Dog dryers any good?
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| I don't know anything about the dog dryers, but I just use my hairdryer on its cool setting. I sometimes switch it to warm, and keep my hand in front to make sure it doesn't hurt them. It really works out well for us. My husband is the bather and then I have a big rug that we call the "grooming rug". I put it on the floor and the dogs (one at a time) will come and lay down for drying. I usually move around the blowdryer around a lot and get them most of the way dry before I start combing and then all the way dry to brush. They really seem to enjoy grooming and bath time, but we have done it that way ever since the were 8 weeks old so they are use to it now.
The dogs are currently sprawled out in front of the fireplace taking a nap with one of our cats, Berlioz' snuggled into their fur. They are picture perfect right now. Anyway, goodluck on the dog dryer, I am sure someone knows about them.  Stormi |
| Hi there, Jake went to the Groomers for the first time this week (I just want him to get used to going) for a wash and blowdry and the groomer used a Dog blaster on him - what a difference it makes compared to a hair dryer. It actually blows out any loose hair making grooming easier and takes less time. I think if you are grooming at home they would make such a difference. As for price and make I have absolutely no idea but I have attached a UK web site that sells them that may be of some use to you. Good Luck
http://www.hubintsecured.co.uk/acatalog ... ryers.html [Broken Link - page not found] |
| check the Davis Dryer site .They make a great force dryer we use them at the Pet Spa. I thought you could find a few sites and compare prices. I would also check new england serium company. and any other groming catalog.These dryer's can run a few hundred dollars. |
| Thanks for the tips, I have 2 sheepies you see and I groom them my self, so was looking for something to help them look as fluffy as possible. |
| I am just too cheap. I use a hair dryer. I paid a few hundred dollars for a good clipper, blades, brushes, and combs. And it has all paid itself off and then some. I pay to have my blades sharpenned and refurbished. And I have used the same hairdryer for 5 years. It is a cheap Connair. I usually put it on low as I brush.
If you have the money and space, I have heard that the professional ones are nice. A lot of them come with stands so you don't have to hold them as you brush. For now I will just suffer the cheap hairdryer. It is usually fairly hot down here, so Abbi loves to help out with the drying by ripping around the yard a couple of times. Any dirt generally dries and falls out later anyways. Abbi doesn't have a full coat, so I guess it isn't as important. I haven't groomed her today and several visitors commented on how pretty and soft she was, so I am happy. |
| Gaz & Cez, All,
I know this thread is a bit stale but I haven't been on forum.oes.org long so I'm still working through the topics and this is one somewhat "close to my heart". 
While they are an expensive initial outlay a good quality dog dryer is an excellent investment, both financially and effectively. I, like most, started out drying dogs, in my case Afghan Hounds, in my early teens with commonly available high power "human" hair dryers". In almost all respects 1200-1500 watt hair dryers are totally wrong for dogs. They are too hot, ergo the damage they cause to women's hair and more so to dogs because of the time involved, and their airflow is generally too high resulting in drying of the dog's skin and possibly low intensity burns. The other issue often overlooked is the noise level. It is easy to deal with high ambient noise levels for 10-15 minutes but when one considers the hours it takes to dry a fully coated Bobtail the noise becomes a significant stressor, for both you and more importantly your dog! Finally holding a dryer is very limiting and ultimately fatiguing. Combine all of this and it is not unusual for the dog or groomer to say enough is enough long before the job is thoroughly done!! 
Enter the stand mounted dog dryer.  There are several brands available and you need to investigate each for yourself to ensure you get the best combination of features, performance and cost for your own circumstances.  Dog dryers are superior in that even on high heat settings the actual airstream temperature is much lower than a human hair dryer which essentially precludes heat damage. However they are of the same power rating so to deliver the same power you will find that they deliver a much greater volume of air through a much larger nozzle. The result is a water evaporation rate which is actually a bit better because of heating efficiencies and better air/water mixing - anyway techno babble aside they work better even for the same power rating. Note that 1650W is the absolute maximum that can be put on a standard 15 amp household circuit - most dryers max out at about 1500 - 1550 watts as a safety issue.
Next advantage is the noise level. Most dog dryers are powered by a relatively large motor which is not stressed to the same degree as a human hair dryer motor so it will inherently run quieter and the whole fan assembly/airstream ducting and nozzle is by design a totally different and inheretly quieter design. Now consider the stand so that the dryer is self supporting and can be "aimed" at any wet place on the dog's coat.  Both of your hands are now free to brush the dog and as necessary comfort/quiet him/her and the entire drying episode becomes much less stressful and fatiguing. Believe it or not it can actually be quite calming! More than one of my boys have fallen asleep being dryed and/or groomed on the table. 
Finally consider that dog dryers are considered "professional" equipment, designed and built for long term service. While a common hair dryer is cheap to purchase it is not designed for either extended use (drying a fully show-coated Bobtail can take upwards of 4-5 hours) or for a long service life (100 operating hours would be a good life for most of the "cheap hair dryers and even a quality one is unlikely to pass 250 hours). Back in my teenage years we would go through dryers at a rate of 3-4 a year.  Mom and Dad finally said enough of the "nickel and diming" and shelled out the then horrific sum of about $Cdn 300. Several years later I coughed up about $CDN 450 (don't you just hate inflation) for a second one when I was planning to attend university away from my home town with my beloved Punk "in tow". Ultimately I didn't move out but stayed home during university so I was blessed with the availability of 2 full size OSTER Professional series dryers. By circumstance both of those dryers are still in my possesion and with minimal maintenance have performed flawlessly for quite literally untold 1000s of hours. If you do the math you'll find yourself are well ahead of the game in just a few years.
My personal preference is for the Oster Dryers based on many years of excellent service. There are bigger more powerful ones available but then you start looking at a 230 Vac electrical service which adds another degree of cost and complexity unless you are building a dedicated grooming room. There are also other manufacturers which trade heat delivery for airstream velocity but they tend to be more noisy than the Oster. Hence my original recommendation to do a fairly exhaustive market survey and choose the one which gives - you - the best feature, performance, cost compromise. The other approach to drying a dog which is becoming more common recently is the "blow dryer". These dryers are in essence vacuums with a hoze and nozzle on the exhaust end. The minimal heat they provide is a consequence of air compression only, no heating elements are fitted. My opinion is that these are good for quick spot drying after cleaning muddy paws or a messy butt, however I'd be very circumspect of using them for full coat drying. They are relatively noisy - hear them going constantly at dog shows, and the airstream velocity is so high that drying of the skin could be a problem - think about windburn you might experience during wind storms, very analogous situation here. And you are then back to having to use one hand to hold the hose/nozzle assembly, definetely regressive in my opinion! Anyway a few thoughts for you to weigh if you haven't yet made a decision. Hope they make sense.  |
| A lot of the oster products are excellent for OES, as well as #1 All Systems grooming tools, brushes and combs in particular.
Thanks for the info Carl and Michele, and you also gave me an idea... I do have a section of my home that COULD be a dedicated grooming room..... When I get my grooming table I'm going to have shelves put in for grooming tools and extra electrical outlets, and a long laundry type tub with the showerhead hose etc. Rubber matting for flooring so the dogs don't slip and slide.... |
| I would like to purchase a good dog dryer. I have two Lhasa-poo's, and I shampoo and dry them every week. They both have lots of hair and I had been using my personal dryer on them until two weeks ago when it died. (I'm surprised it lasted this long.) It takes me hours and I know it is very drying to their hair. I use lots of conditioner. I have to dry them because they have all that long hair and it is winter. I have to dry them in between baths to when they get wet from the rain and snow.
I have been looking at the Metro Air Force. They say they will cute your drying time by 75%, by blasting the water right off. Looking at the different models and really not knowing anything about any of them they look like they may be the best investment for my money (and time) we have narrowed it down to two models, one having 4 hp and air flow 29,250 ft/min and the other having two 4 hp motors, 2 speeds and air flow 58,000 ft/min for almost twice the money. Please let me know if anyone has any idea which one is best for me, or any information that will help. |
| At the opposite end of the spectrum, my groomer does a heck of a business and a good job on Barney and Maggie every month with a - yes thats right - commercial cannister vac with the hose attached to the exhoust port - the unit is in an adjoining room so the noise doesn't bother the dogs. |
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