# To blow-dry train or not



## Nissa M (Nov 3, 2014)

Hey all- We tried using a friend's dog dryer at the cottage this past weekend so that Pai could dry off a little faster and boy, he really would not have it. I ended up just towelling him off and sitting outside with him to eat my dinner, stopping every now and again to towel him some more (no soaking wet dogs in the cabin rule) :/ His discomfort is understandable to me, as he knows nothing of dryers beyond that I use them occasionally myself. And although he's generally cooperative, he doesn't like what he doesn't like and I do need his buy-in when doing stuff to his body. I've worked with him since puppyhood at nail trimming and brushing, and introduced him to baths early on as well. In situations like these, it would deb great for him to voluntarily stand while we dry him should this be necessary in the future. 

Do you all use blowdryers on your (long haired) dogs? Anyone have any luck getting dogs comfortable with being dried with a dryer in adulthood? We're pretty low maintenance, so I wonder if maybe this a battle not worth fighting and we should just stick to the tried and true towelling method forever ?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Chester is short haired but has thick fur that does take awhile to dry. He only gets bathed 2-3 times per year, but i taught him to be okay with a hair dryer (on the low heat setting) basically by the usual trick of treats plus short sessions at first. He doesn't need to be dried in summer but if he gets wet in the cold or if he's going into someone else's house after a rain etc, its useful for sure. Its nice to have him dry when i leave the self service grooming at the pet store before he gets in the car.
He's not a spooky dog though, so while he wasn't thrilled by the dryer at first, he wasn't panicked either. Just tried to move away mainly. Now he flops on his side for it.
It came in heck of useful when a few year ago, he was hiking with my dad and fell through the ice into a lake. Dad rushed him to the house and immediately started drying him off with a low-warm hair dryer and it really helped him stop shivering and warm up well. Yeah, he would have been fine getting towel dried off in a warm house but his comfort level was better and his panic from landing in the lake reduced as he thawed out. Even just that if my dad had tried to dry him with the blow dryer and Chester had panicked, it would have scared both of them more in an already stressful time.


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

yes have a blower,,, it's great to mist the double coated dogs up and blow the undercoat completely out.. so the dogs have been around the blower and the shop vac all their lives to not think anything of it... I would try having it turned on but not using it on them turning it off and treating.. leaving it laying around in a common room.. always cup over their ears when getting close to to the face.. something I'm always worried about is the dogs turning their head into the direction of the blower and blowing an ear drum out... When you do use it for short sessions... I find dogs don't mind starting towards the middle to back areas.. more sensitive in the front areas to work your way up too.. things like that on where to start for your own individual...


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## Nissa M (Nov 3, 2014)

Thanks both, sounds like it's worth training for. I grew up with farm dogs who were only ever bathed when they were sprayed by skunks and no one in my family even owned a blow dryer. It's all new  No longer on the farm though and the pup's having his first big shed, so I'd love to be free to blow it all out and away! Maybe I'll start with my own dryer here again with something delicious and see how that goes. After that, the pet store dryer maybe..


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## ForTheLoveOfDogs (Jun 3, 2007)

Force dryers are my best friend. I work in grooming and so both of my dogs from puppyhood have learned that they are getting dried whether they like it or not. It blows out the undercoat and makes it easier to brush. Plus it makes them super fluffy! 

Kairi has always hated my dryer and WILL bite at it (a very common occurrence in herding breeds!). With lots of cookies, she has finally learned to "leave it" and tolerate it for a short period of time as long as she gets cookies every minute. Ember has never cared for it either, but has tolerated it better each time. Most dogs usually learn to tolerate it. Just take it slow, start out on low, and give lots of cookies!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

We do baths at a self-service dog wash place, so they have a dryer there. I do use it, and my dogs don't like it, but they deal. I don't dry until they are fully dry though - it would take forever (and I'm paying by the minute) and they don't need it. I just get off the bulk of the water so they aren't dripping wet.


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## Nissa M (Nov 3, 2014)

elrohwen said:


> We do baths at a self-service dog wash place, so they have a dryer there. I do use it, and my dogs don't like it, but they deal. I don't dry until they are fully dry though - it would take forever (and I'm paying by the minute) and they don't need it. I just get off the bulk of the water so they aren't dripping wet.


Do Welshies have undercoats?


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## Nissa M (Nov 3, 2014)

So holding a dog, giving cookies and blow drying seems like it requires a lot more hands than just I have? Tell me you guys have help with this.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Nissa M said:


> Do Welshies have undercoats?


Yes, but it's fairly minimal and no where near the level of most double coated dogs. I don't notice the dryer making any difference there and I strip most of it out with various brushes/tools after they air dry. Spay/neuter tends to puff up the undercoat a lot in dogs with this coat type.

ETA: And yes, my husband helps by holding the dog and towel drying while I blow dry. They are also in a metal tub and clipped in by their collars, not loose on the floor.


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## Nissa M (Nov 3, 2014)

elrohwen said:


> Yes, but it's fairly minimal and no where near the level of most double coated dogs. I don't notice the dryer making any difference there and I strip most of it out with various brushes/tools after they air dry. Spay/neuter tends to puff up the undercoat a lot in dogs with this coat type.
> 
> ETA: And yes, my husband helps by holding the dog and towel drying while I blow dry. They are also in a metal tub and clipped in by their collars, not loose on the floor.


When we were looking for houses back in April/May we actually saw one with a mudroom that was designed for a big dog. It had a large, raised metal tub a with a door and steps. In the mudroom! It was amazing. Unfortunately also had issues with the foundation so we didn't make an offer but gave me some great ideas and something to look forward to one day. Right now we use the upstairs tub and it's total chaos when we're done, because outside is a floor away and on the opposite side of the house. Yikes.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Nissa M said:


> When we were looking for houses back in April/May we actually saw one with a mudroom that was designed for a big dog. It had a large, raised metal tub a with a door and steps. In the mudroom! It was amazing. Unfortunately also had issues with the foundation so we didn't make an offer but gave me some great ideas and something to look forward to one day. Right now we use the upstairs tub and it's total chaos when we're done, because outside is a floor away and on the opposite side of the house. Yikes.


I hope we can do something like that in our next house. It would be so awesome and we will probably be too far away from a self-service grooming station. Our current basement doesn't have any floor drains, so there's no way to add in a sink down there, but my husband is excited about adding it next house if possible. Basically take out a utility sink and add in a dog wash station.


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

no help you train for what you need in parts..... standing on a grooming table you start training teaching a pup or a dog to stand on the floor our outside for brushing.... put peanut butter on your fridge and let them focus liking it off lol while your brushing them out.. standing to be groomed can be down every day.. jump on a coffee table stand there... they get up into the vehicle all the time, they stand for exam at the vet office on a table... but you think about all the individual skills you need for grooming and pick them apart and work at them.. good thing is you know what you need so when your training for an exact out come you know when to reward.... short training sessions... jump up on a table.. treat and let them jump down... stand treat, release them... stand still longer and longer and longer as you go.... turn the blower on and turn it off reward... turn the blower on let a little touch them in a less sensitive area... turn it off and always go on to other things,, toss a toy for them to get and carry around with them ... I knew I was going to show my GSD's so their training started off knowing where we were going from puppyhood with the standing and grooming table...... exposed to the noses from the start watching other dogs doing it on the back deck... You don't have to do everything only when you need it... you train when you don't need it so you can relax about it , not be in a rush or pressure over it... keep it fun and stay focus on what the dog needs to enjoy the learning process to want to do it again... and even be tolerant when they feel uncomfortable about going to a new level....


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## ForTheLoveOfDogs (Jun 3, 2007)

Mine stands on a grooming table with a grooming loop around her neck. Most dogs are restrained by something when blow dried which would help free up some hands.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

ForTheLoveOfDogs said:


> Mine stands on a grooming table with a grooming loop around her neck. Most dogs are restrained by something when blow dried which would help free up some hands.


I pretty much can't do anything without a grooming table. It's one of the best purchases I've made. I even use it for the rabbits to do brushing and nails.


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## Nissa M (Nov 3, 2014)

PatriciafromCO said:


> no help you train for what you need in parts..... standing on a grooming table you start training teaching a pup or a dog to stand on the floor our outside for brushing.... put peanut butter on your fridge and let them focus liking it off lol while your brushing them out.. standing to be groomed can be down every day.. jump on a coffee table stand there... they get up into the vehicle all the time, they stand for exam at the vet office on a table... but you think about all the individual skills you need for grooming and pick them apart and work at them.. good thing is you know what you need so when your training for an exact out come you know when to reward.... short training sessions... jump up on a table.. treat and let them jump down... stand treat, release them... stand still longer and longer and longer as you go.... turn the blower on and turn it off reward... turn the blower on let a little touch them in a less sensitive area... turn it off and always go on to other things,, toss a toy for them to get and carry around with them ... I knew I was going to show my GSD's so their training started off knowing where we were going from puppyhood with the standing and grooming table...... exposed to the noses from the start watching other dogs doing it on the back deck...  You don't have to do everything only when you need it... you train when you don't need it so you can relax about it , not be in a rush or pressure over it... keep it fun and stay focus on what the dog needs to enjoy the learning process to want to do it again... and even be tolerant when they feel uncomfortable about going to a new level....


This is really good advice. In my work (with people) we call it 'task breakdown', the idea that you break down a complex task into component parts and work on each individually. Also helps to figure out where the task as a whole is actually breaking down and where requires a little more time/reinforcement.

Also I love the idea of peanut butter on the fridge!!! I'm going to do that today so I can brush all the burrs out of his hind legs after our walk, without needing DH to help for once


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## samshine (Mar 11, 2011)

I have a ton of tips for getting a dog to accept the dryer. I've even thought about making a tutorial video, well if I knew anything about making videos LOL. 

I always start at the back end of the dog. Gives them time to acclimate before you get to the scary parts towards the head. Always start the air in an area the dog considers safe and move gradually towards tricky spots. If they are nervous, take off the concentrator nozzle. Not only is it less strong, but the pitch of the noise changes. Sometimes it's that pitch of noise they don't like. Try putting cotton in their ears. That helps with the noise, and also with the fear of getting air blown into their ears. When a dog is good with the dryer I usually flick it in stripes or circles, but a nervous dog does better if you move the airstream very slowly and gradually. If the dog is good with the nozzle on, I still always remove it before drying the head and under the tail. Sometimes a dog will do better drying the head and neck (with nozzle off) if you put the end of the hose right down on their skin. Seems strange but can work. There are less air currents floating around making them nervous I think. When you get to the head, as much as possible have the air coming from behind the dog's head instead of from the front. To protect the ears, fold the leathers down tight over the ear canal, or pinch the canal shut at the base, or with a small dog cover the ear canal with your thumb. Some dogs also hate the air in their eyes so try and cover those with your hand too. Of course, with most dogs you don't really need to dry the face.  

With some dryers, having the nozzle off will dramatically increase the temperature of the air coming out. That can be very useful but test it on your own hand periodically. When you have that hose end right down to the skin, you need to keep it moving so you don't get the skin uncomfortably warm. But if the coat is still fairly damp, it's not going to get too hot. 

At our grooming shop, we can use the super strong K-II dryers on about 98% of the dogs with some careful acclimating.


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## roxieyap (Jun 8, 2015)

I always work with an extra pair of hands when I bathe my dog, Fluffy. One to hold her, while I operate the dryer. It spooked her the first few times but eventually she got used to it. Especially with the treats that come with good behavior!


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## AllisonH17 (Jun 27, 2015)

Putting cotton balls in a dogs ear should always be done with extreme caution. It can trap water and cause an infection. Not worth the hassle at all.


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## Margot49 (Oct 2, 2015)

Grooming table or a surface you can stand the dog on. Grooming arm that attaches to the table!


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## samshine (Mar 11, 2011)

AllisonH17 said:


> Putting cotton balls in a dogs ear should always be done with extreme caution. It can trap water and cause an infection. Not worth the hassle at all.


Have you ever seen a dog piss or poop on themselves, or blow their anal glands because they are terrified of the blow dryer? It can and does happen. If a dog is fearful and panicked by the blower and cotton balls lessen that fear, I will do it in a heartbeat. If using cotton balls in the ears during a bath means the dog lets me wash their head without fighting tooth and nail then I will use them. It's a kindness to the dog to make the experience as tolerable as possible. 

Of course it goes without saying that you need to remember to remove them when you are done.


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## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

samshine said:


> Have you ever seen a dog piss or poop on themselves, or blow their anal glands because they are terrified of the blow dryer? It can and does happen. If a dog is fearful and panicked by the blower and cotton balls lessen that fear, I will do it in a heartbeat. If using cotton balls in the ears during a bath means the dog lets me wash their head without fighting tooth and nail then I will use them. It's a kindness to the dog to make the experience as tolerable as possible.
> 
> Of course it goes without saying that you need to remember to remove them when you are done.


I use cotton balls here for baths as well yo keep water out of ears and to reduce infections and such.

But if water does get into ears, there are drying powders and solutions made for drying out the ears.


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