Drying dogs and equipment used Heidi Anderton principal of Absolutely Animals and London School of Pet Grooming talks about drying dogs, the equipment used and the effect it can achieve. Heidi is a highly qualified and experienced industry expert as well as an award winning groomer and founder member of the British Isles Grooming Association.
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ll dogs will generally need to be dried after bathing in one way or another. The methods we use will depend on various factors – these will include, coat types and finishes required, skull shapes and any breathing issues, size, behaviour, health and any individual requirements.
Methods to dry dogs There are several methods to dry dogs available, each have their positive and negative points and each you will need to assess to the individual requirements of the dog you wish to dry including the desired finish. Ex, fluff or flat dried. Here are some: It is very important that you have the essential options above available to you as these options will benefit you in the salon to be able to dry all dogs no matter of coat, temperament or health.
Signs of stress in dogs Whining, barking, whimpering, shaking, urinating, defecating are all some common signs of stress in dogs exhibited in the salon. All the above drying methods can be found in grooming salons. Sometimes we can use a combination of the drying methods to suit the dog in question. For example: Blast body, towel dry legs and head. We all have our preferred methods of drying but sometimes these may not 26 | Total Grooming Magazine
suit the dog we are working with. If you notice any signs of stress due to drying it is prudent to stop what you are doing and change to another less intrusive or stressful method. Some dogs can be very sensitive to noise and velocity of the dryers and blasters that the simplest and quickest methods of drying will be towel drying or air drying with maybe a heat source (dryer) from a distance to produce enough heat without any feeling of velocity or noise to the dog. You could try using a happy hoodie to block the noise from the ears – dogs have much
more sensitive hearing than us and this method works most of the time.
Choosing the right equipment to dry dogs The drying equipment you choose will be down to personal preference and the space, the set up and budget which you have available to you. Shop around! Go to grooming shows or visit a local supplier and discuss all the options available to you. Feel the equipment, the quality, the weight, look at the advantages and the disadvantages. Will it fit your
