Fluff Drying
What is it? Does it matter? How hard can it be? How is it done? Can I do it at home? All of these questions run through our minds when we encounter grooming instructions calling for fluff drying. Not to mention a little cynical voice that says: “Hey, I have a fluff dog, I bathe it, I dry it — is that not fluff drying?”
What is fluff drying?
All jokes aside, fluff drying is a grooming technique whereby the hair is thoroughly brushed while drying so that it is stretched, straightened, and separated. All curliness is removed, and full volume, lift and length are achieved. Long, flowing coats have maximum flow, and fluffy, spongy coats have maximum fluff — preparing them for scissoring and sculpting. In professional salons and dog show preparation, the technique is used on most curly-coated breeds such as Bichon Frise and Poodles, on most terriers, and on drop-coated breeds such as Lhasa Apso, and on Cocker Spaniels.
Does it matter?
If you aspire to perfection, fluff drying is a must. On a scissored breed, the preparation of the coat dictates the result as much as the scissoring itself. When curl is left in the coat, hairs are bent inward and clumped together, and the groomer cannot get a smooth scissored finish: the coat can be scissored, but it will look rough and rumpled. It is like sewing with wrinkled fabric — the result is compromised if the fabric is not ironed.
How hard can it be?
Hard! How hard depends on the dog’s coat, the behavior, your equipment, and the weather. Expert fluff drying takes time. And patience — patience with the animal and patience with the amount of time it takes to do a good job. If you are drying in high humidity it will take more time. And did I mention patience? Fluff drying has great meditational value.
How is it done?
The result is achieved by systematically brushing each section of coat under warm air until dry. The trick is to control the air from the dryer and the position of the dog so that ONLY the area being brushed is being dried. This is where the right equipment and the dog’s behavior come into play. If an area of the coat dries without being brushed, or if an area is not thoroughly dried while brushing, that area will be curly and rumpled and you will not get the result you want. One must be systematic and control the direction of air flow as well as the doggie behavior, all while brushing.
Breeders often suggest drying dogs while lying on their side. Good luck — few of us can teach a puppy to passively lie on its side for combing and fluff drying. Most professional groomers fluff dry with the dog standing on a grooming table, secured with a grooming loop at the neck or flank. Allowing the dog to sit is not a good idea: the position covers up too much hair. Save the head for last, letting the dog lie down for that; the rest of the time it is best to work with the dog standing.
The best brush for fluff drying is the slicker. Let’s dispel the myth that slicker brushes hurt dogs — slickers don’t hurt; too much pressure hurts. Good brushing technique requires rapid wrist action and a light touch: skim the skin, don’t scrape it. Slicker brushes allow maximum separation and stretching of hairs. To achieve full lift, brush up and away from the skin, shifting your grip as needed, and work from the bottom up so you are never covering unbrushed, damp spots.
When I was first learning, the only way I could prevent the back of the dog from drying ahead of me was to cover it with a towel and roll the towel back as I worked toward the rear. Covering the area you are not working on prevents accidental drying and curling. Once you develop speed, toss the towel and work from back to front. Every spot counts: around the toes counts, under the tail counts, behind the ears counts, and the inside of the legs really counts. Think of each leg as having four sides — back, front, inside and outside — and address each side separately. As a beginner you NEED to feel like you are overdoing it until you develop the ability to see when hair is really thoroughly dry. Great grooming requires developing an eye for detail, and this takes time.
Six tips from the table
- Tip #1: Keep the air source 3–6 inches from the area you are drying — closer on small areas like the back of a hock; further away down the back.
- Tip #2: While concentrating on one area, cast a broad view to catch where the dryer air is also moving the coat — give THAT area brush attention too.
- Tip #3: After drying the outside of a leg, lift that leg and aim the dryer on the inside of the opposite leg. While the front leg is raised, get the armpit of the same leg. Armpits count too!
- Tip #4: Hold the dog up by his front legs, standing on the back feet, and dry the front of the back legs, missed inside areas and the underchest from this position.
- Tip #5: Elbows and the point where leg meets chest are tricky. Gently rotate the leg to move the elbow into the air flow, or use what I call the “Circus Dog” position — lift both back legs while directing air to the backs of the front legs.
- Tip #6: Keep a spray bottle of water handy. If an area dries unfluffed, mist it lightly and go back over it. A solution of one or two tablespoons of conditioner per pint of water (or a spray-in conditioner) also works, as does “Fluff Out” by Davis Labs.
By now you are getting the picture: fluff drying requires maneuvering the dog into the air flow. You are brushing and moving the air flow with one hand and moving body parts with the other. When fluff drying the tail, hold the tail into the air flow, or the whole backside will curl. If you let the dog choose what you work on, you will miss spots. Control the dog, move systematically with dryer and brush, and only then crank up the speed.
Ways to cheat
Okay, this is the secret part. Ideally, fluff drying goes from the towel-dried dog to the finished product — up to an hour on a thick-coated Bichon. Few of us have that kind of time, so we cut corners. Remove as much water as possible by toweling and letting the dog shake, but do NOT rub: if dogs rub on carpet or furniture it can cause serious matting. A good shortcut is to blow out the coat with a high-velocity dryer before fluff drying — let the coat be three-quarters dry, then finish with fluff drying. In the salon we call this fluff finishing. Some dogs without excessively curly coats can drip dry two-thirds of the way while you do something else. Some groomers even claim full fluff results with a powerful HV dryer alone. Another cheat: partly dry, then brush, then partly dry, then brush — not simultaneous, so maybe not a perfect finish, but plenty of fluff.
Can fluff drying be done at home?
Yes, but… you need equipment. At the very least a dryer that stands by itself so both hands are free — one for the brush, one to control the dog, pick up feet, hold the tail, ears or face. Serious fluff drying takes two hands. Catalog dryers like the Superduck (under $50) can fluff-finish to a decent result, though it takes a while from scratch. A small high-velocity dryer such as a Metro plus the Superduck equips you for excellent results for under $200. The disadvantage of table-top dryers is that you must move the dog to the air rather than move the air. Professional stand dryers ($300 and up) give you a large range of motion and higher air volume. The Kool Dry HV dryer — used by many show people — comes with a flexible third arm that clamps to the table; it is powerful enough to straighten most coats, weighs under 10 lb and pulls only 9 amps, at about $350.
The grooming surface is another issue. Though much grooming can be done on any flat surface (ironing board, washing machine), a sturdy grooming table with a non-slip surface, arm and loop is worth the investment. I work with a support system called the LIPS (Linked Interval Positioning System) — a tubular frame over the table with eyelets for links and loops. My favorite piece is the rear T-strap around the flank and between the rear legs; it eliminates sitting and side-to-side movement, reducing the struggle factor considerably.
The finish line
There you have it! Successful fluff drying for ring-ready results is a combination of proper equipment, brushing technique, control of the dog and of the air flow, being systematic, and developing speed and an eye for detail. With practice you will be able to see the difference between dry and damp hair under the dryer — you will see all the nooks and crannies. And most of all, have patience…. patience with yourself and your learning curve, with your dog, and with the process itself. Happy grooming!
About the author
Barbara Bird owns Transformation Pet Center in Tucson, Arizona and has been grooming for over 30 years. She is certified in Non-Sporting Dogs by the NDGAA. She can fluff dry in her sleep.