HOW TO PICK THE BEST DOG DRYER

Doggy skin is a lot more sensitive than human skin, so it's important that you're able to regulate airflow and heat. The fur on a dog's body is a lot thicker than that on its face and neck. A dog's facial skin is more sensitive than the rest of the body. Remember that what's comfortable for you, may be too hot for your fur-baby.

Some dual motor dog dryers don't have a heating element, so any heat felt is generated by the electric motors. You'll want to use a slightly hotter setting (or have both motors running to generate warmth) for the body, but a mild setting for the face and neck.  Always start slow and low, then identify the sweet spot where your dog is comfortable with the temperature and the hair is drying off as well. Keep a close eye on signs from your dog - they'll let you know if things are getting too hot.

VARIABLE SPEED
A dryer that has variable speed settings is probably a better choice than one without. Faster tends to be noisier, so you could end up frightening your dog before you even start if your only speed is full blast - not a good idea. Variable speeds help you start gradually and work your way up to a faster speed for faster drying. All the dryers I've seen/used are quite noisy anyway; has to be said I didn't get to listen to any of them before buying as they were all ordered online - not many (any!) grooming supply shops in Murwillumbah.

EASY-TO-CLEAN AIR FILTERS
Cleaning or changing air filters is not something you tend to think of, but it's pretty important to the life of your hairdryer. Ideally you want air filters that can be cleaned or changed without the use of tools.

The best way to clean a filter is to remove it from the machine and either wash it in warm soapy water (if it supports washable filters) or thoroughly vacuum away the debris. Remember to dry your filter fully before replacing it in the housing.

So having said all that, I picked the cheapest I could find on ebay, which cost me a shade under AU$100 with delivery. It was pure luck that it turned out to be a variable speed one with easy unscrew filter housing.

I DID look for the quietest I could find; but I gotta say it's still pretty noisy, so you'll need to acclimatise your dog slowly.

I'd love to be able to tell you about all the different nozzles, but they forgot to include the comb-like one, so I picked the most useful (the one pictured actually on the dryer hose above) and threw the others in a drawer from whence they didn't emerge until I sold it on (after I bought the stand dryer below).

Anyway, I had that one for a couple of years - during which time I actually used it maybe 6 times; mostly because I don't bathe my girls very often, and we  live in Northern NSW which is warm most of the time so they don't need to be dried off other than with a towel and their doggy bathrobes (Temu purchase - link is probaby dead by now so just do a search for (dog bathrobe").

Then two things happened: my ancient back injury deteriorated (due to age!) and I started to do occasional grooming for our local "Give a Dog a Home" group. GADAH work through Murwillumbah Friends of the Pound to retrain dumped dogs. When they're ready for a new home, I volunteered to wash and tizzy them up. To be honest I'm a pretty crap groomer, but I'm cheap (as in FREE), so they're pretty much stuck with me until a "proper" groomer steps up.

Anyway, with old injuries and age catching up with me - plus another birthday on the horizon - I treated myself to a stand dryer (well I told Himself he treated me, which is pretty much the same thing!), so I didn't have to bend down or lift things off the shelf any longer.

I asked Lisa at Clipperworld which one I should be looking at (bearing in mind I didn't want to remortage our house) and she came up with the Lazor RX Stand Dryer Variable Speed c/w Heater - Black for under AU$400. Picture on the left shows it with the hands-free attachment, but it comes with a long hose and three diffferent nozzles. I haven't used the hands-free (and don't think I'm likely to unless GADAH bring me really hairy dog at some stage); but I have to say it's very handy having it sit right next to my doggy bath, at the correct height, at all times.

The jury is still out as to whether it's any better at drying than the cheaper version, it's certainly no quieter. So at this stage anyway (I'll update if I change my mind), if bending down and lifting things around doesn't bother you, then the cheaper one is fine.

As with all things from Clipperworld, my new hairdryer arrived beautifully packaged and right to my front door - always a surprise as we live in far Northern NSW, about 15 minutes or so from the nearest town - which may as well be Mars to most Couriers! I did ask "him indoors" to assemble it for me; but got fed up waiting, so ultimately did it myself. The parts are a bit heavy for my old bones, which to me says "good quality", but assembly was really simple and only took a few minutes following the easy to understand instruction leaflet provided.

So am I pleased I have one? Yes I am. Will I use it that much? Probably not - and probably more on the pound dogs than my own - but that's ok, they need love too; probably more than most, bless them.