How to Keep Dog Cool While Camping? 19 Best Tips 2024- 2025

Do you want to know How to keep dog cool while camping? Yes? Ok, good.

Summer is here. It’s time for a picnic, socializing, camping, and having fun. During this season, we usually go to hilly areas with family and friends for camping and spend a few days there. I have a cute dog named Snowy and take him along too. It’s always fun to be with him; he also enjoys summertime and vacations. He runs, plays with his ball on green pastures, and enjoys cuddling. When it becomes too hot, he wants a fan/ AC with us inside while going outside, especially for camping; I make sure that it doesn’t get too hot for him. It’s a bit difficult and sometimes tricky too. But I make special arrangements for him.

So here we go.

Mainly we have to consider the following aspects:

Type of Food.
Water Intake
Accessories.
Physical Activity.
The Temperature of Car/ Carrier etc.

Table of Contents

How to Keep Dog Cool While Camping? 19 Best Tips

Now I’ll jot down some handy tips, which you’ll surely love. I have tried them all, and they are pretty useful. My dog has never become down, had heat stroke, or fallen sick, just because I keep in mind these useful points.

1. Pack a Cooling Dog Bed

Cooling Dog Beds regulate a dog’s body temperature and thus combat excessive heat. Cooling Beds keep them comfortable and act as a preventive against heat-related issues. So, while packing, keep a cooling bed too.

While buying a cooling bed, consider its size, which should be big enough that a significant part of your dog’s body can come intact with it so that the rate at which your dog’s internal temperature decreases may increase.

Your dog will enjoy this luxury. Now let’s see my second tip.

2. Freeze their Water Bottle

Get a bottle, fill it with water, freeze it and take this bottle for your dog with you. The relief would be immediate when it will lay on it or you will place it under the dog’s chin. He will get refreshed.

Alternatives are cold packs (part of a medical kit), zip-lock packs filled with ice, or any frozen item.

A cold wrap filled with gel would also do the needful. Now I will share the third point.

3. Make a DIY Cooling Collar

Human studies show that cooling the neck area is helpful to reduce vasoconstriction of the carotid veins, which helps also to prevent heat stroke and decrease blood supply to the brain. Some dogs are usually keeping a small amount of hair around their necks; when a collar is put there, it comes directly in contact with the skin. So, if you make a cooling collar, it would bring instant relief. You can make a cooling collar yourself. Here are some examples.

Take a long fabric, put it in cold water, and put it around the dog’s neck like a collar.
Put an ice strip/ ice pack over a collar with a buckle. Now use it as a cooling collar for the dog.
Take a small towel, put some ice cubes on it and wrap the towel around these ice cubes. Now tuck this towel as an ice pack with your dog’s collar. It will become your DIY Cooling Collar.

Now move to the fourth point.

4. Must keep Dog-Friendly Sunscreen in your packaging

You can apply sunscreen to your dog. But only those sunscreens that are “safe for pets” or “for babies” should be used. This application will make your dog feel cool.

Let’s go to my fifth point.

5. Bring Favorite Toys of your dog

Dogs love to play. My dog plays with balls and likes to bring things back when we give catches, and someone misses. So, what’s your dog’s favorite toy? Whatever it is, take it along so that he can have a fun time with them. It will reduce his feeling of uneasiness caused by harsh and warm weather.

6. Ensure Plenty of Water for your dog in the camping

Your dog shouldn’t be thirsty. Keep enough water reserves with you so it can use the water whenever required. It will avoid dehydration. Dehydration can be very risky. So, keep a check.

7. Limit Their Exercise

While camping, avoid running, exercising, etc., unless and until necessary, and does not cause any harm. Physical activities can increase your dog’s body temperature. Perspiration through paws can cool down body temperature but can lead to dehydration.

8. Feed Them Smaller Meals

Give it small meals, like chilled carrots, mashed bananas, broth ice cubes, and frozen seasonal fruits. Such meals will keep your dog cool; it will also enjoy the flavor and temperature.

9. Avoid Hot Cars

While planning a picnic/camping trip in the summers, consider using an air-conditioned car. If you have one, it’s good; otherwise, arrange one. If you want, not just our dog, you too will be in trouble. Air conditioning will keep your dog cool and calm, so avoid the hot car.

10. Watch for Signs of Heatstroke

Suppose your dog has dry or sticky gums. In that case, abnormal gum color, elevated breathing rates, appearing lethargic or disoriented, have to bruise in gums and elevated breathing rates are heatstroke symptoms. Immediately take it to a cool area, make it feel cool by providing cool water to drink, pour cool water on its body and wrap it with wet towels.

11. Learn Beach Rules of Dog

Learn the dog beach rules. On most beaches, pets are not allowed to enter the beach. There are Dog-Friendly Beaches too, where they can enter the beach. But they have their own rules.

You should have:

Water Bottle
Extra Water
First Aid Kit
Waterproof collar
Dog cleanup Bags
Safety Equipment

12. Bring a Portable Fan

Portable and chargeable fans are very common now a day; keep one with yourself while travelling. If your dog feels hot, use the fan. A fan’s breeze can make the heat a bit tolerable. At least when the temperature is not too hot, a fan can bring much relief, though fans are not of much use when it is too hot; while camping its better to have your own portable fan.

13. Make a DIY Dog Pool

Make a DIY Dog Pool. Just take a big container, put it under shade, and fill it with water. Your dog would love it and will have lots of fun. Its body will also stay relaxed. That should help you out. Let’s consider our next tip.

14. Keep a Cooling Vest for your dog

The cooling Vest is a handy accessory. It can keep your dog cool for 1.5 to 4 hours. There are three types of cooling vests:

Evaporation-based: Work based on the size of the evaporation surface.
Reflective Vests: They help by reflecting the Sunlight
Frozen Vests/ Vests with Ice Sheet: Good if your dog doesn’t have any joint Issue

Select a vest, which suits your dog the best. Let’s see the next point.

15. Set up a Shade Tent

While camping, make a good quality Shade/Tent for your dog. The more comfortable and cooler the space under the shade, the cooler and happier your dog be.

Now let’s see the next point.

16. A Cooling Mat Keeps Cool for 3 Hours

A Cooling Mat is a very good accessory. It can keep cool for 3 hours at a stretch and can help to prevent heatstroke and overheating. Do keep one for your dog in the car. Let’s move to the next point.

17. Make your Own Dog Shade

You can make a Shade for your dog yourself. It would be fun. You know your dog well and how to accommodate it well. You also know its likes and dislikes. So, design the shape, size, exterior, and interior accordingly. The shade should have a surface that can provide an excellent interior to keep your dog cool. Now the 18th point.

18. Pack a Doggy Sprinkle Bag

Keep a Doggy Sprinkle Bag in your luggage; it’s a must to keep the environment clean while camping. Let’s move to my next point.

19. Bring Also Some Frozen Treats

You should have frozen edibles in your bag pack. It is good for you, your mates and your pets. Dogs enjoy frozen food in summer, it also keeps their body cool.

Final Thoughts: How to Keep Dog Cool While Camping

Keeping a dog cool while camping isn’t that difficult. With a few small measures, tips, and tricks, your dog is cool and happy. A healthy dog likes summers, plays with toys, runs around, swims, and moves around to have fun. These activities can make the body overheated, which can cause heat stroke, or the dog can experience dehydration. So, to keep your dog cool, follow my tips above, and things will be good.

Frequently Asked Questions: How to Keep Dog Cool While Camping

These are a few FAQs that will surely help you while trying to keep your Dog cool while camping.

1. Can a Dog overheat in a Tent?

Answer: Dogs are furry creatures, whether big, medium or small in size. They tend to overheat easily. So, whenever you take your dog out camping, first check if it is healthy or not.

If healthy, then do keep such a tent in your luggage which can accommodate you, your mate/s, and the pet as well, otherwise arrange a separate tent for the dog. If you’ll take care of its water intake, your car for traveling would be air-conditioned, shall use cool Collar/Ice pack/ Cold Wrap, give it some fun activities and will not make it run for long, then usage of the tent will be a plus, and your dog would stay cool.

2. How do you keep the dog cool when it is Hot Outside?

Answer: I keep my dog cool in the summers by taking care of its diet in the first place. I give it small meals, which helps in maintaining body temperature to a normal level. Increase drinking water supply. If it feels hot, arrange Cool Collars/ Ice Packs / Cold Wraps.

Avoid games that involve running or jumping for a longer period of time. If I take it out, I keep my car’s AC on, and while camping, I keep a portable fan and a small swimming pool in my luggage. It enjoys swimming a lot.

3. What is the suitable place of my dog for sleeping while camping?

Answer: A dog can either sleep outside our tent on a blanket, inside our tent or in its own tent. All are good options. It can be decided based on size, health, outside temperature, nature of your dog and camping area.

4. How can I keep my Dog Cool in a Backpack?

Answer: Backpacks for dogs come in different sizes. You can use smaller one for routine use and bigger ones for picnics and camping. To select the right size of backpack, you can seek the pack seller’s help. To keep your dog cool, put ice packs or frozen items in its backpack. You can also put Ziplock bags with ice in it.