Air conditioner for your pooch’s home? Think about it! Well, why not? Mind you, we’re not talking here about those cutesy showpiece little pooch homes that are nothing more than backyard baubles or a garden gimcrack. What we mean is a real dog house where a real dog lives.
Alright we know that most dogs now live indoors with the owners, but it’s not always the case. And even if it is, our furry friends have to occasionally go out and wander around in the backyard because, well, they just do. And after what seemingly an endless episode of running, and chasing, and playing, and knocking over pots and stuff, they come to you on a very hot day with their tongues out panting and gasping for air. The signs are hard to see most of the time, but notice how their bodies shake a little bit and how their strides look a little bit tired. Inexperienced owners would assume that they’re looking for a treat, but they’re not. Aside from water, what your canine companion needs is the comfort of a shade and a minute of rest.
Lucky those dogs with a shelter—they have a place to tuck themselves in, curl up, and just stay cozy and cool. The problem is, a dog house—by design—is an enclosed structure. Even if, let’s say, it has enough ventilation to keep the cool air or breeze come in and pass through, it is not fully insulated to keep the heat out, especially when the heat is at its peak during summer. The thing is, if you really want to keep your dogs protected from the harsh weather, then air conditioning their cubby home might not be a bad idea after all.
Air Conditioning the Dog House Means Keeping Your Pets Safe
Some people look at air conditioned dog houses as an excess; a luxury; a waste of dollars. And some of these people are not just ordinary folks. Many are avid pet advocates; some are super dog-lovers. But understandably, they draw the line between what your pets need and what your pets get. And who can blame them? An air conditioned dog house, seemed like a splurge at another level. A rich fancy; a tiny facetious attempt to impress. But guess what? Beyond the impression of superfluity, air conditioning your dog’s house means you care for the pets. Not exactly to provide them extra cooling comfort, which they couldn’t care less anyway, but to keep them safe. That’s right, at the heart of it all, it’s a health issue for the dogs. And let us explain why.
Your Dogs Battle Heat Constantly
Dogs absorb heat. Painfully, all the time. You might think, that naturally makes sense, due to their furs and all. But that’s just one thing; skin-deep, as the cliché goes. The truth is, dogs are some of the most active, if not hyperactive domestic animals. They run a lot, play around all the time, and when it comes to active fun, they sweat it out big-time. And that’s where the problem comes. They don’t sweat the way we humans do. Their body has a different way of cooling off, which is comparably difficult because they have very little amount of sweat glands in the body. Now, let that sink in for a little while. We repeat: Dogs don’t have much sweat glands.
Now, imagine just having sweat glands on your feet. You would perspire, of course, but you wouldn’t really be able to cool off completely. Well, that’s what dogs go through. Everyday. All their life. With their sweat glands only mostly found in their paw pads, dogs can’t perspire the way we do. They just perspire on their feet, which is the reason why some days you would find some sweaty dog footprints on the floor even if your dog did not step on water. Try touching their paws sometimes on a hot day or when they’re stress out and notice how the paw pads feel cool and sweaty.
So, how do dogs make up for the lack of sweat glands? Panting. Yes, dogs pant to cool themselves off. When dogs are panting, they stick their tongue out while breathing heavily, and this allows their body heat to evaporate through the moist lining of their tongue. Sometimes, they may look stiff as well because another way that dogs do to cool down is by stretching or expanding their blood vessels in their face and ears to allow their blood to flow near the surface of their skin as much as possible. At other times when dog is outside and the mercury level is so high, observe how they end up digging, not for bone-hunting or anything, but just to find a cool surface to lie down to.
That’s dog’s life. Tough one, eh. Well, that may sound cool, but in reality, that makes dogs prone to dehydration. They are at the highest risk of suffering from heat stroke. And you wouldn’t like that at all.
So, now what? What to do?
You’re Doing Right, But the Old Cooling Ways for Your Dogs May Not Be Enough
No good dog owner would ever want to see their pets get dehydrated, get sick, or worse, die just because of heat. Heat problems for dogs can be avoided. It’s just a matter of doing the right way to keep them safe and protected from extreme heat.
To keep the dogs cool, many owners try a lot of methods. The typical best practices and routines include giving them clean water regularly, keeping them indoors when it’s too hot outside, or timing their walk-time at hours when the heat wouldn’t be a problem, like afternoon or nighttime.
In some cases, dog owners put their pets in a cooling bed or provide them with an electric fan. In many ways these methods help a lot. In fact, they work most of the time, but not all the time.
When the weather gets too hot, the dog house would be the last place that your pet would want to stay in. And no amount of cooling fan or water can dissipate that body heat, so your dogs would normally be forced to endure heat as much as they can. The sad thing is, many pet owners are really not aware of what their pets are going through.
It’s time you do differently. And believe it or not, air conditioning the dog house would make a lot of difference. And they would mean a lot to your pet as well.
Air Conditioning a Dog House: Keeping Your Pooch Cool and Safe
Air conditioners are now seen as the better option if you really want to make sure that you dogs stay cool and protected from heat. The question is: What type of air conditioning system should you use for a dog house?
Before you embark on finding the best cooling system, keep in mind that one primary consideration is the type of house that your dog has. This is to ensure that the cooling system would be fit for installation. Dog houses vary in sizes and materials in which they are made of. Some dog houses are small or medium-sized. Some are made of wood, concrete, plastic, and even metal. When you look for an AC, put these aspects into consideration.
For a dog house, you would not really need an AC with a really high capacity. All you need is a
single-zone system that would be enough to keep the space cool and remove the humidity to keep your pet comfortable. It also has to be flexible enough to fit or be accommodated in that little space.
What we recommend: Ductless Mini Split System
If you’re looking for a really high energy-efficient, flexible, and high-performance cooling and heating system for your dog’s house, then this type of system is hands-down the best option. It is quiet, easy-to-install, and very environment-friendly. It is a bit pricey up front, however, you can be assured that its energy-saving capability would be able to completely offset your initial cost outlay.
Your Best Pick: It would be a toss-up among different top brands like Gree, Mitsubishi and Boreal. All of these manufacturers have some of the best ductless systems in the market today. The truth is, it’s just a matter of finding the best model that can fit your application. But if you really need a good option, you might not go wrong with the Gree Livo Gen3, a high-efficiency system with a rated cooling capacity of 9,600 Btu/h and a rated heating capacity of 12,000 Btu/h. This system is ideal for spaces with a size that ranges from 150 square-feet up to 500 square-feet.
Finding the right cooling solution for your dog house is not difficult at all. No doubt that you’d have many options, and most of the time, you might find some really high-capacity systems, which may or may not be perfect for your pooch’s home. To make sure that you will be able to get the right system, the key is in choosing the right size and in considering the type of installation required. If it is impossible to bore a hole into the structure, then you might have to forego a room air conditioner and choose a ductless mini split system. If you want to go all out and spare no expense for your pet, then a ductless system is the best thing you can do for your furry family member.
