Drying your poodle's coat after bathing is not a very difficult process, but it will take some practice to be able to take extra care to prevent accidental burns or clumping of the coat. As long as you stay patient and do it thoroughly, your dog shouldn't have any problems.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Final Steps When Bathing
Step 1. Rinse thoroughly
Use warm water to rinse off all the shampoo residue. If there is still shampoo on your dog's coat when you blow dry it, it will dry out and irritate the skin.
- Make sure that the water is warm, not hot.
- Since the poodle's coat is very dense, it will take a long time for the water to completely wet it. It's important that you don't rush through this process, and patiently make sure that all of the shampoo has been removed from your dog's coat before moving on to the next step.
- Don't spray the poodle's eyes with water, and don't let the foam splash into their eyes. You might consider protecting your poodle's eyes by applying a thin layer of petroleum jelly or mineral oil around their outer eye circles.
- You may need to twist your poodle's hair while rinsing it, so that all the shampoo residue is completely rinsed off.
Step 2. Consider using a conditioner
After bathing your poodle with water and dog shampoo, consider applying dog conditioner to the coat as well. Conditioner will improve the health of your dog's coat and make the drying process easier later on.
- Follow dog conditioner guidelines for proper use. There are types of conditioner that need to be left alone, there are also those that need to be rinsed with water.
- You can also choose to spray an anti-wrinkle agent, in addition to conditioner. A tangle-free material won't provide the same health benefits for a poodle's coat, but it will still make drying and combing easier later on.
Step 3. Unravel any tangled clumps with a comb
Gently brush your poodle's wet hair with a special wire brush for dogs which is good for untangling any areas that are tangled in the bath.
- A wire brush is a type of dog brush that has thin metal teeth attached to a foam or rubber base. The design of this type of brush makes it easier to use to untangle and remove clumps of dead bristles.
- Note that you can also use a wide-toothed plastic comb at this step. This type of comb will help you get rid of large clumps of tangles, but won't be able to remove small clumps of tangles like the wire brush can.
Part 2 of 3: Drying Poodles
Step 1. Squeeze the bristles to remove any remaining water adhering to them
Squeeze as much water out of your poodle as possible by gently squeezing the coat with your hands.
- Focus on the dog's tail and paws. Most of the residual water will collect in these sections, so most of the residual water that you need to get rid of in this step is located in these sections as well.
- Squeeze gently. Never pinch a dog's skin, and don't press too hard on the dog's tail or paws. Also, avoid pulling the bristles when you squeeze.
Step 2. Dry your dog with a towel
Cover the dog's body with a soft towel. Rub and pat to absorb as much of the wetness from the dog's coat as possible with this towel.
- Towels should be large enough to cover the dog's body and made of a material that absorbs water, such as terry.
- Since poodles have dense, dense coats, you need to pat the towel dry, not vigorously rubbing it. If you rub too vigorously, the hair will tangle and clump together, making it more difficult to comb during the drying process.
- When drying your dog's fur with a towel, check both ears. Lightly pat to dry any visibly wet areas inside the poodle's ears. If you leave the inside of the ear wet, it may easily lead to a painful infection.
Step 3. Let your dog shake him
If you've been preventing your dog from rocking because you're worried he'll splash water all over the place, now's the time to drop that rule and let your dog shake him.
- Most dogs will shake their bodies to get rid of any remaining water that has soaked them, right after the bath is over, or even while the bath is still in progress. Try to prevent your dog from doing it during these times, to reduce the risk of it splashing the area being used.
- However, since rocking is completely natural, it's recommended that you allow the poodle to do so after drying its coat with a towel and removing as much water as possible. Shaking your dog will make him feel better, and will indeed help to make his body dry faster overall.
Step 4. Dry your poodle with a hairdryer on a low temperature
Set the hairdryer to the lowest possible temperature and keep it at half an arm's length from the dog's fur. Dry your poodle's coat with this hairdryer, while maintaining the proper temperature and spacing throughout the entire process.
- If possible, use a hairdryer specifically designed for dogs and other pets. These specialized tools have less risk of causing burns than human hair dryers. But if necessary, you can still use a human hair dryer, as long as you set it to a low temperature.
- Your poodle is better dried in a hairdryer than just aerated. Allowing the dog to dry on its own will increase the number of clumps that form.
- If you choose to just aerate your poodle, be aware that the coat will dry in tiny curly rings. The only way to make the hair fluffy without tangling is to blow dry it with a hairdryer.
Step 5. Brush the bristles while drying
When you blow dry your poodle's coat, you should do so while brushing off any tangles and clumps with a wire brush.
- If you don't blow dry and brush at the same time, your dog's coat will clump even more because of the air pressure from the blow dryer. These clumps of tangles will be harder to untangle once the fur is dry than it is while drying is still going on.
- Brushing the poodle's coat while drying it will also help to make it softer and more fluffy.
Step 6. Work carefully
If you're careless, you could burn or hurt the poodle while drying its coat. However, as long as you continue to work with the process attentively, this dog will be in perfect shape and fine once it's all over.
- Don't let the hair dryer get too close to your dog's skin, even if you set it to a low temperature. Poodles' skin is too sensitive to heat, and even setting a low temperature on a hairdryer can burn or irritate the skin.
- Never point the blow dryer at the poodle's face. Better to dry his face with a towel, or let it dry on its own. This dog's facial skin is particularly sensitive to heat and prone to burns.
- If you use an automatic dryer that is suspended from a caged or leashed dog, check the temperature before pointing it at the poodle. Observe the dog again every 5-10 minutes, to make sure that he is still safe and not suffering from the heat.
Part 3 of 3: After Dry
Step 1. Brush the bristles to remove any remaining clumps of tangles
Once the poodle is completely dry, take a few minutes to brush its coat to remove any clumps of tangles that may have been missed during the drying process. Just as before, use a wire brush for best results.
Step 2. Groom your poodle's coat between baths
Good coat care will make bathing and drying easier later. The most important thing you need to do is brush your dog's coat regularly.
- Brush your poodle's fur at least twice a week, or more often.
- Brushing your dog's coat regularly will allow the natural oils produced by the dog's skin to be evenly distributed throughout the coat, keeping the coat healthy. This will also prevent tangles and clumps, which if left too severe can become more painful for the dog.
- Between bathing schedules, brush the poodle's fur with a natural toothbrush, especially the areas with longer hair. Use a wire brush afterwards, to pull out and remove any tangled clumps and dead hairs. You can use a comb to comb through the dog's hair after all this, to find any clumps of tangles left behind.
