15 Cool Tricks to Keep Your Canines from Overheating During the Scorching Summer

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Jul 10, 2026 7:30 AM EDT

Summer is here and it is here to stay. No more rainshowers, clouds or pesky winds for us, it is sun sun sun and we are having fun. But while we hoomans might be living it up, the sun and summer can be quite tough on our canine children. So we have turned to the canine community for their suggestions to keep your canine kid cool.

You can imagine that overheating doggos are a common concern between the pawrents on Reddit's r/hikingwithdogs subreddit. After all, those high elevations bring with them a searing sun that most non-hikers only experience at the height of summer. So we were not all too surprised when we happened upon a thread discussing the cooling of canines when the world around gets too darn hot for them. What we were surprised to find out is that there are several different approaches to this problem and that there is one glaring issue with the main type of product that is purchased to combat the heat.

The problem being that many cooling vests and mats are suited to work in dry environments. But as many of you will know, heat comes in many forms and more often than not it comes with a heck load of humidity. So almost instantly half of the available products are useless to most pawrents. But the lack of suitable products to purchase has not stopped the pawrent posters we have featured in this list from coming up with some seriously creative cooling concoctions. From deep dunks, to frozen water bottles we invite you to dip your toe in the cool waters of this chill list. 
 

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  • 01
    "Soak your dog before your hike and whenever you can during the hike."
    via ben_bitterbal
  • 02
    JuggernautFox I like to bring my dogs on trails that are by streams or lakes so they have an opportunity to splash around and cool off.
    via ben_bitterbal
  • 03
    67
    via Regniztarg
  • 04
    MrBadBern Ruff ware had a dog pack with side pockets for water. It came with soft plastic bottles, freeze the bottles and put them in the side pockets.
    via ben_bitterbal
  • 05
    Cheezburger Image 10644655104
    via Regniztarg
  • 06
    jnoellew Acclimating to temperatures with short controlled exposure is absolutely the best and main way to manage dogs overheating!
    via ben_bitterbal

  • Now this is an interesting approach. We cannot say that it is a one size fits all approach especially for those of you with certain pedigrees and older puppers. But for a relatively in shape dog child who enjoys their time outdoors this could be the best option overall. As you have already seen, a lot of the offerings so far are water based, and other than not all dogs enjoying being dunked in the drink, water is a scarce resource in certain parts of the planet and should be protected as much as possible. So if you can, consider trying this approach, or trying it mixed in with some splashes of ice water.
     

  • 07
    Cheezburger Image 10644654336
    via Regniztarg
  • 08
    zbras11 Keeping your dog in shape and not overweight, avoiding the peak hot times for excercise, recognizing your own dogs behavior is huge as well, and typically overlooked.
    via ben_bitterbal
  • 09
    orange_sherbetz A trainer told me to bring a spray mist bottle and spray the exposed parts - belly, etc. Have a double coated dog.
    via ben_bitterbal
  • 10
    MW
    via Regniztarg
  • 11
    villaofthewolves Cooling vests/harnesses work in dry heat, not humid heat. Cooling blankets work for us, as well as the cooling mats (ex. The green pet)
    via ben_bitterbal
  • 12
    BrookieCooks You know those human cooling towels. Tried one last year on a super hot day on my pup and she LOVED it so now we bring that every
    via ben_bitterbal
  • 13
    Cheezburger Image 10644655616
    via Regniztarg
  • 14
    Peaches5893 I bought a light colored cooling shirt from Amazon, the kind that you wet down, and it's made a big difference for my black lab. Even when it's not wet anymore, it's helpful for her.
    via ben_bitterbal
  • 15
    DonkeyEnergy Soak your dog before your hike and whenever you can during the hike ...Also get a rez dog from AZ or NM..they love the heat!
    via ben_bitterbal
  • 16
    Cheezburger Image 10644655872
    via Regniztarg
  • 17
    New-City-3804 I do a ton of hiking with my long haired, double coat dog. I cut my dogs hair with scissors to a shorter length in summer. It makes A WORLD of difference in his comfort!
    via ben_bitterbal

  • Well this is certainly interesting and could be a viable solution for extreme cases. But it has quite the caveat you should be aware of before trying this out yourself. That being that shaving a dog without knowing what you are doing can seriously affect their natural temperature regulation, leaving them open to suffering heat stroke and sunburn. Two things that we are very much trying to avoid with this list. Moreover this is even more dangerous for double coated breeds such as Huskys, Retrievers and German Shepherds. So if you dare attempt this, do as the poster suggests and use scissors, only cut a little, and better yet go to a groomer who can do this the right way for you. 
     

  • 18
    Cheezburger Image 10644654592
    via Regniztarg
  • 19
    Aggravating-Gold-22. One thing we do after an outing, is the lay on their sides on the sofa, and I put a washcloth run under cold water against their private region..... they absolutely love it
    via ben_bitterbal
  • 20
    Kitvaria Our dog has black long fur, so he gets super hot and usually goes for 3-4km walks max without it when it's above 25°C Our flat is a hellhole in the hottest summer weeks, so staying home can be worse. So ours has the Ruffwear Swamp Cooler and it makes a gigantic difference. With it on he came on a 10k hike in 30°C (obviously we picked a very shady woodland walk) and was fine.
    via ben_bitterbal
  • 21
    Cheezburger Image 10644654848
    via Regniztarg
  • 22
    suupernooova I tried a few cooling gear things (ruffwear vest and the like) but honestly found pouring a bottle of water over head, neck, back to work better than anything. I do live in a very dry climate so evaporative cooling is probably part of that so YMMV. An Owalla with ice stays nice and cold.
    via ben_bitterbal
  • 23
    Horsedogs_human Dogs that are slender BCS 4-4.5/9 handle heat better, as do fit dogs. If your dog has a double coat you really need to stay on top of grooming. Ideally get the coat blown out during the spring moult and then maintain your grooming so that there is no shed undercoat trapped. The most effective way to cool your dog in a hurry is a full head immersion in cold water. I've seen a number of dog sports people training their dog to dunk their head in a bucket of water on cue.
    via ben_bitterbal
  • 24
    Cheezburger Image 10644656128
    via Regniztarg
  • 25
    SparklyCamel789 The big things I do to stay active with a black husky/malamute mix (aka very vulnerable to overheating) is plan walks around coolest times of day, find as many places for us to go that have us either walking through water, next to water, or swimming in water, and then I also carry a giant bottle of water and make him drink a lot and splash some water on his back sometimes for a little bit of ambient cooling. Also he's a good weight too and very fit so that helps.
    via ben_bitterbal

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