When it comes to grooming your dog, having the right tools is essential to ensure your pup stays clean, comfortable, and healthy throughout their lives. With the ongoing costs of dog care increasing, grooming your dog with your own set of clippers is a great investment and can help to reduce regular grooming fees and keep on top of your dog’s coat between professional salon visits.
For dogs with coats that need regular clipping, choosing the right clipper to suit your breed and their coat type can be overwhelming. With so many options available on the market, how can you be sure to make the right choice? It’s easy to overspend when trying to find the ideal solution or waste money on sub-standard clippers that just won’t clip your dog.
In this guide, we'll explore everything you need to know to choose the perfect dog clippers for your canine companion.
ARE DOG CLIPPERS THE SAME AS HUMAN CLIPPERS?
While dog clippers and human clippers may appear similar, they are designed for different purposes. Dog clippers are specifically engineered to handle the unique fur textures and thicknesses of various dog breeds. They typically feature stronger motors and are compatible with a wide range of specialised clipper blades to efficiently cut through dense fur and leave different finishes without causing discomfort to your pet. Using human clippers on your dog will likely not be effective or may pull at their hair, causing discomfort.
Above: Masterclip Pedigree Pro mains powered dog clipper and selection of A5 clippers blades and combs
HOW TO SHARPEN DOG CLIPPERS
Keeping your clippers sharp is crucial for achieving a clean and precise finish and provide your dog with the most comfortable groom. Most dog clippers come with detachable blades that can be resharpened. This is best carried out by a professional sharpening company but is an inexpensive way to ensure your dog always has a great trim.
Blades for dog grooming are usually pre-tensioned ready for use and require specialist techniques and equipment to ensure they are disassembled, cleaned, correctly ground with minimal removal of material and then reassembled with the correct tension. You can find more on our recommended sharpening services here.
Regular cleaning and oiling of your clipper blades will also help maintain their sharpness and longevity.
CAN DOG CLIPPERS BE USED ON CATS?
While some dog clippers may be suitable for use on cats, we would always recommend not using clippers to groom a cat. Specialist pet trimmers such as our cordless Showmate cat trimmer are more suitable for feline grooming and can be used to trim rabbits too. Cats have very thin, delicate skin and different fur textures compared to dogs, so using the wrong clippers may cause discomfort or could even cause an injury to your cat. Clippers for cats are for best used in the hands of veterinary professionals and expert cat groomers. If you’re looking for advice on what trimmer to use to groom your cat at home, contact us here.
WHAT CLIPPERS DO GROOMERS USE?
Professional groomers primarily use high-quality A5 clippers designed to withstand continuous use and handle a variety of coat types. These professional salon grade clippers are compatible with a wide range of easy snap on/snap off blades, called A5 which denotes a universal fitting across any A5 make of clipper. These blades have a ‘standard’ width of 5cm and come in a vast range of cut lengths from very close surgical cuts for veterinary use, to close cut for trimming and detailed clipping and longer cuts for body clips from 3mm up to16mm.
At Masterclip, we offer a choice of mains powered or cordless A5 dog clippers suitable for salon or home users. Our professional dog clippers are easy to use and can take all makes of A5 clipper blades such as Andis, Wahl, Oster and Heiniger, to clip all breeds of dog.
Lhasa Apso cross clipped by using the Masterclip cordless MD Roamer dog clippers by Lauren Emily Dog Grooming
WHAT CLIPPERS DO VETS USE?
Veterinarians typically use A5 clippers to prep animals for medical procedures. For veterinary care, these clippers are used with very close cutting, surgical A5 clipper blades such as a 50F, 40F or 30F for precision and safety during delicate procedures like surgery, taking blood samples and wound care where hygiene and clear visual of the skin is critical.
They may also have a selection of close cutting blades for severe cases of matting where a pet may require sedation or aesthesia for the careful removal of large areas of matted coat that are tight to the skin. Smaller cordless trimmers such as our Showmate trimmer are also used to prep nervous animals, or for clipping smaller pets such as cats and rabbits.
CAN DOG CLIPPERS CUT THE SKIN?
When used properly, dog clippers should not cut or injure your pet’s skin. When clipping, the clipper blade should be placed flat against the body to avoid the tips of the blade from digging into the skin. Areas where the skin is loose such as in the armpits needs to be gently pulled taught so that the reduce the risk of catching the folds of skin.
Caution must be taken when clipping wriggly pets as although the points on the comb of the blades are not used for cutting, very wriggly pets may accidently catch themselves on the edges. Getting your puppy used to clipping from an early age with positive training will set the foundations for them to really enjoy the grooming experience and help them to remain calm and still when the time comes to clip.
Extra care should be used when clipping matted coats as the skin can become tight against the knot of the fur. For this reason, it best to avoid using skip tooth blades when dealing with matts.
WHICH DOG CLIPPERS ARE BEST?
The best dog clippers for you will depend on your pet's specific needs, such as coat type, density, and the look you want to achieve. Look for A5 clippers from reputable brands that offer adjustable blade sizes, are quiet and easy to operate to ensure a comfortable grooming experience for both you and your dog.
Our Masterclip range of affordable dog clippers offer a range of clip choices, suitable for all year round grooming to achieve salon results in the comfort of your own home. Our easy-to-use professional clippers can be used with a range of blades and comb guides, whether you want a simple maintenance trim for your dog or a traditional breed show clip. Our clippers come with a 2-year warranty, backed up with our Leicestershire based customer services centre available weekdays to answer any queries you may have. We also carry all spare parts for our clippers, offering servicing and repairs so you can rest assured when you buy a clipper from Masterclip, they will last for many years of use.
HOW TO USE DOG CLIPPERS
Before using dog clippers, it's essential to prepare your pet by bathing them first and brushing out any tangles or mats in their fur. Start slowly, allowing your dog to become accustomed to the sound and sensation of the clippers. Use gentle, steady strokes, moving in the direction of hair growth. Regularly apply clipper oil to the blades and clean away clipped hair checking the blade temperature is cool for your dog. Watch our video guide by professional groomer Lauren Emily Dog Grooming here.
WHICH DOG CLIPPERS FOR CURLY OR THICK COATS?
For dogs with curly or thick coats, you'll need powerful clippers with sharp blades capable of tackling dense fur. Our professional A5 dog clippers can be used with a range of comb guides, full or skip tooth blades to suit various coat textures. If you’re unsure which blades to use, our Grooming by Breed dog clipper sets come with our mains powered or cordless A5 dog clippers and a selection of blades or combs tailored to your dog’s coat type.
If you are in need of clippers to clip a dog with a double coat or a breed that is not traditionally clipped for medical reasons, contact us for alternate clipper options.
SHOULD I BUY A DOG CLIPPER OR TRIMMER?
While dog clippers are designed for cutting through longer fur and maintaining coat length, trimmers are ideal for precision grooming, such as trimming around the face, ears and paws. Trimmers have finer blades and are useful for detailed work and touch-ups between grooming sessions and are perfect for show grooming of breeds such as poodles and Bedlington terriers. Our cordless Showmate dog trimmer can be used for body clipping small dogs such as Yorkshire Terriers, but if you need to regularly body clip your dog, an A5 clipper is much more effective and offers a greater choice of clip lengths.
Above: Masterclip Pink Showmate dog trimmer, Pedigree Pro mains powered dog clipper & cordless green MD Roamer dog clipper.
SEEKING FURTHER ADVICE
At Masterclip, we’re passionate about dog clipping and offer free advice to help you find the right tools for you and your dog. Contact us now.