DIY Dog Cooling Mat
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.

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.

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.

Isn’t he just the cutest? We love him so much!
How will you keep your pet cool this summer?

DIY Dog Cooling Mat

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
- 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″.
- Turn the mat so the right sides are out.
- Top stitch the opening closed. You can top stitch the entire mat for a cleaner look.
- 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.
- My pad has three rows of four pockets, so I cut out three 28″ x 12″ strips of the solid fleece.
- 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.
- 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.)
- Repeat the process for the bottom pocket strip.
- Lay the pad out with the bottom side up and lay out a row of ice packs to see where they will be placed.
- Mark sewing lines between the ice packs. I use tailor's chalk to mark my lines.
- 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.
- Get the frozen ice packs out of the freezer.
- Tuck the frozen ice packs into the pockets.
- 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.
I do have some for sale in my Etsy shop.
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.
Thanks, Renee!
What a great idea. Our dog gets so hot during the summer here in Florida, I bet he’d love one of these.
Thank you!
Clever idea, Diana! Thanks for joining us at #HomeMattersParty
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!
Yes!! Excellent idea. It’s roughly the same size.
Save even more money and make your own ice packs. Alcohol and water or Dawn and water in a Ziploc. 🙂
Great idea, Jenny!
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.
Janet, I wanted to let you know that I did put these up for sale in Etsy shop.
Thank you for your concern, Fleur. The fabric is thick and the cold packs don’t get hard like ice. They are like a thick slushy.
Please don’t freeze only cool the packs! Freeze it hard and way to cold.
It is a nice idea though
What a great way to help dogs stay cool!!! I know our dog can get extremely hot in the summer time, this would do a lot to help cool them off.
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!
One of our dogs is getting older so we have to shorten her outside time. Love your blanket idea!
What a clever idea! I need this this week since we’ve had freaky really hot weather!
This is a great idea. I don’t have any dogs, but I do have two cats. They would probably love this too!
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.
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.
This is a great idea! My daughter has two dogs and they live in the south. The dogs get so hot. This would cool them right off!
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.
What a good idea for the summer. Dogs can overheat way to quickly. I will pass this along to some dog owners I know.
That is SUCH a cute idea! I am hoping that my dog will stop tearing up her blanket so I can make something like this for her.
That is a great idea, Allison! Keep your eye out for my next version of this pet pad.
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.
That’s a great idea, but I am not sure when I have the time.
Such a great idea and super cute. You should sell them for those of us who are sewing challenged.
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!
You are welcome! Thanks for stopping by Becky.
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
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.
So fun to know that Cooper has a twin!
Your Cooper looks exactly like my Lily. She is getting older may have to make her a cool pad.
Oh my goodness! They are twins on opposite sides of the world!!
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!
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.
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 🙂
I cannot imagine NO A/C! Hopefully it hasn’t been too hot there.
I love making things instead of buying them. Such a satisfying feeling!
OMG! Thanks Diana! I was wondering if it is possible to make a cooling pad yourself. You are so creative…
Great idea – especially for those of us w/o AC – so much more comfy for the dogs!!
Thank you LaRonda!
That is a very good point, Dawna. A homemade ice pack would be better for dogs that might chew them up. Thanks!
I’m totally making one!!!
Awesome Idea!!!
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.
Thanks for this information. I had no idea on the proteins.
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
I hope these work out for you and you don’t have any hurricanes!!
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
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.
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.
They are an off brand that I got at Dollar Tree.
Where did you get the soft cold packs? What brand are they?
He’s an old man, but looks like a cute little GIRL puppy!! He’s so happy!!
No Central Air?! Hopefully, it doesn’t get too hot where you live. #CL
He really is too cute!! Love the puppy pics:)
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