Do you ever admire the work of other groomers when you see dogs in grooming magazines, on the internet, or at grooming contests? I know I do—those flawless finishes, that incredible scissor work. Sigh.
How do those groomers achieve the incredible results that they do? Much of the credit goes to the work they put into bathing and drying the dogs. Those jaw-droppingly beautiful dogs have many things in common. First, they are immaculately clean, down to the skin. If natural oils, dander, and dirt are left in the coat, it will be impossible to dry it well. Having the coat perfectly clean and totally dry is the building block to achieving a good finish. If this means washing the dog multiple times or using a clarifying or degreasing shampoo for the first bath to get the coat squeaky clean, do it!
Once that coat is as clean as possible, drying techniques can be employed to remove not only the moisture but also the curl. If you look closely at the hair on, for example, Poodles and Bichon’s, there is a good bit of curl. The coat needs to be straightened to create a velvety, smooth, scissored finish. You can do a lot of this work by slowly and deliberately working from the skin towards the tips with your high-velocity dryer. Once the dog is almost completely dry, spray the coat with your favorite conditioning spray and brush it through.
Next, use either a heated stand dryer or the warm air of your high-velocity dryer with the nozzle off and lower air volume. Go over the dog and line brush as you dry each area, making sure to start at the base of the hair while pulling the brush all the way to the tips. The brush will help to stretch each strand of hair, and the warm air will help set the straightness you have achieved by pulling the hair taut as you dry it.
Those super-star groomers have mad scissor skills that I will envy until my last breath. Still, they also understand that to have the correct “canvas” to create their masterpieces, they must do the hard work of getting the coat completely clean, appropriately conditioned, and painstakingly dried. Getting the curl out of the coat with your drying process will give you the foundation to create grooms you can be proud of.
