The Best Dog Mats For Keeping Your Dog Cool
Did you know that dogs can’t control their body temperature in the same way that humans do – by sweating? Dogs only have a small number of sweat glands located in the pads of their paws and the main way a dog regulates their body heat is by panting. Of course we all want what is best for our dogs and in the heat of summer trying to keep our furry family members cool can be tricky.
Cooing mats are designed to keep dogs (or other pets) cool on hot days but how do they work and most importantly do they actually work?
There are different types of cooling mats: those that self cool and self charge, and mats that are filled with water. We purchased both types for our dogs to review.
Self cooling mats are activated by weight or pressure. No water, refrigeration or electricity is required. When your dog moves the mat automatically recharges. These mats are filled with gel which absorbs your dog’s body heat when pressure (their weight) is applied to the mat.
Water filled mats on the other hand are essentially mats filled with ice packs which provides your dog a cold surface to lie on.
Our Dogs Test and Review 5 Cooling Mats
The 5 cooling mats the dogs at Benafim Shelter tested are: The Rosewood Chillax Cool Pad, the Petic Cooling Mat, the Crufts Self Cooling Gel Dog Mat, the World-Bio Pet Cooling Mat and the Iokheira Dog Cooling Mat. The dogs tested them of course for their effectiveness at cooling them down, but also for comfort and durability and they were even considerate enough to think about us humans and, took into account whether they were practical to carry and easy to clean. Aren’t we lucky to have such considerate dogs?
At Benafim Shelter we place a lot of importance on keeping dogs healthy both mentally and physically and believe exercise is good for the mind and body. All the dogs are exercised at least once a day as well as our own adopted rescue doggies at home. They often come back hot, breathless, thirsty but of course happy from their fun walks. The third thing the dogs do after having a good drink of water and a treat from us humans is to then have a good lie down. This is the perfect opportunity for the dogs to test the cooling mats and give us their feedback.
We decided to test these cooling mats on our own adopted rescue dogs – they are so so understanding and good at us spending so much time looking after all the doggies at the shelter that we thought why not include them in the testing and reviewing process?
So sit back, relax and dare we even say chill? (chuckling away to ourselves with this not so clever pun…) and let our dogs give you their thorough feedback on the cooling mats they were given to test. Oh it is a tough life at times!
Rosewood Chillax Cool Pad
Would you describe a cooling mat as smart? It is most probably not the first thing that would spring to mind but as we were unpacking all 5 mats this by far felt the most sturdy and smart.
The Rosewood Chillax Cool Pad starts working once your dog applies their weight and pressure to the mat. It claims to stay cool during 3 to 4 hours of constant use. Lucky you if you have a dog that stays still for that amount of time! Mely stayed cool for about 30 minutes and after a quick wander round came back to settle on it for a further 15 minutes or so. During this time we could absolutely feel the cold coming through under her pressure.
You know those board games that are designed to fold away really easily but end up taking you ages to work out what should be folded first? Some of the mats we felt were a bit like that. Not this one though. It is really sturdy and by far the easiest to fold away in seconds making it perfect for those who want to take the cooling mat away with them, in the car or even just moving it from the garden to inside.
The mat material feels lovely and soft which Indy absolutely loved and settled on for 2 solid hours – very rare for her to stay still for this long, other than at night time.
The Details
Large size measures 60 x 90 cm
Available in other sizes.
Both sides can be used
Non toxic gel
Collapsible
Sponge clean
Summary
Really sturdy and good quality, very easy to transport, perfect for crates, indoors, outdoors and to take with you on car journeys.
Check Price on AmazonPetic Cooling Mat
The Petic cooling mat is a self cooling mat so as soon as pressure is applied from a dog lying on it, the gel extracts heat from their body. Banjo finally, after turning his nose up at all the other cooling mats, settled on this one. He didn’t move for 2 solid hours – it definitely passed the ‘is it comfortable?’ test.
As you can see from the photos we tested the mat inside and outside, it is very easy and light to move from one place to another. Rufus opted to chill his paws in the shade, under a tree in the garden. For some reason the lower half of his body must not have been hot?! We are definitely not doubting his intelligence here, absolutely not!
The feel to the cooling mat’s material is soft and strong. By placing our hand under both Banjo and Rufus’s bodies (or paws) we could feel the cold seeping through the material.
The Details
Large size measures 50 x 90 cm
Available in other sizes.
Both sides can be used
Non toxic gel
Collapsible
Sponge clean
Summary
A nice, lightweight and effective cooing mat at a reasonable price.
Check Price on AmazonCrufts Self Cooling Gel Dog Mat
We wouldn’t be the sort of people who get ‘sucked’ into buying things because of the name would we? No of course not. Okay well maybe just a teeny tiny bit…. or a lot in this case. Shame on us! Yes, we were intrigued as to whether having the Crufts name on the box would make a difference to the quality and performance of it’s contents.
Whilst Banjo refused to lie on the cooing mat opting for the grass instead, Indy took time out of her busy day of exploring the garden to help test the Crufts Cooling mat. We are not entirely sure what her face means but she looks blissfully content…. we think!
The mat does what it is suppose to do – it cooled Indy down from all her exhausting adventures but it is flimsy and doesn’t offer the support that several of it’s competitors do. It is much thinner and the material doesn’t feel as soft either.
The Details
Size – 40 x 50 cm
Available in other sizes.
Both sides can be used
Collapsible
Sponge clean
Summary
It works – absolutely! Are we confident in it’s durability – sadly we aren’t. But if you are looking for a non expensive cooling mat to use on occasion don’t rule out buying it.
Check Price on AmazonWorld-Bio Pet Cooling Mat
Unlike the other cooling mats our dogs are testing, the World Bio Cooling Mat is not a self cooling mat. Instead the mat has three zipped pockets (two if you purchase the smaller sizes) in which to insert frozen iced gel. As you can see from the pictures below we followed the clear instructions and once the gel had been in the freezer overnight we put the mat to the test.
The cooling mat comes with two sheets of three ice packs so if you are organised you can always have one pack frozen and ready to be inserted into the mat.
The ice packs when inserted initially are lumpy to touch and make quite a loud noise. Once the ice begins to melt the packs become softer and in return the mat less lumpy. If you intend to move the mat around once the ice packs are inside, a word of warning, it is quite heavy!
We do have a question though. Why black? Within seconds it is covered in dog hair. It is a shame it doesn’t come in over colours. A minor point indeed.
Rufus really struggles with the heat in the hot summer months as he has a very thick coat. He was the only dog not perturbed by the noise of the ice packs and keen to lie on the mat . Once settled and comfortable he spent a good hour there without moving.
The fabric material of the mat itself is very soft and we were rather sceptical as to whether the cold would reach the dog through the quite thick fabric. it does we are pleased to say.
The cooling mat claims to stay cold for 4 to 6 hours. If you use this outside for your dog during a sunny day the maximum time it stays cool for is 2 hours. Indoors slightly longer. We did test this mat when the outdoor temperature was around 25 degree celsius – perhaps it will stay cool for longer in lesser temperatures?
The Details
Dimensions – 99 x 57 cm
Available in different sizes
Comes with 6 sheets of ice
Non toxic
Soft fabric cover
Lightweight and portable
Machine washable
Summary
The positives – The World Bio Cooling Mat is soft and comfortable once the ice has thawed slightly. Of course there is more work involved in preparing this for your dog but if it really only takes a few minutes, as long as you have the spare ice pack in the freezer already.
Inside little secret here – this is really nice for humans – yes it is – place your hot feet on it and they cool down very quickly and the material is lovely and soft!
The not so positives – The World Bio Cooling Mat is not practical to take out and about with you and it is heavy to move once the ice packs are inside. It is lumpy at first and the noise can scare some dogs.
Check Price on AmazonIokheira Dog Cooling Mat
Even on the hottest of days Indy will be up to mischief somewhere, most likely trying to find lizards behind a plant pot or imagining there is one hiding from her somewhere. Yes Indy has a vivid imagination bless her.
The Iokheira cooling mat has a fun design unlike the others the doggies tested which were plain in colour. Admittedly the dogs aren’t particularly fussy when it comes to pattern or colour, but of course there are dog parents who can be! Think rippling water in a swimming pool when it comes to the design. Oooh we feel cooler just with that thought.
The Iokheria mat doesn’t have the sturdiness that some of it’s competitor’s have and feels rather flimsy. Additionally it doesn’t have the indents making it harder to fold to put away. Not a huge problem at all if you don’t intend to take this out and about with you.
Mely in particular loved this cooling mat. Being far squishier than the others she loved the not so firm feel to it. That said when we placed our hands underneath it didn’t feel as cold as some of the other mats. Could this be that with the softer material, there isn’t enough pressure between the mat and Mely’s weight for it to work as well?
The Details
Large size – 90 x 50 cm
Available in other sizes.
Both sides can be used
Collapsible
Sponge clean
Summary
A very very soft cooling mat with a fun design, lightweight and well squishy.
Check Price on AmazonOverall Conclusion
Who knew testing and reviewing cooling mats could be quite so exhausting for us humans? We are of course thrilled to see our doggies with such big smiles on their faces and being able to give us such valuable feedback and an interesting insight into the world of cooling mats. Whether you are looking for a cooling mat you can take out and about with you – the Rosewood, one you will use very occasionally – Crufts or one that perhaps you can also benefit from – World Bio, there is no doubt that all of these cooling mats work and all have positive things to mention (some albeit more than others).
