A wet dog isn’t a clean dog. The two only line up after a proper dry, and most owners stop short of that – the leg pits stay damp, the ears never get checked, and a week later there’s a hot spot or a yeast smell that turns into a vet visit. The drying part of the bath is doing more work than the washing.
Press, don’t rub – a microfiber towel pressed firmly into the coat does more than 30 seconds of rough rubbing. Finish with a low-heat dryer on cool to warm airflow, held 20 to 30cm off the coat, and pay attention to the leg pits, paw pads, ears and skin folds where moisture sits. Air-drying alone leaves a damp undercoat and is the single biggest cause of hot spots in humid AU summers.
Why drying matters more than washing
Water doesn’t sit on a dog’s skin – it sits underneath the coat, especially in the undercoat layer and inside the high-friction zones. Trapped moisture warms up against the skin, and within 24 to 48 hours the bacterial and yeast load climbs. The result is a hot spot, a yeast smell behind the ears, or a slow-burning skin irritation that owners blame on shampoo when it was really a drying problem.
Curly and long coats trap water the longest. A bath day on a cavoodle leaves a damp coat for hours unless the dryer goes on. Short coats dry faster but still need attention in the leg pits and around the collar. Double-coated breeds are the hardest – the topcoat dries while the undercoat stays wet, and you can’t see it from the outside.
How to dry a dog properly, step by step
Work through this order – towel first, dryer second, brush along the way. The order matters because a wet brush drags through the coat and creates the mats we usually blame on shedding.
Squeeze the coat from the skin out, before the towel.
Run a flat palm down each leg and along the back like a squeegee. This pulls 30 to 40 percent of the water out before the towel touches the dog. Do this in the tub, before you lift the dog out – it saves the laundry as well.
Use a microfiber dog towel, and press – never rub.
Press the towel firmly into the coat in sections, lift, move, press again. Rubbing creates static, lifts the cuticle and tangles long coats within seconds. Microfiber absorbs roughly four times what a cotton bath towel does, which matters more than the price tag suggests.
Get into the leg pits, paw webbing and the belly.
These are the spots owners miss every time, and they’re the spots that develop the early-stage damp smell within a day. Lift each leg, press the towel into the armpit, slide it between the paw pads, and run it along the belly line. A separate small towel for the underside helps.
Dry the ear flap, never the ear canal.
Press a dry cotton pad into the ear flap to absorb surface water. Don’t push anything into the canal – not a cotton bud, not a towel corner, not a dryer nozzle. Trapped water in the canal is the start of most ear infections owners blame on swimming.
Use a dryer on cool to warm airflow only.
A dog-specific low-velocity dryer is ideal; a human hairdryer on the cool or lowest-warm setting works at home. Hot air burns thin skin faster than owners realise. Hold the nozzle 20 to 30cm off the coat and keep it moving – never let it sit on one spot for more than two seconds.
Brush as you dry curly and long coats.
A slicker brush in your free hand, working with the airflow direction, lifts the coat away from the skin and dries the undercoat at the same time. For spoodles and similar curly-coated breeds, this is the bit that prevents next month’s matted coat – not the bath itself.
Skip the dryer on the face.
The eyes, nose and inside the ears don’t tolerate forced air. Use a damp-then-dry cloth on the face, wipe under the eyes with a clean corner of the cloth, and let the muzzle air-dry while the rest of the body finishes under the dryer.
Do a final hand-check before the dog leaves the bathroom.
Run your fingers through the coat against the lay of the hair, especially the chest, the inside thigh and behind the ears. If your fingertips come up damp anywhere, that section gets another minute of airflow. Damp at this stage is what becomes a hot spot by Friday.
Drying by coat type – a quick cheat sheet
Short single coats – 5 to 10 minutes total. Towel-press, low-warm dryer on the belly and leg pits, done. Short-haired little dogs are usually finished before owners expect.
Long single coats – 15 to 25 minutes. Towel, dryer on cool-to-warm, slicker brush along the way to separate the coat as it dries.
Curly coats (poodle-style runs) – 20 to 30 minutes. Brush-while-drying is non-negotiable here. An undried curly coat mats by Tuesday.
Double coats (huskies, briards, golden retrievers) – 30 to 45 minutes. A force dryer designed for dogs is worth the spend for owners doing this monthly. Don’t rely on towels alone on a double coat – the undercoat stays wet for hours.
Wrinkled or skin-fold breeds (pug, bulldog, frenchie) – the folds matter more than the rest of the coat. Dry each fold with a soft cloth before the dryer goes on. Damp folds turn yeasty within 48 hours in humid weather.
Common drying mistakes that cause skin issues
Letting the dog air-dry in summer. Humid air keeps the coat damp; air-drying in QLD between December and March is the number-one trigger for hot spots in long and double coats.
Using a human dryer on the highest heat setting. Even ‘warm’ on a human dryer runs hotter than dog skin tolerates – cool or lowest-warm only.
Holding the dryer nozzle on one spot. Burns happen within a few seconds on small dogs, especially behind the ears and on the belly.
Rubbing with a cotton bath towel. Creates static, lifts the cuticle, and tangles long coats faster than the bath did.
Skipping the leg pits, belly and paw webbing. These are the spots that develop the wet-dog smell first.
Pushing anything into the ear canal to dry it. The flap only – the canal dries on its own with airflow nearby.
Brushing wet, not damp. A wet brush pulls hair out and drags through tangles; brush damp coats only, going with the airflow.
Australian context – humidity, heat and the air-dry trap
Drying matters more in AU than most US blogs let on. Summer humidity in coastal QLD and northern NSW means a damp coat stays damp for 4 to 6 hours, not the 60 minutes a US article will quote. The AKC notes that trapped moisture is the leading cause of post-bath skin irritation, and that holds doubly in humid AU summers.
Some breeds do better with a salon dryer than anything you’ll buy at home. A bath-and-blow-dry at an accredited PIAA groomer runs in the $70 to $130 range across metro AU in 2026 – often worth the spend on heavy double coats or on maltese shih tzus whose curly coats need 25 minutes of brush-while-drying that owners don’t always have time for.
When the skin issue isn’t a drying issue
Some post-bath skin problems aren’t about technique. Stop the home grooming and book a vet visit if you see:
A red, raw or weeping patch within 48 hours of a bath – classic hot spot.
A persistent yeasty smell from the ears or skin folds that doesn’t shift with drying.
The dog scratching the same spot repeatedly, especially under the collar or around the base of the tail.
Hair loss in a defined patch, regardless of how recent the bath was.
Persistent skin issues are rarely a shampoo problem on their own. The AVA categorises ongoing skin disease as a welfare priority, and a vet check is the right step before swapping products.
FAQ
Can I let my dog air dry after a bath?
Short coats in dry weather can air-dry safely. Curly, long and double coats shouldn’t – trapped moisture in the undercoat is the leading cause of hot spots, especially in humid AU summers.
Can I use a human hair dryer on my dog?
Yes, but on cool or lowest-warm only. Even a human dryer’s ‘warm’ setting runs hotter than dog skin tolerates. Hold the nozzle 20 to 30cm off the coat and keep it moving.
How do you dry a dog without a dryer?
Press-towel with microfiber, work into the leg pits and belly, then walk the dog around the warmest room in the house. Don’t crate a damp dog – the moisture sits longer.
How long does it take to dry a dog after a bath?
Short coats – 5 to 10 minutes. Long single coats – 15 to 25. Curly – 20 to 30. Double – 30 to 45. Wrinkled breeds need extra time on the skin folds, not the coat.
Should I brush my dog while wet or dry?
Damp, not wet. A wet brush drags through tangles and pulls hair out. Wait until the coat is mostly dry, then brush while you finish with the dryer.
Press, don’t rub – cool to warm, never hot – and finish with a hand-check through the leg pits and behind the ears. The hot spots most owners blame on shampoo are almost always a drying job that stopped too early.
American Kennel Club – How to Dry Your Dog Completely – https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/dry-your-dog/ – Supports the claim that trapped moisture is the leading cause of post-bath mats, tangles and skin irritation.
Pet Industry Association of Australia – Grooming – https://piaa.org.au/grooming/ – Supports the recommendation to book accredited AU groomers for force-dry on heavy double coats.
Australian Veterinary Association – Improving Animal Welfare – https://www.ava.com.au/policy-advocacy/advocacy/improving-animal-welfare/ – Supports the claim that ongoing skin disease is a welfare priority warranting a vet visit.