So you've just finished washing your adorable little munchkin and are going to get a towel to dry him off, but he's quick enough to shake himself dry. Have you ever wondered why your dog does this adorable thing? Dogs know how to spice things up! They shake off the water after a bath, as we all know, but they also do it when they wake up and even after you cuddle or groom them.
All that shaking has a purpose, despite how perplexing it may appear. The backbone of a dog cannot rotate rapidly or further to complete the task. It can only move in either position by about 30 degrees. The fact that dogs have pretty loose skin, however, substantially aids the drying process. As a result, the dog's skin swings 90 degrees in either way as he shakes. Your dog's fur loses its insulation capabilities when exposed to water, and without something to keep its body warm, it could succumb to hypothermia.
A wet dog can burn a lot of calories just lying about waiting to dry in the cold. Shaking, on the other hand, can quickly dry a dog up to 70% in a matter of seconds.