How do I blow dry the head?! My head trims are horrid! Poor doods!

[jenn D]

So thanks to you guys grooming in general is going well! I have great tools including my handy dandy xpower pet dryer. It helps so much with getting a nice blown out coat for an even clip! Thx for the recommendations. My current problem is my dogs hate to have their heads blown dry, even on a low speed. Therefore their heads aren't blown out but get all crazy curly naturally drying and I cannot do a nice face cut at all! Seriously, my doods have uneven wonky heads now. I have other questions too for parts of the body as I am getting more detailed but those can wait. It looks like my five year old trimmed their faces! Yikes! Help oh wise ones!!!

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

I just bathed and blow dried my GracieDoodle yesterday.  This is the second time I have used the blower.  She is 6 years old and has transitioned beautifully to the dryer...but...not the head!!!  I watched a bunch of Youtube videos and they all say to use half power and to take off the cone shaped nozzle.  Still didn't work.  They also show holding the jaw/snout or if they have a beard sort of gripping that in a downward motion so you can do the top of the head.  Gracie does not have a beard but even holding her snout (which she is good at letting me do), blowing the top of her head was not going to happen.  I did approach her from the back of the head side and was also able to get the top of her ears.  You have to be very careful with the ears and not blow into them.  Every video says they hate having their heads blown and hate the noise.  I tried using the cotton balls in her ears but she just shook her head and out they went!  One of the videos said the dog didn't like having his head blown so she had to hand dry it...but didn't show how she did it.  So, I have no answers for you except to watch a few of the You Tube videos and see if you can discover a trick to doing it.  Gracie's poofer on top does not stand up anyway.  She has very silky soft hair that just flops so it is not a big deal when I groom her.  Good Luck!!

[jenn D]

Thanks Nancie. I think I tried what you did, sort of up the back to the head. We got so far and then brisby said "what are you doing?!" It's hard holding a freaked out 65 lb dog! But he has a lot of cowlick on the top of his head and if it's not blown out the top of the head will be uneven (and not in a cute muppet kind of way) :(

[jenn D]

It's very hard to get a straight cut.

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

Well it does all come down to conditioning. I swear if you stuck an open car window in front of the blower, they would love it. So that's my first suggestion. Put the dog in the car and drive fast. lol

Next, do you have the dog on a double no sit loop on a table? This is very helpful

When a dog is on a double loop, they can only move so far. I agree with starting from the back of the head and blowing forward. Do that from a distance while someone is giving the dog a treat. Work up to being a bit closer. It may take a few sessions. Try doing this when it is not bath time.

Also, don't try to start drying the head until it is 90% dry already. Then very little blowing while brushing is required.

I hope some of these suggestions help.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Jenn, I tried Barb's suggestion recently about getting them very dry before blowing and it made a big difference in Tara's face. It was definitely straighter and not so wonky.

Barb, my problem is similar but different. Tara HATES to have her face trimmed. I put her on a grooming table with a head loop but she can still turn her head away or jump at the second, as I am snipping, nearly causing me to amputate a finger!  I need one more hand as it takes one to hold her head in place one for holding the hair I want to cut and one for the scissors. :(  Any suggestions besides growing another appendage?

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

Theoretically, you are not supposed to hold the hair you snip. One hand should hold the dog and the other the scissors. This is why it is so important to prepare the hair properly.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Oh, that's a good theory Barb! LOL! Looks like I've been doing THAT all wrong too! OMD...back to the drawing board!  Thanks!

[jenn D]

That's what I did at the beginning and it ended up producing uneven cuts because you are pulling up the skin and hair

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

So you don't ever pull up the hair anywhere on the body during the entire cut? Or just on the face?

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

Not supposed to according to my instructor at grooming school. Rule was always one hand on the dog. It is actually a lot easier to accidently cut the dog if you hold up the hair.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I don't actually pull the hair upr, I use my fingers as a measuring gauge and as a protective block between the scissors and her skin because of her jumping habit. You've probably seen this video before, what I do is something like this although Tara's hair is never this long.  How would I get her muzzle hair to stand out straight enough to cut it without holding it out as it is just hanging down limply, maybe 3 inches long in spots? I can't get the video to embed so I'm just adding the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWNk9G0PnrQ

[jenn D]

Hi barb. I have a bar that goes completely over the table and down the other side (likened bar looks like a upside down U with both bar legs attached to the table). I have a neck harness and one so they can't sit. That helps but the bar is still Rickety when the dog tries to move around. I'll have to take a picture.