Summers are getting hotter every year, and our dogs can have a hard time regulating their body temperatures. This is more of a struggle for dogs who stay in their kennels or dog houses.
Prolonged exposure to heat can pose severe health risks for our pups. What should you do to avoid this?
Do dog houses keep dogs cool? How can you allow proper airflow in a doghouse?
We talk about how to keep your dog’s house cool during hot summer days!
Do Dog Houses Keep Dogs Cool?
Yes, a dog house can help to keep your dog cool in hot weather.
It provides them with shelter from the heat of the sun, which is important especially during the hottest part of the day.
What helps keep your dog’s house cool or warm is their own body heat. The less insulated it is, the cooler it will stay.
Their body heat naturally warms up the house, and a well insulated and enclosed space will trap this heat.
So, during summer you stop the heat building up inside by widening the space, changing the flooring, and making the dog house more open.
How to Keep a Dog House Cool
Because your dog’s body heat naturally warms up the dog house, there are a few things you can do to keep them cool during the summer.
Allow Ventilation
For airflow to be adequate in the dog house, pick a vinyl dog house that has a closeable vent on top or venting holes around the roof edges.
Giantex has a plastic dog house that allows ventilation through its roof, making it more airy and fresh. It also features thermal balancing properties that keep dogs cool in summer and warm in winter.
You can also try making vent holes in a wooden dog house using an ice pick or awl and hammer. Simply poke a quarter- to a half-dollar-size holes around the roof edge.
Also place some sturdy blocks under the dog house to raise it off the ground to create airflow underneath for even more ventilation.
Get Some Shade
If your dog’s house is located outdoors, the best spot would be in an area shaded by trees. It will remain cooler as it is less exposed to the sun.
Note that concrete retains heat, while soil releases heat to the atmosphere. It would also be ideal to place the dog house in a grassy area, off the ground to allow the air to circulate.
A garage or carport is also a good place to protect your dog from direct sunlight.
Try using shade cloths to screen out a good percentage of UV rays and sunlight. They are better than tarpaulin because they maintain air circulation and have built in UV protection.
The Artpuch Shade Sails are available in a variety of sizes and colors and made with a high density polyethylene fabric that blocks ultraviolet rays.
It works by blocking sunlight exposure without trapping hot air beneath or blocking the cool breeze and light.
The shade cloth is usually used for a patio, lawn, garden, pool, ponds, courtyard, backyard, etc. It is big enough to offer shade not only to your dog but to the rest of the family in the yard!
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The Right Location
Choose a location that is parallel to wind direction. The cool breeze helps with cooling down your pooch’s house, while stagnant air can suffocate them.
Insulation will help to maintain the coolness of the dog house in hot seasons and warms the house in autumn and winter.
Leave a Bottle of Frozen Water in the Dog House
Always prepare a bottle of frozen water when the hot days are coming. Then, place it in the house to keep your dog cooler in the kennel. They will most likely sleep against this bottle and use it as a pillow to cool themselves.
When doing this, only fill the bottle up to 60% since it will expand as it turns to ice. Filling it this much should make sure you get a decently filled frozen bottle to cool down your dog.
Get a Cooling Bed or Pad
Buy a bed with a zipped area to put ice inside, one that has ice blocks to freeze and put inside the bed, or an entire pad that you can exchange throughout the day with another cooled one.
We recommend Chillz Cooling Mat for Dogs. Available in three sizes, this cooling mat does all the work with pressure activated gel technology that absorbs body heat and delivers relief for pets from the heat.
It is also lightweight, portable, and requires no electricity. You do not need to freeze or chill this non-toxic gel mat.
Sprinkle Water
Sprinkle water during the hottest time of the day over the roof and around the house.
A garden water sprinkler is enough to help cool down a dog house while the sun is on it. Assuming you have plenty of water to spare, of course.
Place Damp Towels in the Kennel
It’s easy to conduct heat when your kennels are on concrete floors. It has a high thermal mass, meaning your dog house can get hot very quickly.
If you cannot move your dog house to another location, then try placing a damp towel down inside to help cool it down during the day. And remember to replace it regularly.
Elevate the Dog House
Another simple way to keep your dog cool inside their dog house is to raise the house off the ground by at least 12 inches to allow air circulation beneath it.
This also helps stop the heat in the ground from rising up inside the house.
Bring Your Dog Indoors
If you really cannot keep the dog house cool, bring your dog inside your house to keep them safe from the heat.
Temperatures in summer are reaching record levels, so constantly check on your dog for their well-being!
Keep it Cool with Your Pooch!
While your dog’s body heat is the main contribution to the heat in their dog house, there are necessary steps you can take to keep them extra cool in their kennel.
Sprinkling water, taking advantage of the shade and wind direction, and elevating and ventilating the dog house are just a few of them.
Your pooch can die in the heat, so make sure to get the right dog house to keep your dog cool. Like the Giantex, so your pup can stay cool and comfy during the summer.
Or better yet, let them stay indoors with you!
