Is a normal human handheld dryer bad for your dog because the hot air drys it out?

I've always used a hand held dryer and never had any problems

But do you show your dogs? im fairly new to the showing world and many people tell me that for a show dog it drys out their hair

If you are bathing your dogs on a regular basis like twice a month or more, using a hair dryer even on a cool setting(which can take forever to dry the coat)will eventually leave the silky coat of a cavalier dry if you are not very very careful. Blasters simply do that blast the water out of the coat leaving the oils etc in the coat as no heat is being applied

Hiya
We have always used the big Simpson's dryers and they are fairly hot as well as cold temp but we hardly use it. All our poodles and yankies have a huge coat except one due to medical reasons, and there coats are not dry and brittle so i don't see how that works my personal thinking the coat dries straighter with a hotter dryer than a cold dryer which is essential to both breeds as well as a correct texture coat. Mum has done this for as long as I can remember all of us do if I am wrong I am sure Gwen will no or anyone else! im no expert really. I have also just won an oster dryer and that has fairly hot temperatures as well as cold.

fiona

But you do use loads of stuff on the yanks coats don't you in between. Its not the norm to do this to a cavalier & it is hard to hide a curly coat on a cavalier even with a drycoat, If you use lots of stuff inbetween shampoos on cavaliers their coat texture changes(I know this as a local breeders has a groomer daughter & she puts loads of stuff(the names elude me as when she told me what she put on the dogs coats to keep them soft etc I wasn't interested as my dogs are au naturale between shows-including the one who pees up his chest & the one who goes gardening into his escape tunnel nearly everyday)on their coats as in her words"they always seem dry after being dried with the dryer" She uses sprays at the shows. but her dogs never seem to have the silky coats the breed standard call for(& that are usual for the breed too)

We won't go down the route of what goes into/on Poodles coats before & at shows Poodles should have a "crisp to the touch"coat shouldn't they(& I don't mean wiry) ;)

Edited to add the stand dryers apply the heat from a distance don't they but using a hand held human hair dyrer is usually held much closer to the dogs

I have always used a hand held dryer on my American Cockers. They are bathed every 5 -7 days, and none of them are prone to coat problems of any sort. I don't apply any between bath products either. I do use copious amounts of conditioner (Asda own brand, for people) and I always leave a trace in the coat, to help managability.

The type of hand held dryer I use is a salon perfomance one that has a AC long life motor, because it's switched on for over an hour at a time, and a normal one wouldn't last long at that sort of level of use.

Dawn R.

PS I show my dogs.

Thanks for all your help everyone!

hiya
we dont use alot of stuff on the dogs in between shows acasionally lanolin and botanical conditioner (mixed together) when they are changing coat but you have to be careful it dosent make the coat soft on poodles!! yes the standard calls for a "crisp to the touch" feeling which is why with our younger boy we are getting problems its so crisp it keeps breaking any idears? hes bathed once a week or as close to that as posible. I cant put any oil on one of my yankies and never used it on the other. i think to much'' stuff'' can dull the coat. i do use some plush puppy products at shows on the yanks but not alot that it really. one of mine now have to be bathed 3 times a week and hes fine with it.

Isee what you mean about the simpsoms dryers that is a point i always have mine quite high up from the dog also using a human hand held dryer is harder to use i find

fiona

Are poodles hard to look after?

Hiya
At certain ages yes! They go through a horrible stage of matting overnight so unless you keep on top of it (no dry brushing in either breed or you will loose the coat) it could become a nightmare that's where lanolin can be useful to help prevent it. I do the trimming side to most of the poodles and all the yanks, that can be hard out young boy (standard poodle) grows like i don't no what and if they are over coated it can spoil their shape/movement. But I think yanks are worse to look after as when you take them for a walk there feet soak up ever scrap of water!
Fiona

i will be back later!!

Thanks Fiona I'm glad I remember what Mrs Howard told me about Poodles

It's the leaving in of the conditioner that makes the cavaliers coats go funny I use a conditioner that is made up so that it is the same as the natural oils in the dogs coats & I use it very sparingly

Re your dogs coat breaking you could have a word with a hairdresser to see if they have something that is used on human hair that breaks It might be that he needs a little strengthening to the hair shafts(does that make sense ?) I remember a friend had a Michendy(sp)dog that had a sim problem but can't remember what she did but he ended up looking the bee knees I know she added something to his food as she wasn't one for spraying the coat !

Hiya
I hardily ever leave conditioner in unless its botanical but that's only to help coat really. His coat is breaking because it is such a hard texture it gets weak at the ends then they break, that's a good idea ill have a chat with my hair dresser next time i go im in need of a trim myself lol and i no what you mean about what you said. Was it Muriel Melanie or Carol Harwood who told you that?
Fiona

Lesley Howard ! The Hazelnut lady ! ;) re the coat i used to have two friends(sadly not with us now)who had toy poodles & who knew her well

oh rite ok sorry got it wrong lol! so you rememberd well then i may also email narelle shes good with coats i wander if shes at home or away i cant remember when she got back. do you no where skc results are lol
fiona

here

thanks i forgot about fosse data
see you tomorrow mamby if your online
fiona

yes, i have 3 Flatcoated Retrievers

Hairdriers (and straightners, hotbrushes etc) dry out human hair.  Hence why it is advised to use condition on human hair if you "style with heat"

I don't blow dry any of my dogs, however the one with dry hair I use panten shampoo and condition and it's made a different (we use smooth and sleek because she has fly away hair!) The only problem with it is our girl likes the taste and someone has to clamp her head up so she doesn't lick it off!!!!!

Just out of interest is it normal to blow dry cavaliers?  I just ask because to the look it seems abit like my setters and my setters dry witha dressing gown on them just to keep the hair flat.  then just before they are compleatly dry in teh feathering I brush it witha bristle brush untill it is. Though I don't know if cavaliers have the same coat textre, I know it just looks similar! :)

LOL the body coat dries quickly & it takes maybe 10 minutes to dry that, but the ears, legs, tail need longer(especially the ears ;))

Some people don't dry their dogs & let them dry naturally but their coats always look not quite right to me at a show as it has to be done a few days before the show, I bath mine the night before, pop them in Canac dog bags while I do the ears & then the rest takes maybe 10 minutes to do I trim the pads & nails if needed whil the coat is wet

They have their dry coats so that they can sleep on their back & not add a kink to their backs Their ears can be very heavily coated & leaving them to dry naturally leads to tags & matts

i know some people use drying cabinets but I think they tend to fluff the coats too much

I use a hand held hairdryer on my aussies and have never had a problem with dry coats .. I dont use any products in between shows although when bathing I do use conditioner as someone else mentioned and depending on how busy the champ show season is , is how many times a week or month the dogs get bathed .. as they are all bathed the night before a show ...

Jayne

You don't have cavaliers tho' & their coats being(or should be)very silky & soft do get very dry if a hot dryer is used I've had to rescue a few coats that have been groomed using heat &/or hand held dryers, one was fine but went back to a groomer(I am not a pro groomer)who used a heated dryer & the coat went back to being dry straight afterwards

arnt american cocker coats that texture soft silky, well yes and i have had no problems with them going dry from hot heat but then cavaliers coats could be diffrent i dont really no the true cavaliers coat
fiona