If you’ve ever seen your pup stretched out on a warm summer day, tongue out and breathing a little faster, then you’ve already seen their natural cooling system at work. Unlike us, dogs don’t rely on sweating to stay cool. Instead, they use a combination of biological and behavioural tricks to regulate their body temperature.
Understanding how dogs control their body temperature is essential for keeping your fur baby safe, comfortable, and happy, especially during those warmer months.
1. Panting: Your Dog’s Natural Cooling System
Dogs have very few sweat glands (most of these are located in their paw pads). While these do release a small amount of moisture, it’s not nearly enough to cool their whole body.
Panting is your dog’s number one way of cooling down. This process helps release heat from the body, basically working like a built-in air conditioner.
You’ll usually notice panting:
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After exercise
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On warm days
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When your dog is trying to cool off
It’s completely normal, and it plays an important role.
2. Cooling from the Inside Out
Dogs also cool themselves internally through a process called vasodilation. This is when blood vessels expand and move closer to the skin’s surface, allowing heat to escape before it travels back through the body, helping keep their temperature balanced. Giving your dog a cool, breathable place to rest, like a cooling dog bed, can support this process by helping draw heat away more efficiently.
3. Paw Pads & Minimal Sweating
While it’s not their main way of cooling down, dogs can release a small amount of sweat through their paw pads. You might notice light, damp paw prints on warmer days, that’s just your dog letting out a bit of heat, even if it’s only a small part of how they stay cool.
4. Behavioural Cooling: Instincts That Help
Dogs are naturally intuitive when it comes to staying cool. On those hotter days, you might notice your pup:
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Lying on cool tiles, a cool dog bed or shaded areas
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Stretching out to release body heat
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Drinking more water
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Seeking airflow or breezy spots
These behaviours support their internal cooling systems and help prevent overheating.
Supporting Your Dog’s Cooling System
Besides their own biological ways of staying cool, their environment also plays a huge role. Having a cooling space, made with the right materials, can really help regulate body temperature.
Cooling products made from ice silk, or other fabrics specially designed to work with your dog’s natural cooling process can help your dog cool down faster.
Here’s how cooling dog beds and mats can help:
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Absorbs body heat: Ice silk fibres are hollow with a large surface area, allowing them to draw in and absorb your dog’s body heat.
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Activated by your dog’s weight: As your dog lies down, the material responds almost instantly
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Moisture-activated cooling: When moisture hits the fibers, it quickly evaporates and draws heat away from the body, which results in a cooling effect that can lower and regulate your dog's body temperature
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Breathable & airflow-friendly: Ice silk promotes air circulation, helping to dissipate excess heat and prevent overheating.
Simply, it enhances your dog’s natural ability to stay cool, which makes it easier for them to relax. Because dogs rely so heavily on panting rather than sweating, they can overheat much faster than us humans.
That’s why some extra support, especially during hot weather, can make all the difference.
Help your fur baby keep cool, comfortable, and relaxed this summer with our Cooling Collection.
Stay cool,
Tania from Team Pelsbarn
