All it takes to dry a smooth coated dog is a couple of big towels. Drying a Bichon is a much more elaborate process and one that is important if you want Pierre to maintain that fluffy teddy bear look. It is very important to “brush dry” your Bichon using your pin brush (or slicker if the hair is short) and a hair dryer if you also plan on trimming him yourself. If you allow a Bichon’s hair to dry without brushing, the hair will curl and it will be completely impossible to scissors the coat properly.
If you do plan on learning to trim yourself, I strongly suggest that you invest in a hair dryer that has its own stand. It will simplify the task by allowing you to use both your hands to do the brushing and the more powerful dryer will reduce the time it takes to dry a Bichon by half.
Right after a quick towel drying, use your pin brush to go through the damp coat to remove any tangles. Set your hair dryer at medium. Never use the “hot” setting in an attempt to finish the job more quickly. It may be quicker but that setting will also dry out the hair and could easily burn the skin of your Bichon.
With Pierre lying on his side use the line brushing method with your pin brush. Point the dryer at the area to be brushed, using light strokes repeatedly until that section is completely dry, and then move on to the next section. Brush gently and be careful not to pull hair out. Once the body is dry, brush out the had, legs, and tail.
Just as soon as your Bichon is completely dry, begin the trimming process. Waiting too long after brush drying will give the coat time to start curling and make getting a nice smooth finish to your trim job almost impossible. All your brush-drying efforts will be wasted.
What’s in a Trim?
If the purpose in getting your Bichon groomed and trimmed is so that you can appreciate his good looks, you can learn to do this yourself. However, if grooming is being done for the show ring, a professional’s touch is needed.
Preparing a Bichon Frise for the show ring is an art that is perfected after many years of trial and error. If you expect Pierre to bring home those blue ribbons, have an experienced show ring groomer do the job.