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Bath time

How to Dry a Dog After a Bath (Towel-First Method)

To dry a dog after a bath, squeeze the excess water out of the coat with your hands, let your dog shake, then press and blot with an absorbent towel, working from the neck and back down to the legs and paws. Rub as little as possible, especially on medium and long coats, because rubbing tangles wet hair. Then let your dog finish drying in a warm, draft-free room, or help it along with a dryer on a cool or low setting, until the coat is dry right down to the skin.

Set up before the bath

Have at least two towels ready, more for a big or thick-coated dog. Use a Pet Grooming Towel for the main blot, a second dry towel for the follow-up pass, and a couple of cloths from a Paw Wipe Cloth Set for the face and paws, so you are not dragging a soaked towel across the eyes. Brush the coat before the bath, too. Tangles that go into the water come out tighter.

Step by step

Squeeze. While your dog is still in the tub, run your hands down the body and legs, pressing water out. Squeeze long ears and the tail gently from base to tip.

Let your dog shake. Hold a towel loosely over the back to catch the spray. Most dogs shake more than once; let them.

Press and blot. Lay the towel over the back, press, lift, and move to the next area. Wrap each leg and squeeze. Go back over the neck, chest, armpits, and the base of the tail, which hold the most water.

Switch to the dry towel for a second pass. Once the first towel is soaked, it only moves water around.

Do the face, ears, and paws with a cloth. Wipe gently around the eyes, dry the outer ear flap and the opening of the ear without pushing anything into the canal, and dry between the toes.

Keep your dog warm while it finishes. Short coats are often nearly dry within an hour or two indoors. Thick double coats can stay damp at the skin for many hours, so they benefit from extra help.

Using a dryer safely

If you use a hair dryer or a pet dryer, choose the cool or lowest heat setting, keep it moving, and hold it well away from the skin, at least a foot. Check the skin with your hand often; it should never feel hot. Keep the airflow away from the face and ears. Introduce the noise slowly, starting with the dryer running across the room, because many dogs find it frightening. Never leave a dog alone in a crate with a dryer blowing on it; dogs can overheat that way.

Brush lightly as you dry, once the coat has stopped dripping. The Everyday Pet Grooming Brush suits short and medium coats. With long coats, wait until the hair is mostly dry before brushing, since wet hair stretches and breaks.

How to tell your dog is dry

Part the hair in a few places, such as behind the ears, under the collar, in the armpits, and on the belly, and touch the skin. It should feel dry, not cool and damp. Dense coats often feel dry on top while the undercoat is still wet. An undercoat that stays damp for a long time can smell musty and may irritate the skin, so if in doubt, keep drying.

What to avoid, and when to call the vet

Letting a damp dog outside in cold weather, or onto a cold floor for a nap.
High heat settings, or a dryer held close to one spot.
Rubbing a long coat in circles.
Bathing more often than your dog needs. Frequent baths can dry out the skin; your vet can suggest a sensible schedule for your dog.

Call your vet if you notice red, hot, or oozing patches on the skin, a bad smell from the ears, head shaking or ear scratching, flaky or itchy skin that keeps coming back, or a lump you had not felt before. Bath time is a good moment to notice these things, not to treat them. Afterward, wash the towels and cloths and let them dry fully before the next use.