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Home Grooming Tips

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Tips for Successful Clipping

grooming clipper blades

Grooming your dog doesn't have to be a complicated process. A little information about the use of clipper blades will make the job easier and make your groomed dog look more professional.

Different dog clippers are designed to clip different types of hair-coats. Heavily coated breeds or dogs whose coat is matted or heavily tangled require stronger, better quality clippers than light coated breeds.

The faster a blade moves, the easier and faster it will cut. Better quality clippers have faster motors.

How fast a blade moves is dictated by the quality and strength of the motor in the clippers as well as how well you lubricate the blade while you clip. Kool Lube lubricates your blade as you clip to keep its movement free and unimpeded.

When a blade is moving, friction creates heat, which makes the blade get hot. Test the blade against your cheek or the inside of your forearm (like a baby bottle) to be sure it isn't uncomfortably hot for your pet. Kool Lube keeps your blade cool.

Different blades leave different lengths of hair. The lower the blade number, the longer the hair i.e.: a #4F blade leaves 5/8" of hair and a #10 leaves only 1/16" of hair. i.e.: The #10 is used for smooth or summer cuts, the 4F for "fuzzy" cuts.

Skip Tooth blades cut faster through dense, matted hair, but their clip is rough and not attractive. Use a skip tooth blade for the first pass "rough in" and then smooth your grooming with a full tooth blade.

Smooth faces, feet, the pads of the feet, groin and tummy areas and anal areas can usually be clipped very close with a #10, #15, or lightly with a #30 or #40 blade to clean them of hair.

Never clip a dirty dog. Dirt and products such as flea powders destroy the cutting surface of your blade.

Never clip a wet dog. It's too hard to get through the coat.

Clipping AGAINST the hair growth pattern leaves shorter hair than clipping WITH the hair growth.

Store your blade clean, coated with Kool Lube, wrapped in a paper towel and enclosed in a plastic, airtight baggie to prevent corrosion from humidity on the cutting surfaces.

Below are some suggestions for which blades to use on what type of dog.

All Breeds & Mixed Breeds

Andis AG Blade
Sanitary Prep 10
Pads 15 or 5/8" wide
Slightly matted 5 & 5FC
Very matted 7 & 7FC
Very Heavy Coats 7 or T84
Legs 3-3/4 FC, 5/8" HT, SC or Scissor
Feet (except poodle), beards, mustaches, furnishings Scissor

Airedale Terrier Andis AG Blade
Body, sides & tail 7 or 5
Head, throat 9 or 7
Ears 10 or 15

Bearded Collie Andis AG Blade
Body 3-3/4" & 3-3/4" FC, 5/8" HT or 1-1/4" SC

Bedlington Terrier Andis AG Blade
Body 5 & 5FC to 3 3/4 & 3-3/4 FC
Face, ears, 2/3 of tail end 10 or 15

Bichon Frise Andis AG Blade
Plush look - Body 3-3/4 & 3-3/4FC or 5/8" HT
Short - Body 4 & 4FC or 5 & 5FC

Bouvier Des Flandres Andis AG Blade
Body, sides 3-3/4 or 5/8: HT
Legs, underbody, face Scissor or 1-1/2" SC
Cheeks & throat 4
Ears 10 or 15

Briard Andis AG Blade
Body 5/8" HT
Legs, underbody, face Scissor or 1-1/2" SC

Cairn Terrier Andis AG Blade
Head, face, legs, underbody Scissor
Body 4 or 3-3/4
Ears 10 or 15

Cats Andis AG Blade
Very matted 10
Some matting 7FC
No matting 10 or 15

Cocker Spaniel Andis AG Blade
Body, side, back, tail 7 & 7FC or 5 & 5FC
Face, ears, throat, head 10 or 15

Dandie Dinmont Terrier Andis AG Blade
Body, side, back 4
Head, tail, feet Scissor
Top of ears 15 or 10

English Cocker Spaniel Andis AG Blade
Body, side, back 7 & 7FC or 5 & 5FC
Front of forelegs 7 & 7FC
Head, neck, ears, face 15

English Setter Andis AG Blade
Body, side, back 7 & 7FC or 5 & 5FC
Head 9
Top of ears 10 or 15
Underbody, tail, legs Scissor

English Springer Spaniel Andis AG Blade
Body, sides, back, tail 7 & 7FC or 5 & 5FC
Head, neck, ear top, throat 10

Fox Terrier & Irish Terrier Andis AG Blade
Body, sides, back, tail 5
Head, ears, throat 10

Gordon Setter & Irish Setter Andis AG Blade
Body, side, back 7 & 7FC or 5 & 5FC
Head, ears, throat 10
Underbody, tail, legs Scissor

Kerry Blue Terrier Andis AG Blade
Body, sides, back, tail 4 & 4FC to 5/8" HT
Cheeks & throat 10 or 15
Top of head 4 or 5

Lakeland Terrier Andis AG Blade
Body, sides, back, tail 4 or 5
Head 8-1/2
Throat, ears 10

Lhasa Apso & maltese Andis AG Blade
Body 5 & 5FC to 5/8" HT
Head, face, tail, underbody Scissor

Old English Sheepdog Andis AG Blade
Body 4 & 4FC to 5/8" HT
Head, face Scissor

Poodle Andis AG Blade
Face, feet, base of tail 10 or 15
Body 7 & 7FC to 5/8" HT
Top knot, tail piece Scissor
Pattern set 5/8" Wide

Portuguese Water Dog (Lion Clip) Andis AG Blade
Body - Last rib forward 5/8" HT or scissor
Last rib backward, legs, 3/4 of tail & face 10

Portuguese Water Dog (Retriever Clip) Andis AG Blade
Body 3-3/4 & 3-3/4FC or 5/8" HT
Face 4 & 4FC
Head, tail Scissor

Schnauzer Andis AG Blade
Body, sides, back 7 & 7FC or 5 & 5FC
Head, ears, cheeks 10

Scottish Terrier & sealyham Terrier Andis AG Blade
Body, back, forechest 4 or 5
Ears, throat 10 or 15
Top of head, cheeks 8-1/2 or 7
Tail 3-3/4 or scissor

Shih Tzu Andis AG Blade
Body 4 & 4FC to 5/8" HT
Head, tail, ears Scissor

Silky Terrier Andis AG Blade
Body 4 & 4FC to 5/8" HT
Head, underbody, tail Scissor
Ears 10

Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Andis AG Blade
Body, tail 3-3/4 & 3-3/4FC or 5/8" HT
Cheeks, throat 4 & 4FC or 5 & 5FC
Head, Ears Scissor

Welsh Terrier Andis AG Blade
Body, back, sides, tail 5 or 7
Head, ears, throat 10

West Highland White Terrier Andis AG Blade
Body, back, sides 5 to 3-3/4
Head, underbody, tail Scissor
Ears tips 10 or 15

Yorkshire Terrier Andis AG Blade
Body 4 & 4FC to 5/8" HT
Face, head Scissor
Ears 10