A few weeks ago a follower messaged me. She wants to take her two Shih Tzus to Spain but she's worried sick about the heat. Would they cope? Was she being irresponsible even thinking about it? Should she just leave them at home?
I read that message sitting beside a pool in Crete, in the middle of a heatwave, with Daisy stretched out in the shade beside me. Not panting. Not stressed. Just quietly living her best Greek life while I typed back with one hand and held a frappe with the other.
Here's the thing. Shih Tzus are exactly the type of dog that overheats. Flat-ish faces, thick coats, small bodies. If I can keep Daisy comfortable through a Cretan summer, you can keep your dog comfortable almost anywhere. It's not luck and it's not chance. It's a system, and every single piece of it fits in your luggage.
So this is the full guide. Your ultimate checklist for bringing your dog on holiday, every product we travel with, what each one actually does, the ones that flopped, and the habits that matter more than any of the gear. And before you skip this because you're not headed somewhere scorching, here's the bit that surprises people. This kit earns its place from around sixteen degrees upwards. That's not a heatwave. That's a nice spring day in Ireland. Dogs feel heat long before we do, especially when they're walking, and a mild sunny city break can catch you out just as easily as a Greek August.
Why Heat Is the Only Real Problem to Solve
I've written a lot about flying with your dog, about hotels, about restaurants that welcome dogs properly. But when I talk to dog parents about summer trips, none of that is what worries them. It's the heat.
And they're right to think about it, even when the forecast doesn't look dramatic. Sixteen to twenty degrees with sun and a decent walk is enough for some dogs to start struggling, especially flat-faced breeds, thick coats, seniors and puppies. You don't need to be in Seville in July for this to matter. Lisbon in April counts. The Amalfi Coast in October counts.
I've seen dogs at the beach in a properly bad way. Dogs strung out on hot sand, panting hard, very close to heatstroke, while their owners chatted away without a clue. It's horrible to watch and it's completely avoidable.
I'll be honest, I'm slightly obsessive about this. If Daisy ever struggled in the heat, we'd be gone. Straight inside, holiday paused. But the point is, she doesn't struggle. The only time Daisy pants on holiday is on her short walks, and even then it's brief and manageable. The rest of the time she's cool, shaded and comfortable, and that comes down to the kit below and a few non-negotiable habits.
How to Keep Your Dog Cool on Holiday
This is everything we pack, roughly in order of importance. Spoiler, the first item does more work than everything else combined.
The Cool Coat Comes First
If you buy one thing from this list, buy a cool coat. This is the foundation of our entire system and has been for the longest time.
It works like a wet vest. You'll see the same product sold as a dog cooling vest, and it's the same idea. You soak it in water, wring it out, and put it on your dog. It sits under the chest and across the body, and as the water evaporates it pulls heat away from them. When it dries out, you just top it up with water again. You can even pop it in the fridge before you head out, which Daisy thoroughly approves of.
It sounds too simple to work this well. It isn't. The difference between Daisy with her cool coat and without it is night and day. A dog that would be panting and uncomfortable is instead relaxed and happy to be out and about. If someone tells me their dog can't handle a hot destination, this is the first thing I ask about.
One honest note on sizing. The first one we ordered from Temu was too big for Daisy, so measure your dog properly before you order. More on Temu further down, because I have opinions.
A Stroller Is Not Just for Small Dogs
I know what you're thinking. A stroller is for tiny handbag dogs. It's not.
I've watched golden retrievers struggling badly in the heat. Big dogs, small dogs, it makes no difference. Hot pavement, long distances between shade, midday sun you didn't plan for. Every dog hits a point where walking is doing them harm, and when that happens you need a way to get them out of it.
The stroller solves it. Daisy hops in, the shade goes up, and we can keep moving without her little legs on hot ground. It also doubles as her safe base at cafes and markets, up off the hot floor with airflow around her.
Getting it there is easier than you'd think. It goes in oversized luggage. Some airlines may charge you for it, but honestly, I didn't pay a cent. At check-in they tagged it as Daisy's stroller, popped it through oversized luggage, and that was that. If you're still working out the flight side of things, my guide to choosing the right cabin carrier covers what goes where.
The Umbrella That Does Two Jobs
Clipped onto the stroller is an umbrella, and this one earns its place twice over.
Job one is extra shade on the stroller itself. Job two is beach and pool shade. It's a really high quality umbrella, UPF50+ with five layers of fabric, so it's blocking sun properly rather than just casting a vague shadow. The clamp is strong enough to attach to almost anything. A sun lounger, a railing, the stroller frame.
At the beach, the routine is simple. Daisy goes for her little swim, comes out, and settles under her umbrella. I also pack small weights to hold the umbrella down, because a gust of wind can send it cartwheeling down the beach otherwise. I'm never scanning the beach hoping there's shade available, because we bring our own. That one change removes so much stress from a beach day. You're not negotiating with the sun anymore.
The Cooling Mat
The cooling mat is the quiet workhorse of the kit. It's pressure activated, so it works off nothing but your dog's body weight. No fridge, no water, no charging.
I use it two ways. Sometimes it goes in the stroller as a cool base layer, and sometimes it's laid out on its own for Daisy to lie on, at the room, on a terrace, wherever we've landed. She sought it out herself within a day of having it, which tells you everything.
Collapsible Water and Food Bowls
Not glamorous, but essential. Ours are collapsible silicone bowls, again from Temu, and they work really well. They flatten to nothing in a bag, which means there's no excuse not to have water with you at all times.
The rule on holiday is that water is always available. Not at the next stop, not back at the hotel. Now. The collapsible bowl is what makes that possible on a boat, at the beach, halfway up a cobbled hill in the old town.
The Floaty, the Life Vest and the Day Daisy Fell In
Daisy is not a strong swimmer. She'd love you to think otherwise, but she's not. So for water days she has two things, a floaty and a life vest, and her lead attaches to the life vest as a backup.
That backup matters, and here's why. Daisy has fallen off her floaty before. Not because of waves or wind, but because she spotted people she wanted to say hello to and launched herself in their general direction. Full social butterfly, zero buoyancy plan.
Because she was in her life vest with the lead attached, and because I always keep hold of that lead when we're in the water, it was a funny story instead of a frightening one. On a windy day, a dog can drift away from you faster than you'd believe. So the rule is simple. Life vest on, lead attached, lead in my hand. Every time.
A Hat and Sun Protection
Daisy wears a hat. Yes, it's extremely cute, and no, that's not the main reason. The hat shades half her head and keeps it noticeably cooler, and she also wears sun protection alongside it.
This matters even more if your dog's coat is clipped short for summer, which Daisy's is. Short coats mean exposed skin, and exposed skin burns. Between the hat, the protection and the shade routine, her sun exposure is kept to an absolute minimum. I really do limit her time in direct sun, full stop. The tan lines are mine to worry about, not hers.
Portable Fans, and the One Place We Actually Use Them
Here's the honest bit. I travel with clip-on portable fans, and at the destination we've basically never needed them. The cool coat, shade and mat system works so well that the fans stay in the bag.
Except on the flight. Cabins get hot, especially during boarding and taxiing when the air circulation is poor, and that's exactly when your dog is zipped into a carrier at your feet. A little portable fan pointed at the carrier makes a real difference to Daisy's comfort. If you've read my TAP Air Portugal review, you'll know the in-cabin experience varies wildly by airline, but the heat during boarding is universal. Bring the fan for the plane, even if it never comes out again all week.
A Word About Temu
A lot of this kit came from Temu, and I'm going to say the quiet part out loud. It has been brilliant.
I would never tell you to spend a fortune on dog travel gear, because for most of these products you don't need to. The collapsible bowls, the fans, various bits and pieces, all Temu, all still going strong. The only catch is sizing. Our first cool coat was too big for Daisy, so measure your dog carefully, check the size chart, and expect that you might need one exchange to get it right. Once the sizing is sorted, everything is fine.
Spend your money on the trip, not the gear.
How to Spot Overheating Before It Becomes Dangerous
The gear only works if you're paying attention, so let's talk about what heat stress actually looks like. I've seen dogs at the beach showing most of these signs while everyone around them carried on regardless, and it still makes my blood boil.
Watch for heavy, frantic panting that doesn't ease when they rest. A tongue that looks wider and longer than usual. Thick, sticky drool. Bright red gums. Restlessness, then the opposite, a dog that suddenly goes flat and unresponsive. Wobbly legs. Refusing water. Any of the later signs, especially wobbliness, vomiting or collapse, mean you need a vet urgently, not a rest in the shade.
The earlier signs are your cue to act immediately. Get them out of the sun, get the cool coat soaked and on, offer water, and put them on the cooling mat. Cool the belly, paws and chest first. Do not throw ice-cold water over a hot dog, as cooling them too fast causes its own problems. Cool water, shade, airflow, calm.
Better again, don't let it get there. Which brings me to the habits.
The Habits That Matter More Than Any Product
You can pack every item on this list and still get it wrong if the routine is wrong. Here's what we actually do, day to day.
Walks happen early and late. The proper walk is in the morning before the heat builds, and again in the evening once it breaks. The middle of the day is for shade, the pool, the stroller and doing absolutely nothing, which happens to be Daisy's favourite activity anyway.
Shade is non-negotiable. Daisy is in shade by default and in sun only briefly and on purpose. The umbrella means shade travels with us, so there's never a moment where she's stuck in full sun because there was nowhere else to be.
The pavement test. Back of your hand on the ground for five seconds. If you can't hold it there, your dog isn't walking on it. Into the stroller she goes.
Water everywhere, always. Bowl in the bag, bottle in my hand, top-ups constantly.
Watch your own dog, not the guidebook. Daisy tells me everything I need to know. Relaxed body, easy breathing, normal nosiness about passing snacks. The day that changes, our plans change. Your dog will tell you too, if you're actually looking.
Your Ultimate Dog Holiday Checklist
Everything above in one list you can screenshot, and it applies any time the forecast says sixteen degrees or more.
Cool coat, the foundation of everything. Dog stroller, whatever size your dog is. Clip-on umbrella with a strong clamp, plus weights to hold the umbrella down on breezy days. Pressure-activated cooling mat. Collapsible water and food bowls. Floaty for pool and sea days. Life vest with a lead attached as your backup. Sun hat. Dog-safe sun protection. Clip-on portable fan for the flight.
And the habits. Early and late walks. Midday in the shade. The five-second pavement test. Water available at all times. Eyes on your dog.
Final Thoughts
Back to that message about the two Shih Tzus and Spain. My answer was simple. Go. Book the trip. The heat isn't a reason to leave your dog at home, it's a logistics problem, and logistics problems have solutions that fit in a suitcase.
We have this down to a fine art now. Daisy has spent whole summers around the Mediterranean, from Crete to Portugal, and the only panting I see is thirty seconds after a walk she thoroughly enjoyed. That's not because she's a special heat-proof Shih Tzu. She's the opposite. It's because the system works.
If you're planning where to take that first summer trip, my Crete guide is a good place to start, and if you're not sure which destination suits your dog, plan your trip with Daisy and she'll point you in the right direction. Your dog doesn't want to stay home. They want to be under an umbrella beside you, in a slightly ridiculous hat, wondering what you're having for lunch.
