash on top of the fur can trap heat rather than release it, because it wets the insulating outer coat while the skin underneath stays dry and hot. Evaporative cooling only works once water actually reaches skin — that's why a towelled-down dog can look "cooled off" while barely losing any real heat. Part the fur as you wet so it reaches the belly, groin and inner thighs, where blood vessels sit close to the surface, and follow immediately with a fan or breeze so the evaporation has somewhere to go.

Try it
Use a hose or wet towel and work the water right down to skin at the belly, armpits and groin — not a surface spritz
For a lower-drama version, wet a towel, wring it out, freeze it for an hour, and lay it flat on their usual floor spot
Skip the whole exercise on a double-coated breed's back (huskies, GSDs) and target the thin-furred underside instead, where water actually gets through
3

Build an airflow zone, not just a shady spot

Dogs cool mainly by panting, and panting only works if the air going in is cooler than the air coming out — a dog can overheat lying in perfect shade if that air isn't moving. Shade blocks the sun; it does nothing about still, thick air, and a shaded corner at 10am is often full sun by 2pm anyway, since dogs rarely relocate themselves until they're already uncomfortable. My old lab used to dig a shallow pit under the decking every summer unprompted — she'd found the one spot with airflow from underneath, and she had better instincts about it than I did.

Try it
Angle a fan low across the coolest room's floor (tile or boards, never a rug), with a window or door open so air actually moves through rather than just recirculating
Use a raised mesh cot bed rather than a padded mat, so air moves underneath as well as around them
Walk the space at 2-3pm and check it's still shaded and breezy — the morning setup often isn't
4

Freeze broth-based enrichment, not just an ice cube

A frozen food puzzle buys twenty calm minutes of licking in one spot, and stillness itself cuts heat production more than any cooling gadget does — a plain ice cube gets crunched and gone in ten seconds and does nothing for the restlessness that's driving a hot, bored dog to keep pacing. Plain low-salt broth (no onion or garlic stock) frozen into a Kong or lick mat works better than water ice because dogs actually want to work at it, and it doubles as a distraction during the worst of the afternoon when everyone's fuse is short.

Try it
Freeze plain broth, yoghurt or mashed kibble in a Kong or silicone mat overnight so it takes real time to get through
Add chunks of cucumber or seedless watermelon before freezing for variety
Serve on a tiled or stone floor rather than carpet, and rotate two or three so the melt time doesn't run out
5

Put out three water stations, not one — and use ceramic

A dog too hot to be bothered will simply skip water rather than walk across a warm house to find it, so a single kitchen bowl quietly fails on exactly the days it matters most. Heat also makes water go warm and unappealing fast, so a bowl that was fine at 8am can be ignored by 2pm. Ceramic or metal bowls stay cooler through the day than plastic, which makes a real difference to whether a reluctant dog actually bothers drinking.

Try it
Add a second and third bowl wherever the dog tends to collapse — by the back door, near their bed — not just the kitchen
Refresh and add ice to all three at least twice a day; warm, stagnant water gets left alone even by thirsty dogs
Notice if they're drinking visibly less than usual or skipping water entirely — that's a vet call, not a wait-and-see

What didn't make the list

Cooling vests and bandanas

Most only work through evaporation and need re-wetting every 20-30 minutes to do anything — left to dry out, they trap heat like a damp jumper. I've seen more dogs paw at them wanting them off, or quietly overheat in a forgotten "cooling" coat, than I've seen actually helped by one. A wet towel to lie on does the same job for free and you can't forget it's on.

Elevated cooling mats and gel pads

A cheap paddling pool with two inches of water does the same job as a pricier gel mat, and most dogs would rather stand in water than lie on a mat anyway. That spend is better put toward a fan or a second water bowl.

Questions people ask

What are the signs of heatstroke I shouldn't try to manage myself?

Heavy uncontrolled panting, drooling, wobbliness, vomiting, bright red or very pale gums, disorientation, or collapse are an emergency, not a checklist item. This is a vet visit — call ahead so they can prepare, and treat it exactly like a 999-equivalent call: go now, cooling the dog with water and airflow on the way if you can, rather than waiting at home to see if it passes.

Is it ever okay to leave a dog in the car for "just a few minutes" in warm weather?

No. A car's interior can climb into dangerous territory within minutes even with windows cracked and even in weather that doesn't feel extreme to you, and this remains one of the most common preventable causes of fatal heatstroke every summer. If the errand can't include the dog, leave the dog at home.

Are flat-faced breeds like bulldogs and pugs at higher risk?

Yes — brachycephalic breeds pant far less efficiently and struggle to shed heat compared with longer-nosed dogs, so they need earlier, more cautious versions of everything above: shorter walks, more shade and airflow time, and closer watching. The same lower threshold applies to very young, senior, overweight, or heart/breathing-condition dogs. If your dog is any of these, it's worth asking your vet in advance what a safe heat limit looks like for them specifically.

Sources

  1. RSPCA — heatstroke in dogs
  2. American Kennel Club — keeping dogs cool in summer
  3. ASPCA — hot weather pet safety tips
Illustration of Nadia Okafor

Nadia writes our Pets lists. She is not a vet — she has shared her home with a rotating cast of dogs, cats and one very opinionated rabbit for twenty years, and fosters when she has room. Her lists stick to the everyday stuff: behaviour, comfort, and the gear that actually earns its place. For anything medical — a limp, a change in appetite, anything that worries you — she will tell you to call your vet, because a checklist is not one. More from Nadia Okafor →

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