A heatwave reveals which floors your dog has been ignoring all year.
Small dogs feel it first. They're closer to the pavement, they have less body mass to shed heat through, and the tile by the bathroom door is no longer cold enough. By the time the afternoon hits 32°C, the routine you've had since spring stops working — and a tired, panting small dog on a kitchen floor isn't really resting.
Here's how to get a small dog through a heatwave — where they should rest, what to feed, how to play — and the safety calls that actually matter when the temperature climbs.
1. Where they rest
The first job in a heatwave is giving your dog somewhere genuinely cooler than the room itself. Tile is good for an hour. After that, it's just floor.
For a dedicated cooling spot, we carry the Green Pet Shop Cool Pet Pad. It uses pressure-activated gel — your dog's body weight is what turns it on — and it stays cool to the touch for around three hours of use, then recharges in 15–20 minutes off the mat. No freezer step, no water to fill, no plug. It ships with a machine-washable cover that takes the wear of scratching and burrowing without affecting the cooling.
The condition is shade. The Cool Pet Pad is built for indoor use or temperature-controlled spaces — a crate, a tile floor that needs help, an air-conditioned corner. In direct sun the gel warms up and stops cooling. Put it where you'd want to sit.
Sizing on the Pet Pad is by sleeping style as much as weight. S (40 × 50 cm) suits dogs 2–6 kg who curl up. M (50 × 76 cm) suits dogs 6–12 kg who shift position through the day. The pads run compact — a larger small dog often still settles in S.
2. What they eat
A small dog's appetite drops in heat. Kibble feels heavy; warm wet food smells off; the dinner that disappeared in March suddenly sits in the bowl. The fix isn't a different food — it's a different temperature.
This is where lick mats earn their place. A frozen lick mat does two jobs at once: it gives your dog something cooling, and it slows the eating down to a session that calms rather than excites. For a heatwave, the simplest fillings are also the best:
- Plain Greek yoghurt — naturally cooling, gentle on the stomach, no added sweetener. Freeze for 2–3 hours.
- Wet food, frozen. If your dog eats wet food anyway, spread a portion on the lick mat and freeze it. Same calories as their normal meal, completely different experience.
- Watermelon (seedless), mashed banana, or pumpkin purée — small amounts, frozen flat. For a fuller picture of which fruits suit small dogs (and which don't), see our guide to safe fruits and vegetables for small dogs.
The mat itself matters less than the routine. A small dog with a frozen lick mat at 3pm — the worst heat of the day — is a small dog who isn't panting on a tile floor for twenty minutes. Explore our lick mat collection, selected for small dogs.
3. How they play
Heat doesn't mean no play — it means different play. Walks shorten or move to dawn and dusk (more on that below); active games move indoors and get a temperature shift built in.
For supervised cooling play, we carry the Ferribiella ice cream cooling toys: ice cream cone, chocolate ice pop, strawberry ice pop, and coppetta cup. Fill the toy under running water and freeze for 2–3 hours with the holes facing upward so the water doesn't drain out before it sets. Once frozen, it becomes a chewable, lickable cold session — closer to play than a meal, exactly what a small dog needs when it's too hot to chase a ball.
One honest note: these are supervised toys. They're designed for cooling play and gentle chewing, not for a determined chewer left alone with one. Check for damage before each use; if the rubber is cracking, retire it.
The safety calls that actually matter
A cooling mat and a frozen lick mat won't save a dog that's been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The behavioural calls matter more than any product:
Shade and water, always
If your dog has access to a garden, terrace or balcony in summer, check that shade actually covers the whole afternoon — shade at noon isn't shade at 4pm. Multiple water bowls, refilled cold, in more than one room. Some dogs drink more readily from several smaller bowls placed around the house than from a single large bowl in one location. A dog that has to walk across hot tile to get to water often won't bother.
Walk before 9 and after 8
On a heatwave day, the only acceptable walk hours are early morning and late evening. Mid-morning to early evening is for short bathroom breaks, in shade, on grass where possible.
Use the seven-second pavement test before any walk: hold the back of your hand flat against the pavement for seven seconds. If you can't hold it there comfortably, your dog can't walk on it. Small dogs are close enough to the ground that radiant heat hits them harder than it hits you.
If your walks involve any time in direct sun, exposed paler-coated dogs and the bare skin every dog has (nose, ear tips, belly) can burn. See our guide to whether dogs need sunscreen for which dogs need it and what to use.
Flat-faced breeds need more care
French Bulldogs, Pugs, Boston Terriers and other brachycephalic breeds already work harder to breathe in normal weather. In a heatwave, that effort compounds — they overheat faster, recover slower, and are at genuinely higher risk of heatstroke than other small breeds. For these dogs: more frequent water, no walks above 22–23°C, and a careful eye on breathing through the hottest part of the day.
What not to do
Three mistakes worth naming directly, because they're the things that actually hurt dogs in heatwaves:
- Don't dunk a hot dog in cold water. Sudden cold on an overheated body causes blood vessels to constrict, which traps heat in. Cool with room-temperature water on the paws, belly, and ears — not the back — and let evaporation do the work.
- Don't shave a double-coated dog. A double coat is insulation in both directions — it traps cool air against the skin as much as warmth. Brushing out the undercoat helps; shaving removes the protection.
- Don't leave a dog in a parked car. The interior of a parked car in 25°C ambient temperature can reach 40°C within ten minutes, even with the windows cracked. There is no acceptable version of this.
Signs to act on
A panting dog isn't necessarily in trouble — panting is how dogs cool down. But heavy panting that doesn't slow with rest and water, drooling more than usual, unsteady legs, vivid red gums, or vomiting are signs of heat stress that need cooling and a vet call. Move the dog to shade, offer water, cool the paws and belly with a damp cloth, and phone your vet for advice.
Heatwave survival: your questions answered
How hot is too hot to walk a small dog?
As a general rule, avoid walks during the hottest part of the day. Many owners switch to early-morning and late-evening walks once temperatures climb above 25°C — and brachycephalic breeds need that shift earlier, often around 22–23°C. The seven-second pavement test is the simpler check: if the pavement is too hot for the back of your hand for seven seconds, it's too hot for your dog's paws.
Can small dogs get heatstroke?
Yes. Small dogs can overheat quickly, especially brachycephalic breeds such as French Bulldogs and Pugs. Heavy continuous panting, drooling, unsteady legs, vivid red gums, or vomiting are signs to act on immediately — shade, water, cool the paws and belly, and phone your vet.
Are cooling mats safe for dogs?
Yes, when sized to your dog and placed in shaded or temperature-controlled spaces. Pressure-activated gel mats like the Green Pet Shop Cool Pet Pad cool on contact and don't need refrigeration or water. They aren't built for direct sun — the gel warms up and stops cooling — so position them indoors or in proper shade.
Should dogs drink cold water during a heatwave?
Cool water is fine. Extremely cold water isn't necessary — and a dog gulping ice-cold water after exercise can occasionally cause stomach discomfort. The priority is regular access to fresh water throughout the day, refilled to keep it cool rather than chilled.
How do I freeze a lick mat without making a mess?
Spread the filling thinly so it freezes evenly, place the mat on a flat surface in the freezer (not at an angle), and freeze for 2–3 hours. Yoghurt and wet food work best because they hold their shape; runnier fillings need a tray underneath until they're set.
The bottom line
A heatwave is the season your routine has to change for. Where your dog rests, what they eat, how they play — all of it shifts when the temperature climbs. The three products we've built into this guide are the ones that make the shift easier: a cooling pad where they settle, a frozen lick mat where they refuse the bowl, a cooling toy where they'd otherwise be bored on a hot afternoon.
The rest is shade, water, walk timing, and not making the three mistakes above. That part is free.
Explore our summer collection — selected for small dogs navigating long, hot afternoons.
