So Spoiled

I have talked before about how much I love HV drying dogs, and what a great tool it is for groomers.

I have also talked before about how stubborn I was to start using them.

I still kick myself for not trying them back around 1985, when I saw one of the first  HV dryers at Intergroom.

I vividly remember my reaction when that salesmen at the booth told me to put my hand in front of the hose he was holding.

I put my hand in front of that airflow and it jerked my hand back so forcefully that I my first thought was that there was no why in he** I was going to use that cruel thing on a dog.

It was loud, and all I could envision was, a little Yorkie sailing off the table and across the room as soon as the air hit the dog.

I mean, I was really against those dryers.

Sadly, I spent the next 13 years killing my wrists by hand drying with a stand dryer.

Thankfully my thinking changed after a grooming seminar where the speaker showed, in detail, how to use a HV dryer.

It also helped that two groomers sitting behind me were also singing the praises of the HV dryer.

I bought my first HV dryer at that very same grooming Expo in 1998.

I have been hooked ever since.

There have been a few dogs over the years that will not tolerate the HV dryer, even on a very low setting.

They have all been small to medium size dogs, so it has not really been a big deal to dry them by hand with a small hand dryer.

I don't do stand dryers.

Hate um!

Unfortunately, one of my worst fears have come true.

I have a Standard Poodle that we have been grooming for about 10 years.

He is now 13 years old and very unsteady on his feet.

Late last year he suddenly freaked out while being HV dried.

I have to say, it is very scary when a very large Standard Poodle suddenly has what I call a 'dryer seizure.'

I grabbed him off of the drying table and immediately carried him out of the grooming, room into the lobby, and headed for the front door.

As soon as the outside air hit him he stopped fussing and screaming.

I put him back on my grooming table and spent about 10 or 15 minutes petting him and calming myself down.

I hate those dryer seizures.  :(

That day I finished him up with the small hand dryer.

He was already 3/4 of the way dry.

The next time he came in for a grooming, I debated about trying the HV again.

For 10 years this dog had never had a problem with the HV dryer.

This was also a Standard Poodle with thick hair and he gets a Lamb cut in the summer and a long Puppy Cut in the winter.

The thought of hand drying that dog with a hand dryer and brush made my wrists hurt just thinking about it.

So I packed his ears with cotton and used the Happy Hoodie to try to HV dry him again.

I also only turned the HV dryer up only half way.

It worked.

He got through the drying just fine.

The next time he came in I packed his ears with cotton again and used the Happy Hoodie like before.

Each time I was watching very closely for early signs of having one of those dryer seizures.

I got one leg dry when he suddenly started to stiffen and whine a little.

I turned the dryer off just in time, before he went into a full blown dryer seizure.

Today I didn't even try the HV drier.

It has been my experience that once a dog has a drier seizure, you can rarely ever use the HV dryer on them again.

Since he got upset after only drying one leg last time I didn't even want to take a chance this time.

OMG am I spoiled!

How did I do without a HV dryer for so long?

I dried the Standard with a magnet towel and also rubbed him down good with a regular towel.

Then I wrapped him in a large towel and put him in his kennel, on two more towels, to try to soak up as much water off of him as possible before I started drying.

 I started drying him by hand.

*Sob*

I know, I know.

I guess some groomers would say; "why not just kennel dry the dog?"

Because.....

I AM SPOILED!!!!!!!!!

I can't even imagine scissoring a Puppy Cut on a kennel dried Standard Poodle.

I must have my Poodles hair blown as straight as possible so I can scissor a nice finish.

 45 minutes later!

We did take a couple of breaks, as much for my wrists as for the dog.

I could have had him totally dry in 20 minutes with the HV.

He also would have been a heck of a lot straighter and fluffier too.

About a month ago I saw a question on one of the grooming forums.

The groomer asked; what dryer did groomers like using for fluff drying?

Or something like that.

I was a little surprised at how many groomers said that they felt the only way to get the hair nice and straight was by hand drying with a stand dryer.

Some groomers talked about only using the HV to get the water off of the dog, and that the HV could tangle up the hair.

I use the HV to totally fluff dry my dogs most of the time.

I used my hand dryer for touch up drying, and drying parts of the dog that they would not let my use the HV on.

I rarely ever use this part of the hose.

I have found that the force of the air coming out of the pointy regulator, and the noise that it creates, really scares a lot of dogs.

The only thing that I find it good for is blowing excess water off of large, hairy dogs.

It is also very important to hold this tool well away from the dog.

I love using the fat part of the hose.

It is much more gentle feeling on the dog.

It rarely tangles the hair.

Even long hair.

 

 When put up right against the skin, it does a fantastic job of straightening the hair while drying.

 If you have a dog that has really stubbornly curly hair, just slow the movement of the hose.

Instead of running the hose back and forth quickly while drying, slow down and use circular movements, holding the dryer in one area for about 10 or 20 seconds before moving on to the next area.

Look how nice and straight that hair is....without using a brush.  :)

Look at that nice fluffy coat, and I haven't even brushed it yet.

 Boy, I missed using my HV on that Standard today.

Well, at least I have 7 weeks before I have to hand dry him again. :)

Happy Grooming, MFF