Dog summer clothes in Australia come down to three things: a light cotton shirt for everyday wear, a mesh cooling shirt you wet before a hot walk, and a UPF 50 rash shirt for the beach or the pool. Pick by what the day looks like. Most dogs only need one or two of the three, and a well-fitted shirt from our dog shirts collection covers the everyday part for most of the breeds we dress.
SUMMER SHIRTS, SIZED BY BREED
Cotton, cooling and UPF 50, designed in Brisbane and shipped next business day.
SHOP DOG SHIRTSA dry cotton shirt does not cool a dog down. It shades the skin and keeps sand, grass and sun off a short coat, which is plenty for a morning walk or a backyard barbecue. A cooling shirt works differently. You soak it, wring it out and put it on, and the water pulls heat off your dog as it dries. A rash shirt is for water days, when a wet dog with a thin coat sits in full sun for hours. None of them replaces shade, water and an early walk, which we cover further down.
Our cotton shirts and pyjamas are 190gsm cotton with 5% spandex, cut with a front hem that sits higher than the back so toilet stops do not mean getting undressed. Cooling shirts are a breathable mesh. Rash shirts are UPF 50 rated. All three come in XS to XL, many prints go up to XXL, and your first size exchange is free if you get it wrong.
Does a dog need clothes in summer at all
Some do, most of the time no. A Labrador with a thick double coat lying in the shade does not need a shirt, and putting a dry layer on a dog that is already hot does nothing useful. The dogs that get something out of summer clothes are the short-coated and thin-coated ones: French Bulldogs, Staffies, Pugs, Boston Terriers, Whippets and Greyhounds, and any dog with pink skin or a white belly. For them a shirt is sun shade first and a style choice second.
Flat-faced breeds are the other group. A Frenchie or a Pug cannot pant as efficiently as a long-nosed dog, so heat builds faster. That is where a wet cooling shirt earns its place, as one tool alongside a shaded spot, a water bowl and a short walk at dawn. We wrote a whole post on whether dog cooling shirts work, so we will keep it brief here.
Beach dogs are the third. Our rash shirts are UPF 50 and made with recycled material. If your dog spends Saturday in the surf, read does my dog need a rash shirt before you decide.
The three summer fabrics and when to use each
| Fabric | What it does | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 190gsm stretch cotton (dog shirts) | Shades skin, keeps sand and grass off, stretches with a barrel chest | Everyday wear, walks before 8am, backyard, cafés | $28.95 XS–S, $29.95 M–XXL |
| Breathable mesh (cooling shirts) | Wet, wring, wear; cools as it dries, re-wet when it stops feeling cool | Hot afternoons, flat-faced breeds, the walk home | $29.95 XS–S, $30.95 M–XXL |
| UPF 50 rash shirt | Blocks sun on wet skin, dries fast | Beach, pool, river, boat days | $33.95 XS–S, $34.95 M–XXL |
If you only buy one and your dog never swims, buy the cotton shirt. If your dog is a Frenchie, a Pug or a Staffy in Queensland or the Top End, add a cooling shirt. Buy two shirts of any kind and shipping is free worldwide.
What to look for in dog summer clothes
Every shop calls its summer range lightweight and breathable. With the shirt in your hand, that should mean the following.
The fabric should be thin, with no lining, and should stretch across the chest without pulling. Our cotton has 5% spandex for exactly this, because a Staffy chest and a Staffy waist are two different sizes. Leave hoods and padded layers for winter. A costume polyester that does not breathe is fine for a photo and wrong for a walk.
Look for a sleeveless or short cut under the arms so the dog can move and air can get in. Check the belly cut. A shirt that hangs low at the front gets wet at every toilet stop, which is why ours sit higher at the front than the back.
Finally, check how it washes. Summer shirts come home sandy and drooled on. Ours go in the machine on cold, inside out, and dry on the line.
Sizing summer clothes for Australian breeds
Measure the widest part of the chest, just behind the front legs, and match it to the chart. If your dog sits between two sizes, size up. A snug summer shirt holds heat and a slightly loose one lets air move.
| Size | Chest | Usual breeds |
|---|---|---|
| XS | 39–49 cm | Chihuahua, toy breeds |
| S | 49–57 cm | Pug, small Cavoodle |
| M | 57–67 cm | French Bulldog, Cavoodle |
| L | 65–75 cm | Staffy, chunky French Bulldog |
| XL | 73–83 cm | American Staffy, Labrador |
| XXL | 81–91 cm | Larger bull breeds |
Chester, our brindle French Bulldog, wears a medium. Fergus, the chocolate and tan Frenchie with the bigger chest, wears a large. Rosie the Cavoodle is a small. The full breed list is on our dog shirt size by breed page, and every shirt page has a breed picker that sets the size for you.
Heat rules no shirt replaces
A shirt is the smallest part of keeping a dog safe in an Australian summer. Walk early or after dark. Put the back of your hand on the footpath for five seconds, and if you cannot hold it there, your dog's paws cannot either. Carry water. Never leave a dog in a parked car, even for a few minutes with the windows down. Watch for heavy panting, a wide tongue, drooling and slowing down, and stop the walk the moment you see them.
Flat-faced dogs and dark-coated dogs heat up fastest. Dogs with pink noses, white coats and thin bellies burn fastest, and yes, dogs can get sunburn. If you want a number for when to skip the walk entirely, our guide to when it is too hot to walk your dog in Australia has one.
Shop the look
Three summer picks, all designed in Brisbane.
Flamingo Splash dog shirt, from $28.95. Pink flamingos and margaritas on blue, 190gsm stretch cotton. Chester wears a medium, Fergus a large.
Heart Explosion dog cooling shirt, from $29.95. Pink mesh covered in orange, blue, yellow and green hearts. Soak it, wring it, slip it on. The Staffy in the photos wears a large.
Red Gingham UPF 50 dog rash shirt, from $33.95. Our own red check on a UPF 50 rash shirt made with recycled material. Sizes XS to XXL, and it pairs with the matching human swim shorts.
From 19 to 30 November everything on the site is 40% off for Black Friday. The discount applies itself at checkout, so there is no code.
Dog summer clothes questions we get asked
Will a shirt make my dog hotter? A dry cotton shirt on a dog resting in the shade adds a thin layer, so take it off if your dog is already panting. On a walk in full sun it shades the skin. A wet cooling shirt cools; a dry one does not.
What should a French Bulldog wear in summer? A size medium cotton shirt for shade on short walks, and a cooling shirt, soaked and wrung out, for hot afternoons. Size up to a large if your Frenchie is the chunky kind.
Can my dog wear a rash shirt all day? At the beach, yes, and take it off once you are home and the dog is dry. It is built for sun on wet skin. The cotton shirt is the one for every other day.
How do I wash summer dog clothes? Machine wash cold, inside out for the printed cotton, and air dry. Rinse a rash shirt in fresh water after salt or chlorine.
Ready to dress your dog for the heat? Start with the dog shirts collection, pick your breed on the shirt page and let it set the size.