Many people love a cold drink on a hot day, be it lemonade, beer, or just a big, cool glass of water. However, our pets are usually limited to bowls of tap water that are at room temperature, so should we give them cold water too, especially on a scorching hot summer day?

For dogs and humans, water is life

A healthy dog’s body temperature is between 37.5 and 39.5 degrees Celsius, says Kaitlyn Krebs, a veterinarian and assistant professor of primary care clinical practice at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. When it’s hot, our canine friends have a few ways to lower their body temperature. “Dogs cool down by panting, and they also sweat through their paws, which are pretty inefficient methods of cooling down,” says Krebs. Reverse.

Drinking water is another way for dogs to cool down when they’re hot, which is why it’s important that dogs have access to water on hot days — otherwise they can overheat and potentially suffer from heat stroke. But Krebs says that in this case, the presence of water is much more important than the water temperature, as long as it’s not scalding hot. “I would say room temperature water is perfectly fine, as long as your dog can stay hydrated,” Krebs says. “Having access to fresh water at all times is important.”

If you have a water bowl that sits outside, especially a metal one, Krebs advises keeping an eye on it and replacing it regularly. A scorching sun can heat up the metal bowl and therefore the water, so you should be careful not to let the water get too hot. Ultimately, water availability is more important to your dog’s health than water temperature.

What temperature water dogs preferResearch is quite limited. A 2005 article in the journal Recent advances in animal nutrition in Australia A study with 11 dogs of different breeds found that the dogs showed a clear preference for the cooler bowl when they had access to bowls of different temperatures throughout the day.

A simple trick to get your puppy to drink water

If you’re having trouble keeping your dog hydrated, Krebs has a trick.

“For example, putting ice in water also allows dogs to drink more, which helps them stay hydrated,” says Krebs. She says she sometimes gives her two giant Labradors ice to play with when it’s particularly hot outside. The more they play with ice, the more hydrated they get, which keeps them healthier in the hot summer sun. And if your dog has a preference for cold water, he may drink more, which keeps him healthy.

A fresh bowl of clean water is the most important thing, and your dog is unlikely to become a water snob even if you open the most expensive bottle you can find. But if you conduct your own experiment, you may be surprised to find that your dog likes chilled drinks too.