A lot of cooling mats will have a limited amount of time in which they can stay cool and refreshing before they will need to be ‘recharged’. This can range drastically from around 30 minutes all the way up to an impressive 5 hours. Naturally then, you want something that is probably at least 2.5 hours or more to be considered good quality. Recharge time The feel to the cooling mat’s material is soft and strong. By placing our hand under both Banjo and Rufus’s bodies (or paws) we could feel the cold seeping through the material. Rufus keeps his paws cool on the Petic Cooling Mat The Details It’s no surprise then, that when it came to making a truly exciting cooling mat, All For Paws really pushed the boat out to make sure they are one of the best on offer. Even on the hottest of days Indy will be up to mischief somewhere, most likely trying to find lizards behind a plant pot or imagining there is one hiding from her somewhere. Yes Indy has a vivid imagination bless her. Their mats boast incredible multi-functionality, and are suitable as both a standalone mattress or a dog bed topper, or perhaps even just a handy travel blanket for picnics!

The Iokheira cooling mat has a fun design unlike the others the doggies tested which were plain in colour. Admittedly the dogs aren’t particularly fussy when it comes to pattern or colour, but of course there are dog parents who can be! Think rippling water in a swimming pool when it comes to the design. Oooh we feel cooler just with that thought. Indy relaxes on the Iokheira Dog Cooling Mat Naturally, purchasing a tiny morsel of blanket for your great dane isn’t going to keep them very cool, and is going to be even less comfortable to lie on. Ensure that you choose the correct size from small, medium or large options depending on your breed but then take care to look further at the dimensions of a product. Every manufacturer will be slightly different as to what measurements equate which size e.g. a large pad from one company may be another company’s medium size! Pressure activation We decided to test these cooling mats on our own adopted rescue dogs – they are so so understanding and good at us spending so much time looking after all the doggies at the shelter that we thought why not include them in the testing and reviewing process? Utilising a sports jersey-style material, this springy and bouncy mattress is both relaxing for your pup to lie down on and amazingly uses just fresh air to soothe your dog, making it the most natural cooling product available!And with a humongous 102 cm large mat available, you might even be able to fittingly squeeze a Great Dane onto one of their chilly blankets! So for canine owners who’ve never liked the sound of a potentially dodgy liquid oozing out of their dog’s new blanket when it gets damaged, this one’s probably for you! As you can see from the photos we tested the mat inside and outside, it is very easy and light to move from one place to another. Rufus opted to chill his paws in the shade, under a tree in the garden. For some reason the lower half of his body must not have been hot?! We are definitely not doubting his intelligence here, absolutely not!

Ah Denmark… a nation of innovators and architects, schemers and dreamers, famous for bringing us Lego, Lurpak and er… well… those things.

Featured Ranges

You know those board games that are designed to fold away really easily but end up taking you ages to work out what should be folded first? Some of the mats we felt were a bit like that. Not this one though. It is really sturdy and by far the easiest to fold away in seconds making it perfect for those who want to take the cooling mat away with them, in the car or even just moving it from the garden to inside. It’s breathable material allows it to ventilate your pooch through the constant cool breeze passing through it, making it a refreshing chill out spot which is 100% safe. Whilst Banjo refused to lie on the cooing mat opting for the grass instead, Indy took time out of her busy day of exploring the garden to help test the Crufts Cooling mat. We are not entirely sure what her face means but she looks blissfully content…. we think! If you’re going for a gel-based pad, it’s absolutely critical that the manufacturer states somewhere in it’s description that the gel is non-toxic. Some mats don’t use non-toxic gels which means if there is any damage to the mat and it begins to leak, your dog could become ill or worse if they ingest the unsafe contents. Durability

The mat does what it is suppose to do – it cooled Indy down from all her exhausting adventures but it is flimsy and doesn’t offer the support that several of it’s competitors do. It is much thinner and the material doesn’t feel as soft either. Indy (on the left) tests the Crufts cooling mat The DetailsMely in particular loved this cooling mat. Being far squishier than the others she loved the not so firm feel to it. That said when we placed our hands underneath it didn’t feel as cold as some of the other mats. Could this be that with the softer material, there isn’t enough pressure between the mat and Mely’s weight for it to work as well? Not sure what to make of Mely’s face haha The Details

Beloved for their range of different doggy cooling products, All For Paws are well known for their Chill Out Canine Bandana which has helped canines stay cool in temperature and get even cooler in style over the last few years. Cooing mats are designed to keep dogs (or other pets) cool on hot days but how do they work and most importantly do they actually work? If using a gel based pad, you obviously don’t want any leaks or damage to the mat, as then it won’t work anymore. However dog’s haven’t quite caught onto this and are more than happy to bite, scratch and tear at their new cooling pad oblivious to the fact they are destroying their saviour from discomfort. A durable material with pressurised edges is therefore a must. Freezer CompatibilityBut is there about to be a third great invention to complete this would-be triumphant triumvirate?! The mat material feels lovely and soft which Indy absolutely loved and settled on for 2 solid hours – very rare for her to stay still for this long, other than at night time. Sshhh Indy is taking the testing very seriously! Haha The Details The Iokheria mat doesn’t have the sturdiness that some of it’s competitor’s have and feels rather flimsy. Additionally it doesn’t have the indents making it harder to fold to put away. Not a huge problem at all if you don’t intend to take this out and about with you. The Petic cooling mat is a self cooling mat so as soon as pressure is applied from a dog lying on it, the gel extracts heat from their body. Banjo finally, after turning his nose up at all the other cooling mats, settled on this one. He didn’t move for 2 solid hours – it definitely passed the ‘is it comfortable?’ test. Banjo falls fast asleep on the Petic cooling mat Danish Designs certainly hope so, and have brought us the Danish take on the doggy cooling mat, complete with three different sizes to cater for every kind of breed.