This may sound silly, but as I look at my big Rottweiler mix and think of how badly she needs a bath right now, I am sure wishing I had taken the time when she was young to get her used to the sound and feeling of a blow dryer.

Unless you live in a warm winter climate, outside baths are not an option this time of year.  Even with an indoor bath, your dog needs to be dried off right away to keep from getting chilled.  I don’t know about your dog, but mine can’t resist going outside right after a bath.  Though I know it’s not true, I get a chuckle imagining they want to run to enjoy the lightness of losing all that dirt.

The best way to dry off a wet dog, after getting as much water as possible with a towel, is to blow dry them.  A blow dryer will warm them up while getting the rest of the water out of their fur.  Like a vacuum, however, if your dog is not accustomed to the noise, using a blow dryer can turn bath time into a time of terror.

So if you have a new puppy, or even a young dog, it might be a good idea to begin practicing with a blow dryer to get them used to the noise.  It will make bathing and handling other loud noises much easier in the future.  As for Fern, maybe she can hold off a little while longer until it warms up again.