Thank you for posting, Barb. You state your position very well. I salute you for 40+ years of doing right by the dogs in your care. There are both groomers and vets for which this dermatological information flies in the face of what they have been doing and recommending for years. The suggestion of changing protocols can be very challenging, especially when we believe we have been doing things the "right" way. I remember the first time a new bather suggested to me that we might bathe dogs before clipping and combing. I nearly fired him on the spot. I had learned from the best and I had learned to ALWAYS clip and completely brush out before bathing. How dare he suggest otherwise? I was so entrenched in my old ways that I would not even give it a try. Two years later I discovered on my own that pre-bathing was way easier in most cases. I wished I could find that bather and apologize. I don't wish to argue the matter. I am reporting what the veterinary ear specialist said. She did not say that ear plucking is never warranted. She said that the ear is a self-cleaning mechanism and that the hair that grows in the ear is not the cause of ear problems. Poor hygiene is the cause of many ear problems. Her recommendation was that groomers do more ear cleaning and less ear plucking. She recommended cleaning protocol that utilizes ear cleaner that can be poured into the ear canal and massaged at the base of the ear, then allow the dog to shake it out. The outer ear can be swabbed with cleaner on cotton, but no pushing into the ear canal. Another thing that Dr. Newton touched on that perked up some groomer ears was NOT to use cotton balls in the dog's ears while bathing. The potential of pushing wax and debris down into the ear canal with the cotton is worse than any risk from a little fresh water in the ear, according to Dr. Newton. Jeez, that's another thing I was taught to do back in 1971! I gave up that practice when I opened my own shop and forgot to take the cotton balls out a couple of times. After some comments from clients about the dog having cotton in the ears and a Standard Poodle returning with the cotton balls from the grooming 6 weeks earlier still in the ears, I abandoned the practice unless specifically requested by the client. If that had not happened I would probably still be stuffing cotton balls in the ears for every bath. Old habits become the "right way". These practices were the right way at the time we were taught with the knowledge that was then available. The advanced study of veterinary dermatology as a specialty has resulted in gains in knowledge about the canine ear. Based on this advanced knowledge, the veterinary ear specialists are suggesting a modification in ear care protocol that is less invasive. There may be specific instances where plucking out some ear hair may be recommended in order to return an ear to optimum health. Current knowledge, according to Dr. Newton, clearly suggests that preventative plucking is doing more harm than good. I'm just saying...don't shoot the messenger. I know it's hard for some to hear. (ear joke?)

Hi Derek! We use flat nozzles more than cone nozzles. The flat nozzle is considerably less noisy. Sometimes less noise is worth a few minutes more time. I use the cone mostly for larger dogs, and then just to knock off the loose water. As soon as I stop getting spray, I switch to a flat nozzle. Speaking of spray, you can speed up drying by holding a small towel to catch the spray as you are force drying. This keeps the spray from settling back on the dog, or saturating the air around the table, which slows down drying.