DIY Dog Cooling Mat

ByDiana Hansen Posted on Updated on
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Cool off your 4-legged friend with this DIY Dog Cooling Mat.

Does your pet suffer in hot weather? If so, then make them one of these Cooling Mats to keep them cooled off.

Don’t sew? You can order a cooling mat from my Etsy Shop.

We thought it was a chilly spring a few weeks ago, and then summer temperatures showed up practically overnight. It sure seems like summers are getting more and more humid!

Our adorable Cocker Spaniel, Cooper, has been struggling with the heat and humidity. He will go outside and lay in the sun for a few minutes but starts to pant immediately. He returns inside and tries to find a cool play to lay down.

Keep your Dog Cool in the Heat

We like to camp and spend a lot of time outside in the summer, and of course, we always have Cooper with us. He loves to be with the family.

That means we need to help Cooper cool off in the heat. He does not seem to like ice water, so I made him a dog cooling mat to lay on. Since I cool myself off with lots of ice in the summer, I thought I would do the same for Cooper.

Specifically, I decided to use ice packs. I wanted to create a mat with pockets to tuck ice packs into. I decided to use fleece because it helps insulate the cold, it is soft, and the edges will not ravel when you cut them.

Check out my other DIY Pet Tutorials: Dog & Me Snuggle Blanket, No-Sew Dog Bed, Dog Bandana, Dog Crate Organizer, Instagram Dog Bed, and a Glow-in-the-Dark Leash.

DIY Dog Cooling Mat

Dog Cooling Mat Tutorial

The supplies you need to make your dog cool off mat include fleece fabric, a sewing machine, and ice packs. I use a printed fleece on top and a solid on the bottom for the pockets. You can cut down on expenses by purchasing a fleece throw. I have found several cute prints at Wally World, including dog designs and tie-dye.

This tutorial calls for just over a yard of fleece. If you want to make a mat with a printed top and solid bottom, you will need to get 3/4 of a yard of a print and 1/3 of a solid. You should have enough for one mat if you purchased a fleece throw instead.

Dog Cooling Mat Supplies

Directions for sewing this dog cool-off mat can be found at the bottom of this post.

Pet Cooling Pad

I am very pleased with how this dog cooling pad turned out. I love the fun print, and Cooper loves laying on it. This purple peace signs print can be found at Wally World.

Buff Cocker Spaniel laying on a purple mat on the grass

Isn’t he just the cutest? We love him so much!

How will you keep your pet cool this summer?

DIY Dog Cooling Mat Sewing Tutorial - Want to keep your dog cooled off this summer? Here is a DIY Dog Cooling Mat Tutorial that will keep your pooch cool while he's outside with the family. It's great pet bed for warm weather climates. It's easy to make and only requires basic sewing skills. Custom mats are for sale if you are unable to sew.
Cocker Spaniel on a Cooling Mat

DIY Dog Cooling Mat

Yield: 1 mat
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Active Time: 1 hour
Additional Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Difficulty: medium easy
Estimated Cost: $18

Keep your dog cool in warm weather with this Dog Cooling Mat.

Materials

  • fleece fabric – 3/4 + 1/3 yard to make a mat for a medium or small sized dog. Get 3/4 of a yard of printed fleece for the top and 1/3 of a yard of a solid for the pockets. If you want your mat to be the same print top and bottom, then you need 1 1/12 (1.083) total of the desired fleece. Please note that fleece comes 58-60", which means the mat will be approximately 28"-29" wide. If you want to make a bigger mat, you will need more fleece.
  • soft ice packs – I purchased ice packs that measure 5″ x 7″. I purchased 12.

Tools

  • scissors
  • sewing machine

Instructions

  1. Fold your top fleece in half with right sides together and stitch the edges together leaving a section of the edge open to turn the mat right sides out. This will form the top of the mat. My mat measured approximately 28″ x 27″.
  2. Turn the mat so the right sides are out.
  3. Top stitch the opening closed. You can top stitch the entire mat for a cleaner look.
  4. Lay the mat out flat and arrange the ice packs on top. Use this as a guide for cutting out strips to form the pockets.
  5. My pad has three rows of four pockets, so I cut out three 28″ x 12″ strips of the solid fleece.
  6. Fold over about two inches of the top edge of the top fleece strip and sew it down going along the outside edge, across the bottom, and along the opposite edge. The folded over part forms a lip at the top of the pockets to help hold the ice packs in place.
  7. Repeat this process with the middle pocket strip, making sure the top edge overlaps the top pocket about an inch. (I lay out all 3 pockets in the first place for placement before sewing them in place.)
  8. Repeat the process for the bottom pocket strip.
  9. Lay the pad out with the bottom side up and lay out a row of ice packs to see where they will be placed.
  10. Mark sewing lines between the ice packs. I use tailor's chalk to mark my lines.
  11. Sew along the marked lines going from the bottom of the mat to the top. This will help ensure that you sew down the folded under top edge.
  12. Get the frozen ice packs out of the freezer.
  13. Tuck the frozen ice packs into the pockets.
  14. Turn over the mat and put it down for your pooch to lay on.

Notes

Adjust the size of the mat by laying ice packs out on your fleece.

I've made mats with 8 ice packs for smaller dogs and packs with 20 packs for an extra large dog.

This fleece dog mat is machine washable and dryer safe.

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

© Diana Hansen
Project Type: sewing / Category: Pet DIY

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59 Comments

  2. Great idea, we live out in the desert, it gets super hot and our dogs suffer, specially the Brussels Griffon, thank you, I wish I could saw.

  7. This is an awesome idea for those hot days. My Pomeranians would love this. Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday. Hope to see you at the party next week!

  11. i made cooling mat using water and alcohol sealing together with food saver. alcohol makes water slushy, therefore much more cooling comfort. thank for idea.

  16. So totally in love with this DIY DOGGIE keep cool blanket! Both of my dogs would love it during those dogs days of Summer to keep cool!

  19. This is a great idea. I don’t have any dogs, but I do have two cats. They would probably love this too!

  20. Oh my goodness, this is so much easier than purchasing one of those expensive ones. And so easy. I would have never thought about it. Thanks so much for the idea.

  21. This is a fantastic idea. I have two dogs that get to hot in the heat. I will have to get the supplies to make two this summer.

  23. I would need to make a large one for my dog. He loves being outside and even though there is lots of shade it gets quite humid here.

  27. You could probably use some of the flat hard plastic ice packs too and just add a little extra fabric or padding in between. The cold may be a little less direct, but I think you’d still get the same effect.

  30. Hi Deb! Thanks for stopping by. I purchased 3/4 of a yard of fleece for the top. The black fleece was a piece I had on hand, but it was 1/2 the size of the top pattern. My strips were sewn along the sides and bottom of each one, folding the top down about an inch. Then I marked the sewing lines for the ice pack pockets and sewed down those. I hope this make sense!

  32. Enjoyed seeing this, want to make one for my cat’s pet carrier when we travel to keep her cool. Easy directions on making it & the use of fleece since it won’t ravel is nice. Thank you for sharing your idea

  33. I am not an inexperienced sewer, but after reading 3-4 times, I still cannot figure out how you made this! where are the strips sewn? how is the pocket formed? how much fabric did you actually purchase? Sorry for all the questions, but I think a little more detail would be helpful.

  35. Your Cooper looks exactly like my Lily. She is getting older may have to make her a cool pad.

  37. I also have a cooper the cocker spaniel same colours also and he would love one of these we are in Australia and it gets really hot here! Thanks for the idea it is great!

  38. Is Amber a ditz? I laugh that Cooper is the dumbest blonde in the house. He’s super sweet though. Just not the brightest tool in the shed. ALWAY happy though.

  39. Love this idea. I have a “baby girl” cocker named Amber who is seven. She seems to love spending time outside in the shade but it’s Texas and it’s awful even in the shade. Your boy is a cutie!! He and Amber could be siblings they look so much alike 🙂

  42. OMG! Thanks Diana! I was wondering if it is possible to make a cooling pad yourself. You are so creative…

  43. Great idea – especially for those of us w/o AC – so much more comfy for the dogs!!

  47. I like the idea but I think our Aussie would chew up the ice packs. Isn’t the ingredient in them harmful? I could see myself using this with ziplock baggie made ice chunks. The ice chunks would melt and get the pad wet, but I would have to use it with supervision or use it outdoors.

  49. If you switch him to an easier protein to digest, like fish or fowl, it will help him keep cool as well because his body won’t have to process it as much. Hot and heavy proteins like beef, lamb, and bison are good for winter months. You also want to make sure his food is wheat, corn, and soy free C: just gives his body less to do so it can work on cooling off more

  51. I am happy i found this . I want to make 2 for both my pups and have it on hand if we have bad weather that knocks our power out .And this being hurricane season and living in Texas i want to have these for my pups in case Thank you so much for sharing

  52. Great reminder, Sarah!! Our dog is getting older so we have to shorten his outside time. We were supposed to camp, but it turned out to be 100 so we didn’t go.

  53. I just want to remind people that even with a sudden increase in temperatures, sudden intolerance can indicate something else going on. Hopefully not, but be sure to talk to your veterinarian during yearly physicals.

  59. We don’t have any central air- so something like this would be great during the hot SoCal Summers! Thanks for the great step by step tutorial! #client

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