Fluff Drying by Barbara Bird



	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 the mind when we encounter grooming instructions that call 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 maxim flow, and fluffy, spongy coats have maximum fluff preparing them for scissoring and sculpting. In professional grooming salons and dog show preparation, this technique is used on most curly-coated breeds, such as Bichon Frise, and the Poodles. It is also used on most terriers, and all 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 for scissoring 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's not unlike sewing with wrinkled fabric. The result is compromised if the fabric is not ironed.


	HOW HARD CAN IT BE?
	Hard! How hard depends on dogs 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 that is being brushed is being dried. This is where the right equipment and the dogs 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 won't get the result you want for your efforts. One must be systematic and control the direction of air flow, as well as the doggie behavior, all while brushing.

		Breeders are often suggesting that dogs be brushed and dried while lying on their side. Good luck. Few of us have the wherewithal to teach a puppy to passively lie on its side for combing and fluff drying. If you can do it, you will be way ahead, but I would not lay any blame if you can't accomplish this. Most professional groomers fluff dry with the dog standing on a grooming table, secured with a grooming loop at the neck or flank (or both). Please don't call it a noose; we are trying to get away from that image. Allowing the dog to sit is not a good idea, as this position covers up too much hair. Save the head for last, and let the dog lie down for this, 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 is what can hurt. Good brushing technique requires rapid wrist action and a light touch. You want to skim the skin, not scrape it. Slicker brushes allow for maximum separation and stretching of hairs. For grooming Bichons and other small dogs, I prefer to use a small, light, soft slicker such as the one by Classic products, or the #1 All Systems small slicker. To achieve full lift of the coat, brush up and away from the skin. As you brush, you will be shifting your grip on the slicker from handle pointing upwards to handle down, depending on the spot and the direction of the hair. Work from the bottom up, so that you are not covering up any 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 with a towel and roll the towel back as I worked toward the rear of the dog. Covering the area on which you are not working will help prevent accidental drying and curling of other parts of the coat. Once you develop speed, I advise that you toss the towel and work from back to front. It does not matter if you do all one side and then the other, or move from side to side. 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. Address each side of the leg separately, even though the sides overlap. 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 the development of an eye for detail, and this takes time.


	TIP #1: Keep the air source 3-6 from the area you are drying. A smaller area, such as back of the hock, should be held close to the dryer, while a larger area, such as down the back, can be further away from the dryer.

	TIP #2: While you are concentrating on one area and looking closely at your work, also cast a broad view to discover where else the dryer air may be moving the coat. Give THAT area some brush attention as well.

	TIP #3: After completely drying the outside of a leg, lift that leg and aim your dryer on the inside of the opposite leg. While you have front leg leg raised, get the arm pit of the same leg. Armpits count, too.

	TIP #4: Hold the dog up by his front legs, standing on the back feet. Get the front of the back legs, any inside back legs you've missed, and the underchest from this position.

	TIP#5: The elbow and the point of the foreleg where the leg meets the chest can be tricky spots. To get the elbow, hold the left foreleg at the front with your fingers in the armpit and your thumb at the elbow. Gently rotate the leg to move the elbow towards the air flow. Reverse your position to place the elbow in your palm and the thumb in the armpit. Now you can gently lock the elbow to keep the dog from drawing up the foreleg and covering up the area where leg meets chest. The inside of the legs at the chest are spots that often get matted. The right side takes the opposite grip, and you may need to rotate the dog 180 degrees for the right elbow to be in the air flow. Another way to get the backs of the front legs and elbows is what I call the "Circus Dog" position. Lift up both back legs while directing the air flow to the back of the front legs.


	By now you should be getting the picture that fluff drying requires maneuvering of the dog into the air flow. That's what you are doing with the other hand. You are brushing and moving the air flow with one hand and moving body parts and holding the dog with the other hand. When you're fluff drying the tail, you've got to hold the tail into the air flow. Otherwise you'll allow the whole backside to curl. The only way to avoid curly spots is to develop speed and accuracy in your technique. If you allow the dog to determine which area you work on, you will invariably miss some spots. If you control the dog, and move systematically around the body with dryer and brush, you will become thorough. Only then should you work on cranking up the speed.


	TIP #6: Have a spray bottle with water handy. If you accidentally allow an unfluffed area to dry, mist the area lightly with water and go back over it. A solution with 1 or two tablespoons conditioner to a pint of water, or a spray in conditioner will also work. Another product that aids in obtaining great results is "Fluff Out" by Davis Labs.


	WAYS TO CHEAT.
	Ok, this is the secret part. Ideally, fluff drying is done from the towel dried dog to the finished product. This can take up to an hour on a thick coated Bichon. Few of us have lives that allow for this kind of time. So we cut corners. Remove as much water as possible by toweling and allowing the dog to shake. But do NOT rub. Dogs can run around and shake off water, but if they rub on carpet or furniture it can cause serious matting. A good way to cut down time is to blow out the coat with a High Velocity dryer before fluff drying. You can allow the coat to be 3/4 dry and then finish with fluff drying. In the salon, we call this fluff finishing. Some dogs that do not have excessively curly coats can be allowed to drip dry part of the way, say 2/3 while you do something else. The reason you can let a coat get more dry with the HV than by drip drying is that the HV will stretch and separate the hair. (Click Here for More Information on Hi"V" Dryers) Some groomers swear that they can achieve full fluff drying results with a HV dryer only. This requires a fairly powerful HV dryer. Another way to cheat is to partly dry, then brush, then partly dry, then brush. You are drying and brushing, but not simultaneously. This will most likely give plenty of fluff, but not a perfect finish.

	CAN FLUFF DRYING BE DONE AT HOME?
	Yes, but... Good fluff drying can be accomplished in your home as well as in the salon, as long as you invest in some equipment. At the very least you need a dryer that will stand by itself so that you can use both hands on the dog and the brush. Brushing may require only one hand, but you will need the other to control the dog, pick up feet, hold the tail, ears or face. Serious fluff drying takes two hands. There is a dryer in many catalogues called the Superduck that sells for under $50 and has some movable angles and temperature settings. It takes forever to fluff dry from scratch with a low velocity dryer like this, but it can fluff finish to a decent result. The combination of a small High Velocity dryer such as a Metro and the Superduck can equip you for some excellent fluff drying results for under $200. The biggest disadvantage to these less expensive table top dryers is that you have to move the dog to the air rather than have the ability to move the air flow. With a professional type stand dryer, you have a much larger range of motion for directing the air flow, and there is a much higher volume of air for faster drying. These dryers generally run $300 and up. There is a really nice HV dryer used by many show people called the Kool Dry, which comes with a flexible third arm that clamps on the table, allowing fluff finishing. It is powerful enough to straighten most coats, weighs less than 10# and pulls only 9 amps. The Kool Dry generally costs about $350.



	The grooming surface is another issue. Although much grooming can be done on any flat surface, such as the ironing board or the washing machine, a sturdy grooming table with a non-slip surface and an arm and grooming loop is worth the investment. I work with a support system called the LIPS (Linked Interval Positioning System). Its a tubular frame that goes over the table from center front to center rear and has eyelets for links and loops. My favorite piece to use with the LIPS is the rear T-strap which goes around the flank and between the rear legs to hook up to the back pole. This eliminates sitting down and restricts side to side movement. It reduces the struggle factor considerably.(click here or on the picture for more information on the LIPSystem.)


	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!