I once worked at a Malamute kennel where, in the summer, most of the dogs were bathed weekly. It wasn’t uncommon for me to bathe, blow dry, and brush up to six Malamutes in a day, especially on dog show weekends. Alaskan Malamutes have dense double coats and shed like you wouldn’t believe when it’s time for them to blow their thick, furry undercoats.
If I wanted to go home at a reasonable hour, a powerful dog blow dryer was a must. When being blow dried, dogs should be dried completely down to the skin without any dampness being left behind. Dampness leaves room for hot spots, bacteria, and skin irritation.
While I know my way around a powerful, high-velocity dog blow dryer, I realize that an expensive two-motor dog dryer isn’t a must-have for every pet parent and the best dog dryer for you is largely dependent on your dog’s size and coat type.
As a Rough Collie owner, I personally use a K-9 Fluffer Dryer with variable speeds. It’s strong enough to get my Collie dry in a reasonable amount of time, but isn’t bulky, heavy, or as loud as the stronger double-barrel dog dryers.
Pet parents with shorter-coated or smaller dogs can likely get away with using a much less powerful dryer for their pups.
Here’s what to look for when shopping for a dog blow dryer:
Traits We Want in the Best Dog Dryers
Power: The dog breed, size, type of coat, and spay/neuter status of your dog will determine how strong of a dog dryer you require. Single-coated breeds can be dried quickly with non-powerful dryers, while large, double-coated dogs will require more power to dry completely. Spayed or neutered dogs with long or double coats may also benefit from a stronger dryer, since they can be more prone to tangling and matting due to altered coat texture.
Settings: The settings you need on a dog blow dryer will also depend on your dog. If your dog is noise sensitive, a variable speed blow dryer will be easier to desensitize them to. If you plan on using a dryer to dry your dog’s face and ears, a variable speed dryer also allows you to dry these more sensitive parts of the body with a lower speed.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need a specific “heated” dog dryer in most cases. Some dog blow dryers rely on air that’s warmed while passing through the motor, while others have no heating element, instead only using room temperature air and air force that’s able to blow water off your dog’s hair, rather than warming it up until it evaporates. Dog dryers also often have protection against overheating, so you don’t burn or irritate your dog’s skin.
Ease of cleaning/replacing filters: Cleaning and replacing the filter on your dog dryer will keep the motor going for longer. We evaluated the ease of cleaning and changing the filters on each of these dryers.
Safety and performance: I once used a dog blow dryer that heated up so much it sparked within 10 minutes of turning it on. I then purchased a second dryer of the same make/model and it did the exact same thing. Dog blow dryers should have strong, safe motors that can not only dry your pet, but don’t heat up or shut off from being overworked.
Attachments: Certain attachments are helpful for certain coats and certain uses. A water peeler attachment is particularly useful to use when your dog is fresh out of the bath, to get rid of excess water sitting on top of the coat. A round tip is good for targeting mats and tangles on longer coats.
The Best Dog Dryers
| Whole Dog Journal Rating | Product and Maker | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Electric Cleaner Company K-9 Fluffer Dryer | $379 | Often the top brand choice for dog show folks and double-coated dog owners, K-9 Fluffer dryers are known for being a lasting investment with lots of power behind them. |
 | SHELANDY Dog Grooming Dryer | $89 | For small and medium-sized dogs (or large dogs with thinner coats), the Shelandy dryer is a budget-friendly option that offers variable speeds and a heating element, which is especially helpful for small dogs who are prone to getting cold during bathtime. |
 | Flying Pig Double | $349 | The Flying Pig Double Grooming Dryer is incredibly powerful and best suited for large breed dogs and dogs with thick double coats. |
| MetroVac Air Force Commander Two-Speed Pet Dryer | $300 | At such a similar price range to the K-9 Fluffer Dryer (and the slightly cheaper two-speed K-9 dryer), I find that the MetroVac Air Force Commander Dryers generally lack power in comparison. |
Best Dog Blow Dryer: Electric Cleaner Company K-9 Fluffer Dryer
A few of my dog show friends have had their Electric Cleaner Company dog dryers for 10+ years and they’re still going strong. It’s a popular brand amongst show folks because it’s powerful, multi-purpose with multiple speeds, but still small and easy to move around and transport. I’ve had my Electric Cleaner Company K-9 Fluffer Dryer for two years and wouldn’t trade it for another dryer.
This dryer completely dries my Rough Collie down to the skin in about 40 minutes on high. Smaller dogs would be done quicker, while bigger dogs may take longer. I tend to use the brand’s water peeler attachment most often, which unfortunately doesn’t come included and needs to be bought separately.
The variable speeds on this dryer are great for getting dogs used to the sound and sensation of blow drying since you can start them with a quieter low speed setting. It’s also useful for blow drying your dog’s face, head, and ears without irritating them. This dryer has the largest variation of power levels of the options we tested.
Another big perk of this dryer is that it can be plugged into a standard 15-amp outlet without blowing fuses. Some high-velocity dog driers require 20-amp power.
If you don’t care about having variable speeds, this brand also sells a cheaper two-speed version. They also sell multiple more powerful versions for very large, thick-coated dogs (or for groomers who dry a lot of dogs regularly).
Best Budget Dog Dryer: SHELANDY Dog Grooming Dryer
For dog owners on a budget, the SHELANDY Dog Grooming Dryer is one of the best options you can get for under $100. With a retail price of $89, this option is often on sale at Chewy for less.
It’s lightweight (compared to the K-9 Fluffer dryer) and features variable power settings. The lowest and highest power settings on the K-9 Fluffer are both lower and higher respectively than the Shelandy—the Shelandy’s power settings sit in the middle of the K-9 Fluffer’s.
Some user reviews say that this dryer is overly loud, but when we tested decibels on each dryer, the Shelandy sat right in the middle of the K-9 Fluffer sound range as well, which matches up with the power range that it has. The lowest setting is not as quiet as the K-9 Fluffer, but the loudest setting isn’t as loud as the K-9 Fluffer either.
A great feature the Shelandy dryer has is an integrated heating element. This means that it can blow warm air instead of just room temperature air like other options on this list. Though it’s not always recommended to blow dry dogs with hot or warm air, it can be helpful for small dogs or dogs with low body fat who tend to get cold during bathtime.
Best High Velocity Dog Dryer: Flying Pig Double Grooming Dryer
If you have a large or giant breed, or a dog with a thick double coat, the Flying Pig Double Grooming Dryer is the way to go. It’s one of the most cost-effective double motor dog dryers on the market, while still offering high enough power to get heavy-coated dogs dry in a reasonable amount of time.
During testing, this dryer got my Collie dry in a little more than half the time of my normal dryer. It will cut your drying time in half in comparison to a single motor dryer, especially if you have a double coated breed (or a very large dog). It’s fairly loud, even on the lowest setting, so it’s best for dogs who are already used to being dried with an electric dryer.
The Flying Pig Double has variable power settings, and despite its strong power, can be used with a normal 120V outlet—as long as there’s nothing else running on the same circuit at the same time. Some other double motor dryers on the market have higher power requirements to function.
This dryer comes with a round nozzle, a flat nozzle, and a wide flat nozzle, and while they’re a little bit thicker/bulkier to hold than other options on this list, they work great for getting your dog dry down to the skin.
The only downsides of this dryer are that it’s quite big and heavy and it will be overkill for dogs who don’t need it. Just because it’s slightly less expensive than a less powerful dryer doesn’t mean that it’s the best pick for all dogs. This dryer is likely too strong for small breeds and sensitive dogs who need gentler settings but it a good pick for Malamutes, Huskies, Collies, Samoyeds, and other bigger, thick-coated dogs.
Something to note is that we had trouble with our first tester unit of this dryer: One of the motors stopped working on the second use. The first use was a short 5-minute test to check for power and settings without a dog. The second use was to actually blow dry a dog with it, and one of the motors stopped working within the first ten minutes of use on medium high power.
However, the Flying Pig customer service was speedy in sending a replacement and the replacement unit had no issues. It easily dried my Collie in about 25 minutes.
Other Dog Blow Dryers We Tested
MetroVac Air Force Commander Two-Speed Pet Dryer
The MetroVac Air Force Commander Two-Speed Pet Dryer is a fairly lightweight and portable option, similar in size to the Electric Cleaner Company K-9 Fluffer Dryer. This dryer only has two speeds: low and high. It’s slightly cheaper than the K-9 Fluffer, but the power is lacking in comparison. My local dog wash uses MetroVac Air Force Commander Two Speed models and they typically take about an hour to fully dry my Collie while my K-9 Fluffer takes about 40 minutes. This isn’t a bad dryer for smaller dogs or thinner coats but if you have a double coated dog, spend a little extra for the K-9 Fluffer if you’re choosing between the two options.
