Water vacuum to shorten drying time
First of, I want to mention that my dog is a Tibetan Terrier and not an OES, but since passerby always compliment my “baby bobtail”, I though I'd go to the experts of furry beasts with my questions. Also, English is not my first language, so hope you can understand me. I'm always looking for ways to reduce grooming time for my mud loving ball of fur and I just finished reading French groomer's, Michel Georgel, book “Le toilettage au bout des doigts”, I don't believe there's an English version. Mr Georgel recommends using a “water vacuum” (aspirateur à eau) in conjunction with a stand dryer to shorten drying time. You can find one at http://www.dogs-cats.com/watervacuum.html. You can also see a glimpse of the technique 6:15 minutes in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37CswxBZ-rM. Has anyone ever used one? Or heard of such an equipment? The principle is simple, while the forced air of the high velocity dryer pushes the water of the coat (and shoots it all over the room), the water vacuum (placed at the tip of the hair) pulls the water of the coat and neatly stores it in a container, also hair does not get entangled and their is no risk of burning the dog's skin. At the same time the stand dryer creates air movement that accelerate evaporation. Using this method, he says he can dry a full coated show Maltese in 14 minutes. How many Maltese to equal an OES? The water vacuum I found is not compatible with North American electricity, well I could always have a special outlet put in, I know of cappuccino passionate who've done it... but I'm looking for a simpler solution. I'm thinking of using a shopvac but can't decide on the appropriate force: I want to dry my dog not strip him!! Anyone has a suggestion? I know Shopvac can be noisy, so I've also found a plan for a box to muffle the sound. Mr. Georgel also recommends using reverse osmosis water for the final rinse. I've tried it and I believe it does shorten drying time... we'll my experimental group amounts to one and my control group is nil, so my observations are not very reliable... If you try it, please let me know. |
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| Well, I plunged in and bought a small wet-dry vacuum to try the water vacuum drying technique. I first used it on my own hair, just to be safe and adjust power. If anyone wants to try Michel Georgel technique here is what I did: 1. After my dog’s bath, I squeezed excess water out with my hands. (I may skip this step next time.) 2. With the dog still in the bathtub, using a rather fine tip nozzle (I’ll try without the nozzle next time), I placed a finger in front of the opening to prevent suction of the skin. I passed the vacuum all over his body, avoiding the head. I’d say it removes at least 75 % of water. So, it’s more of a pre-drying at this point. 3. Then up on the grooming table. The dog laying on his side, I placed the stand dryer behind the table. With the vacuum hose in one hand – no nozzle, I used my other hand to guide the strands of hair toward the hose opening, staying at the tip of the hair – maybe a bit closer in. 4. I moved around trying to keep the level of moisture uniform all over the fur. I wanted to avoid capillary action that would cause any dry area becoming wet again. My table can swivel so I turned it as needed to keep the stand dryer and vacuum working on the same area. 5. I stopped when the coat was about 95 % dry and continued with the stand dryer alone. At this point I pulled out my brushes and combs and « styled » his coat. 6. One side done, up to the next. Oh ! The time I (we) saved !! I’m hooked, I won’t do it any other way. The step 2 pre-dry is what made all the difference for me, even better than my Absorber chamois and no wringing out... again and again. Next time, I may put him in his drying coat after step 2 pre-dry and let him run around like mad around the house and then rest for up to one hour. I just fear it may make the fur lay too flat. We’ll see how it turns out. If anyone tries it, I’d like to know your impressions. It’s a technique gaining popularity in Europe where electricity rates are higher. I liked it for the time saving, so did my furball, and his coat looks great. |
| Well, it sure sounds like a good idea? |
This is s novel concept. And, it seems to work. I have rarely bathed Charm, as she stays pristine like the Queen she is  So I don't have the blowers, tubs, etc for use. However, our McCartney is a whole other story. He's always a mess, getting a partial bath on a regular basis. My problem is drying. Soooooo, your system is intriguing to say the least.  Thanks for sharing. |
| A wet vac would definitely remove water from the dog but wouldn't do much to fluff up the coat of an OES. If you blot the water off the dog with a towel and then use a high-volume dryer you can dry a dog fairly fast without water flying off the coat. |
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