Hill,
Not sure what kind of dog you have but we have a lab and she always manages to find some shade somewhere in the boat on hot days. It could be up against one side or the other of the bow bench seating or even on the seat depending on the direction of the sun. Sometimes she gets under or around or between the Captain’s seat and the helm. What we do make sure of is we keep her wet on hot days by using one of these....
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It works great and my dog loves it!
If you have a small dog maybe just spanning a large beach towel across the forward seating so your pooch can get underneath on the floor...just a thought.
Dan