As den animals, dogs love dog houses. They are typically small but large enough for the dog to move inside at least a bit. A dog house protects them from the weather while also giving them a spot to feel secure and comfortable. Because these are typically left outside, they can get rather hot in the summer months. 

Heatstroke can kill dogs very fast, so it is crucial to ensure that your dog is comfortable wherever it is and kept cool. Stories of dogs dying after being locked in hot cars are far too common. However, a dog doesn’t need to be trapped in a car before the heat can reach dangerous levels. 

So your dog’s house shouldn’t get too hot. This article will let you learn some of the dog house cooling ideas that you can apply to keep your dog’s space cool and breezy.

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How to keep a dog cool inside the house?

There are a few relatively simple things you can apply to keep your dog’s house as cool as it can be. Your furry pal will definitely thank you if you manage to make its space as comfortable as possible. These methods include the following:

1. Shade the dog house. This is the easiest and most cost-effective way to attempt to keep the temperature in your dog’s house down. The more sunlight that beats directly on the dog house, the hotter it will be. It is essential to try and move the dog house under a tree or any form of available shade. If there is no prebuilt or natural shade that you can utilize, you can rig up a small awning and place the dog house under it. Shade cloth is the best choice, as, unlike a tarp, it can allow for wind to pass through it while it takes some of the sun’s weight off. It is best to use shade cloth with a shade percentage of at least 70%.
2. Use insulation to keep the heat out. Insulation is a layer of the specific material placed under the floor, between the walls, and in homes’ ceilings. It’s used to reduce the amount of heat loss and gain that passes through these places. This helps to keep heat in during the winter and keep it out during the summer. This same material can be applied to the inside of your dog’s dog house. Simply cover it with plywood after lining the inside. This cooled dog house has extra benefit as the insulation will also show itself in the winter.
3. Use a frozen bottle of water. This is one of the easiest ways to provide an active cooling dog house for your pet in its dog house, and likely the cheapest way too. If you know that temperatures are dangerous for your pup, take a frozen water bottle and place it in its dog house or kennel. As it sits there, it will emanate cold until it is entirely melted.

What are the dog houses that stay cool?

To find a dog house that can stay cool under the sweltering heat of summer, you’ll need to look for dog houses that have specific features or criteria. These include the following:

1. Insulated on the inside. If you are looking to purchase a dog house or don’t mind building one yourself, it is essential to ensure that it is well-insulated on the inside. This ensures that the heat stays out and has a hard time transmitting through the walls. Combined with keeping the dog house in the shade, this should prove twice as effective.
2. An elevated base. A dog house can have air circulating around all its surface except the base considering it is on the floor. An elevated base allows air to pass beneath it. This can help with heat dissipation from all surfaces, leaving it to be a cool dog kennel.
3. Has at least one vent. Every dog house has a door. However, to allow for a really heat hiding spot. Ideally, a dog house has some sort of exit for hot air that might gather within it. The more there are, the better the heat can escape. This is somewhat effective when the vents are on the roof, seeing as hot air will rise out of it, leaving your dog house cooler.
4. The best materials. Different materials conduct heat in different manners. When aiming for a summer dog house that will remain cool for longer, you want it to be built of a material that does not conduct heat well. For instance, a dog house built of metal is the worst idea. It will get very hot to the touch under direct sunlight and uncomfortably cold in the winter. Plastic is a common choice, but it can get hot easily under the sun and be subject to discoloration and breakdown. The optimal material to use for a summer dog house if cooling is a major concern is wood. It does not conduct heat well yet is durable.

Best 5 dog house cooling ideas

There are some great ways to achieve dog house cooling. Many of these achieve this by using active cooling, which refers to things that will actively cool down your dog or drive the heat out, such as outdoor fans for dog kennels. Using any of these methods, you will be able to ensure that your dog’s house is kept comfortable.

1. Fans. Just like standing or ceiling fans in many homes, a fan will circulate and blow air towards your dog in its dog house, which sends cool air towards your dog to keep it comfortable. A dog house with a fan can use either a standing or a ceiling fan. Many of them are built to have low power consumption, which allows them to be used for extended periods.
2. Air conditioning. This might sound extreme, but if you’ve ever compared the cooling provided by a fan to that of an air conditioning unit, it is clear that there is a difference in their effectiveness. These AC units are much smaller than those used for homes, seeing as the cool space is much smaller. They are connected to the house with a hose, so the unit can be placed a distance away while it sends in the cold air to keep the dog house cooler. Some of these units can even double as a heater for winter!
3. Cooling beds. Cooling beds are a cheap way to keep your dog’s house cool without electricity. These beds are made of gel or liquid, which stay cool even in hot environments. When your dog lies on one of those, it pulls heat away from the surface of its body. 
4. Exhaust fans. These take a different approach towards achieving a cooled dog house. Exhaust does not directly cool the room or space attached to it but instead actively removes the hot air. These will suck air from inside the dog house and push it outside to allow for dog house cooling. This will result in cooler air coming to fill the space where the hot air previously was.
5. Misting system. A misting system works somewhat like a sprinkler, except the water droplets it releases are much smaller, similar to a mist. These evaporate quicker, so it won’t leave puddles of water in the space yet will still allow for a cool dog kennel. Many of these systems need pumps to achieve a perfect mist. However, there are low-pressure variants available that do not require pumps. However, they are not as effective and may result in minor puddles forming.

Best dog house for summer of all

A dog house that is absolutely perfect for summer will combine most of the factors listed above to keep it cool. For instance, a dog house made of wood, has ventilation, is raised off the ground, is insulated, and is spacious enough to allow for air to move within it, is likely to be perfect for the summer. For instance, a dog house like this one from Rockever ticks all those boxes. This allows for a cool dog kennel that will please your dog in the hotter months, no matter what. It comes in three sizes, which lets you choose whichever will provide enough space for proper ventilation. And by pairing this with an active cooling method like a fan, you can ensure that your dog is always comfortable and safe.

Credits: thanks for the cover photo to Canva.

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