What To Do If Your Dog Hates Being Towel Dried?

A gentler approach to towel drying dogs who find handling difficult.

For some dogs, getting wet is the easy part.

They'll happily charge into the sea, splash through muddy puddles or stand reasonably patiently for a bath.

Darcy enjoys getting muddy

Then the towel appears... and everything changes.

If your dog doesn't enjoy being touched, is sensitive about certain areas of their body or becomes worried when you reach for a towel, getting them dry can be difficult for both of you.

And sometimes, trying to get the job done as quickly as possible isn't the answer.

Sometimes slowing down can help

Before Bark & Beau, I spent many years working with horses, including those with behavioural problems and phobias.

One of the most important things that experience taught me was to notice what the animal in front of me was communicating.

When an animal finds something difficult, making the experience bigger, faster or more overwhelming rarely makes it easier. Instead, it can be helpful to break the process down into much smaller, manageable steps.

It's something I've thought about a lot when it comes to drying dogs. After all, we know what we're trying to achieve when we reach for a towel but our dog doesn't understand why we're suddenly approaching them with a large piece of fabric and rubbing it over their body.

For a dog who already finds handling difficult, that's quite a lot to ask.

Start smaller

Every Bark & Beau Drying Kit comes with a matching microfibre drawstring bag.

I originally designed the bag as a practical way to keep the drying kit together at home, in the car or when travelling. But it has another useful purpose too.

Slip it over your hand and it becomes a small drying mitt.

Introducing the bag as a drying mitt

For a dog who's unsure about towels, this can give you the option of introducing the feel of the microfibre gradually rather than immediately draping a larger towel over them.

You might start by simply allowing your dog to investigate the bag without attempting to dry them at all.

If they're comfortable with its presence, you could then introduce a brief, gentle touch somewhere they already tolerate being handled well (like shoulder, or neck), pairing the experience with something they enjoy (a nice calm shoulder scratch, or food reward can work well if your dog is calm enough to eat).

Then stop.

There doesn't need to be a rush to progress to the next stage.

In fact, doing this when your dog is dry, would be a good way to acclimatise the dog to the drying mitt, as wet fur will probably feel different to dry fur, and dogs may need time to accept the sensations and reduce their anxiety.

Let your dog set the pace

It's tempting to think that because a dog tolerated something once, they're ready for us to do a little more next time.

But progress isn't always linear.

Pay attention to your individual dog and their body language. If they're moving away, becoming tense or showing other signs that they're uncomfortable, that's useful information.

You can make things easier again.

I would avoid trying to handle paws if you dog is particularly anxious, as they may feel you are removing their ability to run if they are overwhelmed.

Over time, and only if your dog remains comfortable, you may be able to gradually increase the amount of contact before eventually introducing the full towel, but my advice is to fold the towel to make it smaller the first few times you introduce it.

Only once the dog is comfortable with the folded towel touching them can you start to make it slightly bigger by folding it less.

For some dogs this may happen relatively quickly. For others, it may take considerably longer.

And that's OK.

The aim isn't to meet a timetable. It's to help your dog feel more comfortable with the process.

Darcy is calm enough to lie down and be dried by the mitt

Does the towel itself make a difference?

This is one of the reasons I wanted our drying kit to be practical to handle.

Many of us have traditionally grabbed one of our own large bath towels or bath sheets when the dog comes home soaking wet.

They'll certainly absorb water, but they can also mean a lot of loose fabric to manage while simultaneously trying to dry a moving dog.

Our original Bark & Beau towel measures 60 × 100 cm, making it more manageable than many large human bath sheets, while still giving you plenty of material for drying.

The built-in hand pockets also give your hands a defined place to go and help you keep hold of the towel, rather than having loose corners slipping around or ending up on the floor.

Those might seem like small details but they make a big difference.

For a dog who finds the drying process difficult, however, reducing unnecessary movement and making the towel easier for the person to control may help make the whole experience feel less chaotic.

Darcy is now calm and enjoys having paws dried by the mitt

Drying isn't a race

Of course, there will be times when we simply need to get a wet dog dry.

But where we have the opportunity, drying doesn't always have to be about removing every last drop of water as quickly as possible.

Sometimes the better goal is a calmer experience.

That might mean drying a little at a time. It might mean allowing your dog to move away. It might mean starting with the small microfibre bag rather than the full towel. And it might mean accepting that today, you've done enough.

Living with dogs involves plenty of muddy paws, wet coats and unexpected baths.

I want the Bark & Beau products to make those everyday moments easier, but I also believe the dog in front of us should always be part of the conversation.

Sometimes, slowing things down, listening to what they're telling us and working at their pace can matter just as much as getting them dry. 🤍

Does your dog happily accept being dried, or is it something you've had to work on together?

If your dog shows significant fear or distress around being touched, handled or dried, I'd always recommend seeking individual advice from a suitably qualified canine behaviour professional.