THE weather is warming up and with summer round the corner, now’s the time to be thinking of keeping your pets cool with clothing, toys and beds.
It’s worth investing in one of the best dog cooling mats you can buy in advance, because by the time the annual heatwave kicks in, you’ll be lucky to get your hands on one.
They’re always in high demand and sell out quickly as we look for ways to keep our beloved chilled and happy through June, July and August.
Unlike some other , can only sweat through their paws and they pant to keep cool, however for those with thick fur or on hot days this is more difficult.
And that’s where dog cooling mats come in.
The mats come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so there's going to be something suitable for all breeds – small, medium and large.
You can choose from mats, gel pads, beds and pet tents.
Some are covered in fabric chosen for its cooling properties, others contain a liquid gel that's activated when the dog sits or lies down on it.
Mesh beds that are lifted off the ground on metal legs are another popular option, as they allow air to circulate all round your dog.
Sunstroke is a real worry for pet parents in summer, as its effects can be fatal so anything that helps keep your pooch as cool as a cucumber is worth considering.
I tested these dog cooling mats, beds and pop-up shelter with the help of my gorgeous hounds Dilly and Mabel.
Read on for Dilly and Mabel's favourites, and their reviews of the best dog cooling mats for summer 2025.
How I tested
I delegated the testing of these dog cooling mats to Mabel and Dilly, while I supervised and made notes.
I considered how they reacted to the beds, how long they spent lying or sitting on them and how much they seemed to like them (or not) over the course of several weeks.
Important points for me included the price, the feel, how easy the items were to put together if they needed assembling and how robust they were.
I also took the weight of the mats into account, especially for transporting with you if you're off out for the day. Some of the gel mats especially were on the heavy side.
Best dog cooling beds at a glance:
- Best overall: Pets at Home Sunny Daze Pop-Up Dog Shelter
- Best budget: Wilko Clever Paws Watermelon Fruit Pet Cooling Mat
- Best mid-range: PawHut Elevated Pet Bed With Slope Headrest
- Best premium: Scruffs Pet Cool Bed
- Best for travelling: Rosewood Water Resistant & Cooling Travel Mattress
Scruffs Pet Cool Bed
Scruffs Cool Bed, from £49.99 at Scruffs
Pros: Proper bed, padded sides for head resting, removable and washable cover
Cons: Sizing comes up small
Rating: 4.5/5
While you could use this bed outside, it’s much better suited to life indoors.
It has the padded sides my dogs love and a foam base, which though thinner than a regular dog bed, still makes it more comfy than some of the other cooling mats and beds tested.
The top of the bed is covered with mesh, which improves airflow, while inside there’s a self-cooling mat that keeps the bed 5 – 10°C cooler than the room it’s in.
Mabel loves this bed. It’s a little small for Dilly but he squeezes himself into it anyway.
Material: 100% polyester cover, base cover and mesh with 100% recycled polyester sides; Sizes: M, L and XL
PawHut Elevated Pet Bed With Slope Headrest
PawHut Elevated Pet Bed With Slope Headrest, £23.99 from Aosom
Pros: Strong mesh cover, air can circulate freely under, around and through the bed, integral headrest, can be used indoors and outdoors
Cons: None
Rating: 4.5/5
My dogs love having somewhere to lay their heads so I thought the sloped headrest on this bed was a great idea, but they haven’t put their heads on it yet (as far as I’ve seen, at least).
Because the bed is raised off the ground, air circulates underneath and the mesh cover allows air to pass through the holes, cooling your dog sleeping on top of it.
There’s no gel in this bed so you don’t have to worry about keeping an eye on them while they use it, and it’s not high, so they won’t hurt themselves if they fall off.
Material: Steel and mesh, Sizes: Large
Rosewood Water Resistant & Cooling Travel Mattress
Rosewood Water Resistant & Cooling Travel Mattress, £16.04 from Amazon
Pros: Light and easy to carry around, water-resistant, great for travelling in the car
Cons: Can blow around in the wind
Rating: 4/5
This is ideal as a bed for travelling in the car as the cooling fabric on one side helps keep your dog comfortable, but you can’t use it outdoors for long if there’s any wind because it is so lightweight.
It would also be great for a caravan or camping holiday, and it would work for days out when it’s not too breezy (if you keep an eye on it) as it folds up and is easy to carry.
I tested it in the car and in the garden and Dilly appeared very comfy on it. I now keep this bed in the car so it’s always ready for use when we go out.
Material: Polyester, Sizes: 110 x 68cm
Rosewood Chillax Cool Pad
Rosewood Chillax Cool Pad, from £20 from Argos
Pros: Good size, folds down small, cools for up to four hours, soft feel
Cons: Doesn’t seem quite as cool as other mats tested
Rating: 4/5
This bed contains cooling gel that activates when your dog lies on it and the cooling effects last for up to four hours.
I received the large pad so it was great for Dilly as well as Mabel and they both seemed to enjoy lying in the sun on it. It didn’t seem as cool to the touch as some of the other mats but that didn’t bother them.
The gel is evenly distributed — it seems more solid than the gel in some other mats I tested — and the pad is divided into six sections so it’s easy to fold away.
It’s also not too heavy to carry so your dog could use it on holiday as well as at home.
Material: Nylon with non-toxic gel filling, Sizes: 50 x 40cm and 90 x 60cm
Sunny Daze Pop-Up Dog Shelter
Sunny Daze Pop-Up Dog Shelter, £15 from Pets at Home
Pros: UV protection, lightweight, easy to assemble, pegs to secure shelter to the ground, folds up for storage
Cons: If you don’t secure the shelter with pegs it will move around
Rating: 5/5
Just like the pop-up beach shelter I used at the seaside to protect my daughter when she was little, this mini-tent protects my dogs from the sun, providing UV50 protection.
It’s not big enough for two dogs to go in at once, but it’s very comfortable for one, especially with an extra cool mat inside.
There’s no assembly required — once you take it out of the storage bag it assembles itself — but I haven’t yet mastered how to get it back down and into the storage bag.
Metal pegs are provided so you can fasten the shelter into the ground and you will need them, as it’s so lightweight it moves even in a gentle breeze.
Material: Polyester; Sizes: Large
3 Peaks Breathable Raised Dog Bed
3 Peaks Breathable Raised Dog Bed, from £30 atPets at Home
Pros: Air can circulate underneath which aids cooling, strong mesh for breathability, non-slip, washable cover, eases pressure on joints
Cons: None
Rating: 4.5/5
This raised dog bed is a great idea as it allows air to circulate underneath and through the mesh cover.
It’s not high to climb onto, though it did confuse my dogs a little at first as they’re not used to climbing onto beds.
It’s great for the garden but you can also use it indoors, which will come in handy if you have an older dog as it supports them while easing pressure on their joints.
The cover is also machine washable, which is always handy when it comes to dogs.
Material: Breathable mesh; Sizes: M and L
Wilko Clever Paws Watermelon Fruit Pet Cooling Mat
Clever Paws Watermelon Fruit Pet Cooling Mat, £3.99 from Wilko
Pros: Price, cute design, cool to the touch
Cons: Gel can pool at edges
Rating:3.5/5
Mabel uses this bed more than Dilly does, which is hardly surprising given its size. He has been known to settle down on it too though.
The cute watermelon design is in keeping with the idea of freshness and summer – and the mat is certainly cool to the touch.
As with some of the other beds, the gel seems more liquid, so you have to spread it across the mat to distribute it evenly and make sure it’s not gathered at the edges.
It’s a great cooling bed for the price though.
Material: Unknown, Sizes: 59cm diameter
Which is the best dog cooling mat?
The best dog cooling mat will depend on several factors, not least of which is your dog’s preference. Dilly seemed to like the pop-up tent best, while Mabel preferred the Scruffs Cool Bed.
Gel-filled mats have to be best for quickest cooling and immediate relief.
The gel is activated as your dog lies down on it, absorbing their heat and instantly cooling where it touches their skin.
However these are flat and don’t offer a lot of support and comfort so may not be suitable say, for old dogs who need a bit of padding under their joints.
The raised bed however is good for this. If you position it in the shade then it will obviously stay cooler than it would in full sun, and it’s more comfortable for your dog to snooze on for long periods as they’re not in contact with the ground.
Should I put my dog’s cool mat in the fridge?
Generally speaking there’s no need to put your dog’s cool mat in the fridge as it is pressure activated.
The gel in most mats starts working when the dog lies down on it so doesn’t require a cold environment to function effectively.
Also, even small gel mats are not light and would be a pain to store in a fridge, which is usually full of food, not to mention the hygiene aspects you would have to consider.
Water-filled mats are perhaps more suitable for refrigerating, but you still have the hygiene and space issues to think about.
Some mats contain a layer of ice cubes which has to be refrozen after use so you would need a freezer to do this.
Always follow the user instructions supplied with the cooling mat or bed you buy.
How long do dog cooling mats stay cool?
The length of time your dog’s cooling mat stays cool depends on the individual product and how long your dog is lying or sitting on it.
From what I’ve read, you can expect your gel cooling mat to stay cool for 3 – 4 hours, however while testing we didn’t get to four hours at any one time.
I found the hotter the day, the quicker the bed felt warm to the touch, even in the shade.
Any bed Dilly snoozed on seemed to lose its cool faster than the beds Mabel lay on.
I don’t know if this is because Dilly is bigger and takes up the entire bed, while Mabel’s smaller size means there’s usually space around her when she lies down.
However, all of the dog cooling mats and beds we tested did their job of keeping my guys cool.
To be honest, neither of them lie still outside for that long anyway – there’s always too many exciting sniffs to sniff and birds to bark at.
What liquid is in a dog cooling mat?
Gel cooling mats are filled with a non-toxic gel that may contain cellulose and water, among other ingredients.
This gel moves around inside the mat, spreading across the entire mat when it’s flat so your dog has a larger cooling surface against their body.
When your pooch sits or lies down on the mat, the gel filling absorbs their body heat, which has the effect of cooling them down.
Eventually the mat will become warm, but dogs rarely stay still too long and the gel will reactivate when the dog leaves the mat, turning cold again in 15 minutes or so.
Some mats are filled with water, or contain a layer of ice, which will need refreezing once it melts.
Can you leave a dog alone with a cooling mat?
Dogs are very much like small children and if left alone with something will often get into mischief.
Like toddlers they also tend to put things in their mouth that they shouldn’t, so do not leave them alone with gel mats that they might – probably will in the case of my two – chew.
Although the gel is non-toxic, it should not be ingested and if your dog chews the edge of the mat, piercing the surface, then they may well swallow some of its contents.
There’s also the risk that they’ll eat part of the cover as well, which could cause a blockage in their gut.
With the beds that can be used in the house – such as the Scruffs Cooling Bed, the 3 Peaks Breathable Raised Dog Bed and the PawHut Elevated Pet Bed – then it’s not a problem with my guys.
They treat these as they do their usual beds and don’t chew them.
Also, they’re usually wherever I am so I can keep an eye on them.
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