What clipper should I choose to clip my dog?

 

To help you decide what clipper is going to work best for you and your dog you need to consider how much clipping you want to do and think about the size of your dog, the dogs breed, coat type, and temperament.

There are so many dog clippers to choose from and knowing what to buy that is suitable for your dog can be quite a daunting task. Purchasing a professional set of clippers will give you the best results. Grooming salons use both lightweight dog trimmers and medium duty dog clippers in their armoury to cater for all dog breeds and a range of different clipping scenarios.

A dog trimmer is small, lightweight, and quiet with a disposable blade and often plastic comb guides. Trimmers are generally cordless. A good quality trimmer such as the Masterclip Showmate II is fantastic for tidying up dogs in between trips to the groomers and has the capability of doing full body clips on smaller dogs with light/medium density coats. If you have a small fine coated dog or just want to do a little tidying, then a trimmer would be ideal.

Masterclip pink Showmate II in action with Lauren Emily Dog Grooming

A Medium Duty Dog Clipper is slightly bigger and takes a selection of blades and comb guides that you can choose from to suit your dog’s coat.

There are various types of clippers but by far the most popular professional dog clippers that are used by groomers are A5 clippers with snap on blades. These are excellent for full body clipping as long as the coat isn’t heavily matted. The A5 blades can be sharpened so are a great choice for anyone who wants to clip their dog regularly at home.

Clippers are available as mains powered, like the Masterclip Pedigree Pro, and cordless like the Masterclip MD Roamer. Cordless is a good option if you have a nervous dog that struggles to keep still or if you prefer to have the freedom of where you clip and don’t want any trailing cables.

Masterclip Pedigree Pro in action

 

Masterclip Cordless MD Roamer in action with Lauren Emily Dog Grooming

 

The majority of dogs who are having a full clip will need a Medium Duty A5 clipper to give an effortless clip.

The breed and type of coat your dog has will determine what blades and/or comb guides are going to be the most appropriate.

Masterclip sells dog sets by breed and the sets are designed with blades that should work well on that breed. It is useful to have a look to see what is suggested for your dog and then you can decide if the set is going to give the length of clip you want to give your dog. If you’re not clipping for shows it is very much down to personal preference. You can also choose your own blades depending on how short or long you want the finished result to be.

There are two types of A5 blade available, F blades and Skip toothed blades.

F blades have a full set of even teeth and leave a sharp smooth show finish. They work well on fine coats.

Skip toothed blades have wide teeth to help feed through thicker hair and thin the coat leaving a blended natural finish. These blades work well on thick coats and coarser hair.

Different brands use slightly different numbering for the sizes but in general the higher the number of the blade the shorter it will cut. Have a look at the chart below to give you an idea of how much hair will be left on the dog with each blade.

Masterclip A5 blade chart size guide

 

Most clippers will come with a 10F as standard. This blade is a very short cut leaving approximately 1.6mm of hair on the dog and is great for trimming the sanitary area, face, and feet. The 10F is also useful for nibbling underneath a matt on your dog’s coat to remove it before you start clipping.

You can also attach comb guides to the 10F blade to give a longer clip. Metal combs are best and are available in various sizes from 3mm through to 32mm so perfect for longer coated dogs.

If you have a poodle crossbreed that has a tricky coat to clip we have found the Masterclip MD Roamer with metal comb guides to be very successful.

The clippers with comb guides are also a really good starting point if you are new to grooming and unsure what blades to pick.

 

Whatever you decide you need it’s always a good idea to have a look to see if there are any grooming starter sets available. You can pick up some good deals if you buy a starter set.

If you are unsure and need a bit of advice, the friendly customer services team at Masterclip are always happy to help. You can call them during office hours Monday to Friday on 0116 2796900.

 

There are many brands of clippers available the most popular including Masterclip, Andis, Heiniger, Oster, Wahl, and Aesculap so lastly and importantly when you buy a clipper check out what warranty the clipper has and what aftersales support you will get.

Have a look to see if spare parts are available for ongoing maintenance.

Look at reviews from the company you are about to purchase from on Trustpilot or any other reputable review website so that you can make your purchase with peace of mind.