Cooling Mat - advise?

[Paul W]

We are here in San Antonio and it is getting to be the heat of the summer (+90). I went ahead and plunked down the change for a couple large cooling mats - the ones with the foam core you fill with water. It has been a couple of weeks and either they havent figured the mats out or just don't like them. They will walk across or stand on them but I have yet to see them laying or sitting on these things. They seemed like a good idea, better than the patio slab, but the dogs seem to differ in opinion. I have even sat with them on the mats while they enjoy a tasty pig ear...

Advise?

 

[nrdivas]

Hi There! I am in San Antonio too, but I had never even heard of those cooling mats! Sounds like a neat idea. Are your dogs still puppies? If so, be careful because they may just wind up eating the mats instead of lying on them. If not, maybe it will just take them some time to get used to them. My dogs much prefer the couch, even though the floor is cooler. It sounds like you are doing everything you can to encourage them. Maybe they already figured out the mats and just enjoy watching you try to get them to use them! :D

Anyhoo, would love to see pics of your babies, do you have any?

 

[AlliesMum]

Hi,

I'm in SA also! I'm not familar w/ those either but there are a few things I've done. I run a cool bath and put them in there or use an ice pack wrapped in a paper towel and put it on their tummys. Now that we've moved here though, we have a pool. The female goes right for it and takes a lap when she gets hot. The male will have nothing to do with it so sometimes I'll play with him with the hose to cool him down.

 

[zapman29]

Aghh SA people, thouogh I am stationed in Oklahoma. Sa is my faimlys home town... Yes SA is very hot, not as hot as altus ok, 100+ degrees. but we are dry and SA is humid... I too have not herd of thos mats. What I did is i went too yard sales and picked up a little plastic pool for a coupl of bucks and every couple of days my i refill it with water... My dogs will step in and sit in it too cool off and then go back and play....

 

[Mac67]

I have one of the canine coolers and my Golden Retriever loves it. My boxer LC has no opinion as of now

 

[Super Boo]

Just got my cooling mat. Boo love it!! She goes from laying in the hot sun to coming in and laying on it. I think you should just be patient and let them decide to use it.

 

[martins]

We have a cooling mat too. It took Roscoe a while to get the hang of it, we would sit next to it or toss a cookie onto it so he would have to investigate it, but I think he was wary of the vinyl texture. Once he figured it out, he now uses it all the time! It probably took a month or so before he would lay there for any length of time, but now as soon as we come in from a walk or playing outside, he gets a quick drink of water then it's straight to the cool mat. Hope your two realize it's a cool thing!!

 

[BoxerFamily]

Our two just go and lay on the A/C vents. We live in St. Louis which is also nice and hot already.

I have also looked a the cooling mats and wonder if they would just give us that look like "Why would I want to get off this nice COOL vent to go to a mat?" :D

 

[Super Boo]

The funny thing is that our Kitty likes the cooling mat too. Its entertaining to see the cat on one end and Boo on the other end staring each other down--but neither wants to move.

 

[layla'smommy]

I just got Layla a cooling mat, and she took to it really quickly. Initially, I think she was put off by the odd vinyl texture (and if that's the problem, they sell covers for them www.soothsoft.com), but I just put it in places that she always lays. She is a couch and bed dweller, so I just put the mat up on the couch in her spot and she walked right up there and layed down Once she realized how nice and cool it was, she just went to it and layed on it on the floor! I think I will still order one of the cool cotton covers for it, because I don't think she'd like it better if it was soft, but she doens't really seem to have a problem with it as is Good luck!!

Jenni & Layla