Which Dog Hair Clippers are Right for Your Pet?
How to Choose the Best Dog Clippers
There are many dog hair clippers around, from appealingly cheap models to high-priced professional dog clippers. It can be difficult to decide which are the best dog clippers to buy.
Here’s a few tips to help guide you when buying dog grooming clippers.
First, Do You Really Need Dog Clippers?
If your pooch has short hair all over, then there is probably no need to consider buying a set of dog grooming shears. But in almost every other situation, having them at hand is invaluable.
For dogs with a medium to long coat, owning a brush and comb just doesn’t cut it!
“Sienna”, a beautifully groomed Miniature Schnauzer >>>
While not all dog owners are meticulous about keeping their dog well groomed, even if you rather like your dog looking a bit scruffy dog hair clippers are a great investment.
For a start there’s the regular need to tidy up the area around your dog’s bottom to avoid the horrible scenario of feces becoming stuck in the hair.
And in spring and summer, it is both convenient and sensible to clip your dog both for comfort and to lessen the chance of problems with grass seeds and burrs.
Dog Hair Clippers Pay for Themselves!
Are you the type of owner who likes your dog to look great? Then you’ll be looking at the need for a grooming session every six to eight weeks or so. Even if you’re not that proud, you are still looking at at least 3 to 4 clips a year, plus more regular tidying up around the bottom.
If you are relying on the use of a professional dog groomer, the money spent soon adds up. In just a year it can easily exceed what it would have cost you to buy even top-end dog grooming clippers in the first place.
And then there is the time involved taking your dog to the salon, and returning to pick him or her up again.
Do your sums and you’ll soon see that it makes sense to have your own dog hair clippers.
Are You Scared of DIY Dog Grooming?
No need to be! Unless your dog is very difficult to handle, any owner can easily learn how to handle a set of dog grooming clippers.
Dog grooming instruction DVDs are readily available all over the internet. Many cover all aspects, from dog nail grooming to dealing with anal glands. Some are even specialized to particular breeds, and will soon have you clipping like a pro.
Practice makes perfect and once you get the right dog grooming tools, you’ll have ample opportunity to do so.
How to Choose the Best Dog Clippers
Here are few tips to help you select the best dog clippers.
1. Avoid the Cheap End of the Market
I discovered this the hard way myself many years ago. Cheap dog clippers just don’t “cut it”, literally! They tend to get bogged down and struggle to get through most coats. This can be trying, and even painful, for you and your pet. You’d soon regret wasting your money on such rubbish.
Professional dog clippers are worth every penny and will power their way effortlessly through even the softest, densest coats.
2. Go for Professional Dog Clippers
I bought my set of professional dog clippers 10 years ago, and they are still going strong. The only cost I’ve had so far was to replace the blade about a year ago. Quality dog shears are an investment not an expense.
The brands around are as follows:
• Oster pet clippers
• Andis pet clippers
• Wahl dog clippers
A great feature with these brands is that the standard blades are normally interchangeable, so that Oster clipper blades will also usually fit Wahl or Andis pet clippers.
Features to Look For in Dog Hair Clippers
Variable Length Attachments
Apart from choosing the best dog clippers you can afford, there are a few useful features you should look out for.
Clippers with attachments that provide variable length options are very handy. It is great to be able to groom to suit the part of the body and the time of year, as well as the breed of dog, all with one set of dog hair clippers.
With the relatively light use pet owners give them, your high quality, professional dog clippers may well outlast your current dog. It’s good to know that even if your new dog is a different breed, your dog grooming clippers will still do the job.
Spare Clipper Blades
Dog grooming clippers that include different sized blades, or spare blades are usually worth any extra money. It is not unusual for the blades to cost around 25% of the original price of professional dog clippers, so, while they last a long time, they are relatively expensive to replace.
As far as blade sizes go, while there are specialized sizes for particular jobs (e.g. clipping between the toes) for the non-professional groomer a #10 to #13 will pretty much cope with any breed’s body coat.
How to Make Them Last!
Do look after your dog hair clippers! Avoid clipping a dirty dog – the sand and grit can damage your blades.
Clean and lubricate your clippers regularly and the set you buy today will last you a lifetime.
Return from DOG HAIR CLIPPERS to DOG GROOMING