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How to dry a dog: hairdryer, towel, or air dry? Don't forget collars!

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | unneutered | 5 months and 17 days old

Is it better to dry a dog with a hairdryer or leave him to dry on his own? My dog is soaking wet and I don't know whether to leave him or try to dry him with a towel although he just tries to chew the towel so I never am able to towel dry him. And his collar is soaking wet too should I take that off of him to dry separately?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on August 8th, 2017

I would use a towel to dry as much hair as possible. Sometimes it takes a couple dry towels to do the job. I would recommend removing the collar until it is also dry as wet collars can cause skin irritation. If Ziggy won't let you use a towel, you can try a hairdryer on low heat and using caution to not accidentally burn the skin, but many dogs will be very scared of the hair dryer. It is perfectly healthy for them to air dry!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hello and thank you for your post! In regards to drawing a dog with a hair dryer, I would say to take extra precautions so that you don't burn your dog with the hair dryer as the temperature can get quite hot. If you are going to use a hair dryer then I would suggest drying your dog from a distance. The closer you get to him with the hair dryer the more concentrated the heat will be, increasing the risk of burning the skin. I would definitely take the collar off to dry this separately as trapped moisture under the collar could lead to a skin infection. Feel free to contact me with any other questions or concerns you may have

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