Drying

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Shalista
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Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:04 pm

Drying

Post by Shalista »

Is it.... mandatory? Bax tolerates his baths (barely) and thanks to raw feeding he doesnt get as greasy as he used to so I don't have to do it often. (only when he rolls in something nasty now).

He absolutely abhors getting dried though. (I use a towel). Is there some reason that he'd have to be dried? I mean i do it so he's not dripping but then i just let him run to air dry. Is that okay?
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
JudyN
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Re: Drying

Post by JudyN »

What temperature is your home at usually? Jasper doesn't get dried if he wallows in a pond on walks but dries off on the rest of the walk. But I do towel him down when we get home if it's been raining - he really enjoys it though. I prefer for him not to lie down & sleep while he's still wet as he has a tendency to stiffen up anyway, but I'd guess it's fine for Bax to air dry if it's not cold in the house and if you can keep him moving.

But I wonder if you could get him more accepting of being towelled down? What's he like if you make similar rubbing movements with your bare hands? Can you turn it into a nice scratch? Then you could do that while holding a flannel, and then sort of groom him with the flannel as if it was a brush... and so on. Or get him used to having a small towel lying over him like a blanket, or play pee po with it... gradually increase contact that way.

You can get super-absorbent microfibre towels that might make it easy - you might just need to give him a quick wipe, then treat, and gradually increase the time you wipe for.

Jasper can dry himself quite effectively by squeezing all the way between my legs :roll: Ummm, maybe you could sit on the floor with your knees bent up and teach him to run under them, reducing the space. Or construct a small tunnel lined with absorbent material... OK, I'm just brainstorming now, but you get the drift :lol:
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Erica
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Re: Drying

Post by Erica »

Similar problem with Delta, but with the force dryer rather than the towel. I used to be able to dry only his back and haunches with the dryer, but this past time I was able to dry his back, legs, tail, tummy, shoulders, neck, and even the top of his head a bit. :) I just make it a point to have really really good treats (in Delta's opinion - kibble or dried organ). I just did a little, treat, did a little, treat. At first I only did about three minutes of feeding treats with one hand while doing two-second strokes of air with the other, which barely even put a dent in absorbant poodle fur, but now I can mostly dry him off (which takes about 20-30 minutes or more with breaks for treats every 5ish minutes).

The cavaliers get wet often (being so low to the ground) and, since I don't lug my force dryer over every time it rains, they just get towel dried. I also just stick a very absorbent towel in their room with them afterwards and they choose to lay on that, which does help passively dry them off. If you can get him to cuddle a towel that might be helpful.

As far as I know, with a short coated dog it shouldn't be an issue if he's kept warm and dries off fairly quickly. Long/plush coated dogs should be dried to avoid fungal/bacterial infections and hotspots and the like.
Delta, standard poodle, born 6/30/14
Shalista
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Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:04 pm

Re: Drying

Post by Shalista »

I've tried desensitising to the towel but he's soooo amped up post bath I have difficulty getting him interested in sitting still long enough. Also his excitement post bath translates into a bit of fear i think (he really isn't fond of baths) which leads to extra shyness. He's usually pretty good about towels when I wipe him down after hes been out and muddy outside. It's just post both when he's all zoomie.

I like the idea of more absorbent towels for him to make it faster.

this is what he did post bath last time. Image

those are scratch marks where he tried to dig a hole through my bed. Absolutely no food or toys are allowed on the bed so it's not like there was something worth getting there. He just gets super crazy post bath >.<
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
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Nettle
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Re: Drying

Post by Nettle »

Will he wear a coat? You can get dog coats made of the microfibre, or you can stitch a towel into a coat shape and make a velcro-fastening belt to hold it on.. Just put the coat on the dog and it dries without towelling. Post-bath zoomies optional!
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

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Shalista
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Re: Drying

Post by Shalista »

lol bax in a doggy bath robe :lol: he usually got pretty zoomie when he wore his thundershirt but he doesnt mind his harness so maybe something light? hmmmmmmmmmmmmm i like this idea :D
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
Annabellam
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Re: Drying

Post by Annabellam »

Shalista wrote:lol bax in a doggy bath robe :lol: he usually got pretty zoomie when he wore his thundershirt but he doesnt mind his harness so maybe something light? hmmmmmmmmmmmmm i like this idea :D
I think it's a great idea too. I should try that with my fur baby and see how he would react. :D
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