Dog Car Setup for the Summer (How to keep a car cool for a dog)

Generally, don’t leave dogs in the car on warm days if avoidable. This is something that’s repeated on every platform, every summer, and still, many dogs die in cars every year. Cars heat up fast, and dogs can overheat quickly, even on a day that doesn’t feel hot.

While I agree with this, there is a big temperature range when you can bring down the risks of the dog being in the car with the right setup, and you can make it work if necessary. There are situations when a dog has to wait in the car. For example, Zulu is a certified Search and Rescue dog and we train and can go on callouts in every season, regardless of the weather.

We of course take precautions and use a list of tools to make dogs comfortable and safe while waiting in the car. Using temperature monitors is also a great way to realize how the dog’s area in back of the car can stay warm even while driving even when the AC running, so I also use some of these products for regular car trips while we drive to a hike or go to the vet.

Let’s discuss each of these products and how they can help!

Aluminet Car Shade

When you cannot park in the shade, using an Aluminet car shade will make the biggest difference in car temperature.

Covering the car is the most effective before it heats up as prevention. Once the vehicle is hot and radiates heat from every part, it is much harder or sometimes impossible to bring the temperature down by adding the Aluminet shade.

Without a shade cover, the roof of the car radiates heat that makes it uncomfortably hot even if the windows are down. Aluminet reflects the heat like a mirror (instead of absorbing it as the car roof would). It is vital to get a shade big enough to cover all the windows facing the sun to prevent the car from acting like a greenhouse.

The Cool Puppy Aluminet Car Shade from Clean Run reflects 70% of the sun and infrared radiation while still allowing airflow through the mesh-like fabric.

Using magnets or tie-downs is important to prevent the shade from flipping up in the wind. I use these “Super Magnets” that hold very strong and also have a protective liner on the back to minimize the chances of scratching the car when using them.

Dog Car Setup for the Summer (How to keep a car cool for a dog) | Dog Gear Review

The Cool Puppy Car Shade is UV coated, ensuring that you can use it over many summers. There are many cheaper options available on other sites and the difference is the lack of UV coating which will cause the material to break and flake, usually needing a replacement in a year or two (with regular use). I have been using the Cool Puppy Aluminets weekly during the summer for years and had zero quality issues so far.

The Cool Puppy shades also have reinforced edges and brass grommets every 12" so they are easy to secure if needed. The only weak point of the shade is the Aluminet mesh itself which can get snagged on something and tear easily if it’s not stored carefully.

Aluminet Car Shade

Instant shade

Reflecting the heat while still allowing a decent airflow. For the best result, it's important to cover the car from window-to-window.

Check it out on CleanRun

Disclaimer: this review contains affiliate links, which support Dog Gear Review if you purchase the product after clicking on it without costing you anything extra. Using affiliate links will never compromise us in writing unbiased, honest reviews!

Fans

If you have no option to control the temperature, you can improve the dog’s situation with moving air. However, we have to keep in mind that this works differently for dogs and people.

Humans sweat all over their bodies, so a fan helps with this evaporation process that is our natural way of cooling down, while dogs have thick hair. When temps are lower (around 70-80F), air circulation helps by pushing the warm air away from their body, helping them cool. However, once it gets hot, air circulation doesn’t matter much (it can actually make it worse) because you blast hot air on them, like using a hairdryer.

You can still utilize a fan on a hot day to blow colder air into the car (e.g. from a shady side) or if the car is warming up, you can use it to push the hot air out of the car which will result in cooler air pulling in from the other sides.

You can also use it to move cold air back from the AC in the car while driving as the temperature at the front can be very different than in the back especially when driving on a hot day with the sun beating down on the car.

Another way to utilize the fan is to use it paired with an evaporation vest or after soaking the dog. If the air is not too humid, having constant airflow over the vest or around a wet dog will speed up evaporation so much that they might get too cold. If you don’t have an evaporation vest and have no option to wet the dog, you can also use a bucket/bag of ice and blow the fan over it.

If you want to read about the effectiveness of cooling vests - check out our detailed article on the topic that includes thermal imaging.

Over the last years, we used the RYOBI ONE+ 18V Hybrid Portable Fan in the car. Although it is on the pricier side, I have been using these for years and their battery time is still great. We have used cheaper fans before and most of them died during the off-season when they were not used or the battery life significantly decreased. These fans hold strong and it’s super easy to swap out the batteries if needed (I always carry extra).

You can use a Kennel Fan Hanger from Those Tube Things to attach the Ryobi fan to the kennel door for better airflow and ease of opening and closing the door (see on the below photo).

RYOBI Fan

High-quality fan

Most SAR K9 or sport dog people use RYOBI fans so these are also a safe option because someone will probably have an extra battery or charger in hand if you are at a multiday event and need some help.

Check it out on Amazon

This is the first year when we are using our new G1 Gunner Kennel Car Crate setup (review is coming later!) and you can purchase it with the additional Fan Kit 2.0 which I am really excited about. This is a heavy-duty fan that attaches to the side of the crate or to the door so I don’t need to move it every time I want to open the door and then set it up again when the dog is back in the crate - like I do with portable fans. This also allows me to easily run it while driving to ensure the cold air from the AC gets into the crate faster.

The battery lasts up to 20 hours on a full charge and also comes with a cigarette outlet charger so you can charge it while driving. It’s again on the pricy side but it is weather and dustproof, and a high-quality investment that should serve you for many years.

Gunner Fan Kit

An integrated solution

No need to position and adjust a standalone fan, or remove it for charging - assemble it once and enjoy!

Check it out on Gunner's website

Car Ventilation Tailgate/Door Lock

We use the Cool Dog Car Ventilation Lock which is another tool that you can utilize to make the car more comfortable on warm days. This allows you to leave the tailgate or the side door partially open while you can still safely lock the vehicle. This provides a much better airflow on the dog’s level (especially in the vehicle’s back) than only leaving the windows open.

This lock behaves like a connector piece between the door (tailgate) latch and the catch inside the car. When you lock the vehicle, the door locks the same way, but this time it locks to this steel piece. When you want to open it, just unlock and open the car as you would normally do.

We use the 6" version of this lock which works perfectly with both the side door and the tailgate and provides a good-sized opening for plenty of airflow without leaving the door open too much and giving someone else access to the car.

Tailgate Lock

Better airflow without safety risks

This lets you lock the car while keeping the door or the tailgate slightly open to provide airflow on the dog's level.

Check options on CleanRun See the 4-inch lock on Amazon

Dog Crates for Car Travel

Car safety will be the topic of another article so here we will focus on the summer safety aspects. There are many very different options on the market when it comes to a car crate and there are different pros and cons for each.

Many prefer to use a car harness and belt for the car but for me, crates work better all around when I need to work Zulu from the car so I can leave the car windows and the tailgate wide open without worrying that someone would feed her with something or she would get tangled in the car seat belt. This also helps to contain the fur and any dirt that comes with wet and muddy dogs.

When it comes to summer safety - airflow in the crate is a crucial part of that puzzle. Of course, a simple wire crate would provide the most airflow but they are not a particularly safe option for cars as they don’t provide protection in an accident. I will cover two crate options below that are on the higher end of the car crate spectrum.

The Ruffland Kennels are one of the most popular options among dog sport crowds because they are:

light enough to be carried by one person if needed,
reasonable safe - although the door failed crash testing
reasonably priced compared to the higher-end models
come in many different door variations

I liked to use them for the summer because the double door setup allows for great airflow and makes it easy to set up a portable fan by one door and use the other one to get the dog in and out. The second door can also be used as an emergency exit in case you get into an accident that immobilizes the door that you normally use and you need to get the dog out before the car heats up too much.

Rufflands tend to be proportinally low crates which provides safety in an accident but dogs might have a harder time to cool down after working/running as effectively as they would while fully sitting up and having more space above them.

Ruffland Gen 2

Zu is using an intermediate

Relatively light crate that comes in many door combinations to create a setup that works best for your car

Check out their website Read the Ruffland review

The Ruffland Intermediate has an interior base area of 30 1/8″ x 19 1/2″ and as Zu spends a lot of time in the crate when at training, I didn’t want to size down from that. As the Gunner intermediate has almost the same interior base area of 30" x 18", we went with that.

I did know that the double-walled Gunner would be heavier and a lot bulkier than the Ruffland but I was pleasantly surprised by how much taller it is: Ruffland 22" vs Gunner 25" interior height. While dogs usually travel while lying down, I like that Zulu can finally fully sit up in the crate as I think that the extra room allows for better airflow and makes it easier for the dogs to cool down when getting back in the car after working.

The Gunner G1 Kennel:

Is 5 Star Crash Test certified by the Center For Pet Safety
Has a double wall to provide two layers of protection and to keep the inside of the crate cooler
Features a sturdy door reinforced with an aluminum frame

While the Gunner kennel looks more closed it actually has large openings which combined with the additional height provides plenty of airflow in the crate. We will do more testing on its temperature-regulating properties before the review but it does seem to stay cool a lot longer than single-wall crates.

Gunner G1

Double-walled for extra safety

A heavy-duty, sturdy car crate with optional cool additions like the fan kit that attaches to the side or the door

Check out the Gunner website

Remote Car Temperature Monitoring Systems

- MarCELL Multisensor

MarCELL is a cellular temperature and humidity monitor that alerts for temperature fluctuations, humidity levels, and power outages to give you peace of mind. Unlike Wi-Fi devices, MarCELL utilizes the cellular network, ensuring data reporting and alert transmission even when power and internet services are disrupted.

We have been using this monitor for over a year and you can already read our detailed review on the website.

MarCELL’s main features:

Instant Alerts: Set up the temperature and humidity ranges and receive automatic, no-cost notifications if the car environment is out of the range. You can check real-time readings by triggering an Instant Update manually which comes with a small cost each time you check it.
Easy-to-Use App - including access to historical, hourly data.
Long-lasting Battery: Designed to work when plugged in, but also runs 48 hours from the battery.
You can choose between AT&T and Verizon plans so you can choose what works best in your area.

MarCELL

Temperature and humidity monitoring

Accurate monitoring system with a bit of industrial-feel in the app's UI where you can track historical data.

Check their website Check on Amazon

- Waggle Temperature Monitoring System

We have recently started using the Waggle which is probably the most popular temperature monitor among RV and sport dog crowds. We will post a detailed review about it once we have more experience with using it in different scenarios and in different areas.

The Waggle Monitor:

Has a friendly, easy-to-navigate app where you can check in for real-time data
Has a display on the unit so you can check the measurements there without needing to go into the app
Notifies you when the set limits are reached
Comes with a Peel & Stick mount that allows you to add the monitor right where the dog is (if chewing is not a concern)
Waggle Pet Monitor Lite and PRO can last up to 4 to 6 days on battery, depending on network availability and alert frequency.
Calculates a heat index from the temperature and humidity to more accurately show the “feels like” temperature

Waggle

Temperature and humidity monitoring

Easy to set up and use application with calculated heat index for a more accurate estimation of the dog's comfort zone.

Check their website Check on Amazon

How to Keep dogs comfortable inside the car crate

Dogs naturally look for a cooler surface to lay on when it’s hot, so adding a cooling mat in the crate is a great way to help them over the summer.

Many cooling beds use some type of gel that you usually need to place in the freezer. These are great unless you have a dog who chews. Most of these use a non-toxic gel, but it’s still not great for your dog to swallow it.

Other beds/mats use ice which is a much safer solution around chewers. If you choose a mat with ice/frozen gel, be sure that there is some insulation/padding around it, so it doesn’t get overly cold for the dog. Just like when you need to apply ice on yourself - you want limited contact through a cloth or another insulating layer.

We used the Cooler Dog - Hydro Triple-Layer Cooling Mat both with Mia and Zulu over the last few years. This mat uses a FlexiFreeze® Ice Sheet that contains only water. Having separate water/ice cubes is excellent because if one gets poked, you don’t need to replace the whole cooling sheet; you still have plenty of other cubes for cooling.

The triple layer system means that there is insulation around the ice sheet: a closed-cell foam on the bottom and a waterbed cushion on top. This ensures that the cooling effect lasts for hours and that the mat’s top doesn’t get uncomfortably cold just cool.

Hydro Cooling Mat

Insulated ice sheet

It provides a reasonably long-lasting cool surface for dogs with a sturdy top layer that is easy to clean and can handle dog claws.

Check on CleanRun Check on Amazon

Another crucial element of summer safety is to provide plenty of water to the dogs as they need to stay hydrated to evaporate and cool down through panting. I like to leave the water bucket in the crate when we are not driving so Zulu has free access to it as she cools down after working.

There are many different solutions for water buckets that can be attached to the crates so dogs cannot spill the water:

Kennel Gear plastic bowl - the mount easily attaches to most crates, then you can slide the bowl in place or remove it as needed
Stainless Steel bucket: I like to use one with a flat back side for additional stability and having the handle let’s you secure it as needed
Gunner Water Bowl: This large water bowl is attached to the Gunner crate seamlessly with a mounting system. There is also a funnel that you can attach to the outside making it easy to provide water for dogs without opening the door if needed.

Limitations of all dog cooling products

Stacking up cooling beds, cooling vests, fans, etc., can make our dogs’ lives much more comfortable, but having all these still doesn’t mean we can expect them not to have issues with the heat. There will be hot and humid days when dogs still need to stay home instead of going for that adventure that you planned. Likewise, having a shade cloth covering the car and cooling products in the crate doesn’t mean you will be able to park the car in the mall parking lot, and don’t worry about the dogs while you spend hours there.

These products are here to help, but their effectiveness will be different for every dog, and the risk of overheating will also change if your dog gets older, gains some weight, or has health issues, or if the air humidity is changing. Even if you have temp monitors in the car, they can fail. Even if you buy all available cooling products, your dog can still overheat which can be a life-or-death situation for dogs.

Another important disclaimer is that in this article, we talk about helping the dogs to STAY cool, not to bring down their temperature once they are already overheated. Being proactive and using cooling solutions BEFORE your dog is struggling is much safer and more effective.