Shaving dogs - trace clip?

[JB]

Ok, I know you're out there, who shaves their doggies for the Summer?

Do you do a trace clip? Modified?

Any issues I might not know that pertain to clipping dogs that just don't apply to horses?

[Bogie]

I clip my dogs myself (why not? Given I have all the equipment). In my experience they are harder to clip than horses because their coat is not as smooth as my horses'. I have a Lhasa Apso mix with "hair" and a Westie. The Lhasa I shave the same length all over. The Westie I try to approximate a Westie clip.

It may not be pretty but it's a heck of a lot cheaper than taking them to be groomed. Last I checked, the dogs didn't care :lol:.

[jetsmom]

I have a Cocker mix that looks like a Cocker/Aphgan. But his hair looks like a cross between Buckwheat (Little Rascals) and * King (Boxing promoter). So I cut him like a Cocker but give him a Mohawk on his head. He's pretty goofy, so it fits him.

[Mali]

Ok, I know you're out there, who shaves their doggies for the Summer?

Do you do a trace clip? Modified?

Any issues I might not know that pertain to clipping dogs that just don't apply to horses?

1. Make sure your blades stay cool during clipping (or have extras on hand) - dogs can get "clipper burn" really easy.
2. If you're dog is light colored, or has very light skin coloring, they can get sunburnt just like humans. Either keep them out of the sun as much as possible until their coat grows in a little, or apply sunscreen.

I clip my Lab all year long, because he's older and does not tolerate heat very well. He goes crazy when he sees the clippers come out! He LOVES it!

[ESG]

I clipped both my late GSD/Golden mix and my little Border Collie mix in what the groomers referred to as a "lion cut" - shaved body and legs, left head and tail long. Neither seemed to mind. In fact, after clipping, they both pounced about like puppies for at least a week, reveling in the fact that they weren't uncomfortably hot in our Texas summers. I highly recommend it. :yes:

[SteppinEasy]

I just clipped my Great Pyrenees for the first time ever yesterday. An all-day, off and on session...sheesh. Pretty sure I could do a well-behaved lamb now, after that experience--the undercoat is killer!:lol::lol:

I'd intended to just take a little hair off, but ended up shaving her relatively close to the skin. She looks cute, but it's obvious she was "groomed" by a rank amateur. Very uneven, but she doesn't mind.;) I'll probably be teased to high heaven the first time I take her somewhere, though, lol.

As someone said earlier, it's a LOT harder than clipping a horse!

Incidently, every vet I've asked has given me a different recommendation of whether to clip her or not. Some say, "Never! The coat is designed to keep her cool!" Others told me, "Imagine walking around in a lambswool coat all summer and see how cool you'd feel." My dog has suffered through several summers with the long coat and this year I decided to give the other a try. So far, she loves it!

[Petstorejunkie]

i was a groomer in another life and yes i clip my bx cross pretty much year round. she's all black, works hard and tends to overheat easily. i do a saddle clip, which is alot like what you see on setters and such. they need the protection over their chest and legs from underbrush, but you can take all that crap off the top and cool them significantly. i use the jugular vein as a guide for where to start blending her. If you can post a pic i can explain to you how to groom it so that it looks natural but is easy to keep clean and cool.

[JB]

These are GSD/Chow mixes, with the hair of a GSD (body type too).

I thought about just clipping from the midline down.

Is a #10 too short? At least IIRC that's the longer of the 10-15-30 which is the adjustable blade I have. It's a Wahl Stable Pro.

[goodhors]

If you are using the A5 type clippers, Oster sells "combs" that clip over the blades to prevent cutting hair too short. They have both deeper and shorter combs, so you can get length if you need it. You can buy them at some pet stores or order from pet grooming catalogs.

I clip my Bouvier year round, and use the clip on combs extensively. They are also a great way to PREVENT hot blades burning a dog. My combs come in sizes like 1/4"-1/2"-3/4"-1" so I have a lot of control with them.

I find using the comb to work better if some length is removed first, when dog hair is very long, like over 4-5" inches. Diving into hair that deep is much harder work than hair that is only 2" long. For some reason the clippers just do not shear it off with the combs like they do with just blades. Combs are more work to use, or maybe it is my dog's particular type of hair, that makes it more work. I need to remove the combs fairly often and get the hair out between them and the blade faces. Then back to clipping again.

After doing my own dogs for over 20 years, I have learned a lot, and have tricks that make my dog look how I want her to. I was too cheap to pay to have her groomed. I had always had shorter haired dogs, that just needed a wash and brush off. Clean and combed out Bouvier dog at the groomer was $50, for just shortening the hair!! She wasn't even very long. I was shocked at the rates, and that was years ago. Decided to save the money and do her myself.

We usually have her rather short coated, she lives on a farm! Much easier to keep brushed clean of seeds and no hot spots with deep hair. I want her ears clean to prevent dirt buildup, so they are clipped with no combs, about the only part that is done combless! Then I can just wipe them out weekly, with ear cleaner. Like poodles, their hairy ears just need more attention with clipping and cleaning often.

I clip clean washed and dry dogs, no dirt to dull the blades. I never try to make her look "cute", just slick cut her, same length all over, but not down to the skin. I think they need some hair to prevent the sunburn, cold ground from pulling out body heat. Also a cushion of sorts on the bony parts, hocks, elbows for laying on hard surfaces. I hate elbow calluses. She has a shaggy face, which I shape some, no chipmunk cheeks, make sure her eyes are not covered, muzzle is mat free, no hair clots buried anyplace. Between toes can surprise you with wads of hair or seeds, burrs caught in there. Her tail is cropped, so also cut short.

I would not do a "trace clip", I would rather leave hair a bit longer all over except feet. If she needs the hair off, she needs it off all over. With those combs, I can easily control how much I remove. She has a double coat, longer coarse guard hairs, with wooly undercoat, but ALL of it is curly. The longer it gets, the denser it is, and it NEVER stops growing. Poodle crosses in the breed someplace in the past.

The breeds you name are limited in hair length, but can be deep coated. We never clipped the GSDs when we had them, even the longer haired ones. They did lose all their undercoat for summer, so just coarse guard hairs were covering them. Add in the Chow hair, I would probably clip them myself. Just too much hair for the locales we keep them in now.

I would get one of the longer combs, I think they have an inch and a half one, start with that. If the clippers cut raggedly, dogs wiggle around, you will still have hair length to remove and even it up, after you see how it settles a couple days later. My dog looks quite silly after clipping, but the hair settles by the next day, so I can trim off any errant wisps or stick-ups I missed.

You can ALWAYS cut the hair shorter, but you can not stick it back on the dog!! I learned that by messing up more than once! Ha-Ha

As others said, maybe short sessions each time, so YOU and dog, don't get too tired each time. I work up in time with each new dog learning to be clipped. Getting the hair off AND making dog look nice, takes time, can just wear out your patience and his. Quit before then, go play, come back later or the next day. Do the clipping on a high table, save your back. Having someone to HOLD the dog, is REALLY helpful the first few times until he is obedient. You cannot direct the clippers, move hair, control the twirling dog, AND stay nice about it.

I also think the shorter hair on any breed of dog, is more comfortable on them. They can't sweat, so it is easy to overheat them, especially the large and dark colored ones. Taking off the insulation layer, really seems to help keep dogs more comfortable. Many people don't groom the dog regularly, so less hair prevents hot spots or sores from developing in the deep hair layers.

I say go for it, clip the dogs.

[Seven-up]

I'm thinking of having my dog clipped like a lion this year. She's some sort of Chow/Retriever mix, so she's got plenty of fluff to play around with, and I'm bored with her usual summer clip that goes from behind the ears to the base of her tail. I think she would look smashing with a mane and a little poof on the end of her tail. Not sure I can get anyone else on board with that.:lol:


In response to the actual question, :D I bet you'd need to use guards on the clippers, too. I've never watched them clip my dog, but she comes back with hair that's longer than if they'd used bare clippers. It's always at least 1/2" long. EDIT: Goodhors and I posted at the same time, so I guess you do need the guard/comb thing.

[kookicat]

I do a full clip on all of mine. They're about due actually. Love clipping my black and white spaniel- he has hidden spots under that white!

[Lori]

Depends on the breed. My dog trainer taught us that clipping can mess with their natural cooling/heating properties.
He preferred that the breeds like Giant Schnauzer be plucked (though I admit to clipping her and consequently being chewed out) and that our shepherds be only brushed to take out the undercoat regularly.
For a friends shi-tzu, it was full body clip because he did not brush her enough to keep the matting down.
I had no problems with any of my long haired dogs overheating using his methods.
I used a longer undercoat rake and done correctly, you'd have an little pomeranian on the ground when you were finished. :)

[billiebob]

I clip my Cairn for the summer, and my mother's Westie is clipped year round. I just do a puppy cut (short all over) on both of them. The Westie has super thick curly hair that is just plain old hard to clip, with or without the comb attachments. He normally takes a couple of hours, and his clip is......ummmm......interesting looking at the moment. :winkgrin:

My dog LOVES being clipped. He dives into my lap when he hears the clippers, and if I'm doing the other one he whines and whines and whines. He has coarse, straight hair which is just much easier to cut. I can't imagine leaving all that hair on him for the summer with our 90% humidity here in SE PA. And he's obviously happier. Only thing is no one can tell what breed he is for a few months. :lol:

[kdow]

Oh, I was just thinking about posting something similar - specifically, how to choose clippers for trimming a dog. (I don't have a horse yet, so I don't own clippers of any kind! :) )

We get our cocker pretty much shaved down every so often, no fancy cocker cut, and it seems like we SHOULD be able to just do it ourselves. (I do have experience cutting people hair with scissors/clippers from previous life as a personal care assistant - got pretty good at it for an amateur hairdresser! :) )

What do I need to look for in a set? I was intending to get something with the combs so I can be sure not to take her down too short. She's the type of cocker that just keeps growing out, so I need to figure out something before she starts looking like a sheep. :)

(In the summer she's normally quite short on her body and head, and then a bit longer on her legs for protection. In the winter she's a bit longer all over, but particularly she's left to be a bit longer on her chest/belly.)

[Casey09]

I agree that shaving to the skin can mess with the natural insulation properties of the dog's hair. I have coated dogs, and I keep them shorter in the summer, but in the longest clip possible. I do that so that they can get wet without me worrying about their hair matting all the time - it cuts down on the grooming time. I find that hosing the dog down before their outside being active does wonders to keep them cool. I would get a blade that allows you to clip but definitely not too short, and then just do it a little more often. If you do clip to the skin, be aware that dogs can get sunburned, and keep them out of the sun until the hair grows out a bit.

[Mara]

I used to shave my cocker short all over in the summers. It kept both of us happier, and it was so much easier to find a stray flea or pull off a tick before it got to attach itself. Plus he went swimming quite frequently, so it was nice in that he dried off much faster.

I never had a lot of luck with the guide combs - I found it easier to just buy the blades I needed. I had the A5 and the blades were easy to change.

[Alagirl]

Ok, I know you're out there, who shaves their doggies for the Summer?

Do you do a trace clip? Modified?

Any issues I might not know that pertain to clipping dogs that just don't apply to horses?


Depends on whether you want to ride him or not.

[MintHillFarm]

Yes, sort of a trace....I have always clipped all my Spaniels and currently clip our Boykin Spaniel, Rye, and much more often though, the Cocker Spaniel, Toby.
I take all the body hair off Toby to the point of the belly and then shorten the belly hair. I leave a triangle on his chest, take a lot of the hair off the outside of his ears and inside as well. I shape the feet and take some hair off the legs, though not too short. I don't take any off of his head, I love that blond, fine hair he has! Check out my profile, you will see his photo...

I use a grooming table most of the time, so much easier. My clippers are Golden A5s and I also have 2 rechargeable Osters; small and also a pair comparable to the A5s...

I clip with the hair, not against. Afterwards, I take a damp,warm towel (or even a piece of paper towel works) and rub the coat of the left over fine hairs and dander. I usually bathe Toby that day or the next. He is so good about the clipping and bathing as well and a pleasure to groom.

[LegalEagle]

These are GSD/Chow mixes, with the hair of a GSD (body type too).

I thought about just clipping from the midline down.

Is a #10 too short? At least IIRC that's the longer of the 10-15-30 which is the adjustable blade I have. It's a Wahl Stable Pro.

I did a lion cut with a #10 on one of mine a few summers ago...haven't done it since. I did have some track marks but I also suck at clipping. I thought it was a pretty good length. I have heard conflicting reports about whether clipping makes them cooler or hotter also. DH won't let me clip the Husky :winkgrin:

Had another of my dogs professionally clipped because my super duper Andis clippers couldn't make it through her double coat (shelter dog had NEVER been groomed) and it took her hair a full year to come back in, and it still is not as thick as it once was (but maybe that was unnaturally thick from lack of grooming).

I say go for the clipping- less hair floating around and they dry quicker when they go swimming.

[appychik]

Well, I clip our two Cockers. Tucker is cut in the more traditional way, long feathering all the way around, but I do cheat and use a #10 blade on his "saddle", ears, face and feet. Just easier.

Here's a photo from today, just clipped him on Saturday:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MORaSKs1TfTIA4IgSumcFw?feat=directlink

Java is cut in the traditional "pet" way. Short on top and slightly longer legs. My biggest issue with her though, is tackling the combs. So, when I use a 1/2" comb on my #10 blade, does that mean I'm taking of 1/2" of hair or leaving 1/2"? That's my question! She's a pill to cut because she's a solid black Cocker, unlike Tucker, and has what we call affectionately hair like a black person. It's very frizzy and super THICK. She's gorgeous when all cleaned up, but is a nightmare at times to groom. Tucker, on the other hand, is great about grooming and has a lovely coat quality.

[SkipHiLad4me]

I gave my Lab/Pit mix a "blanket" clip :lol: She LOVES it!! I used a #10 blade and my Oster A5 clippers. No problems. I made the mistake of clipping against the grain this last time (wasn't thinking!) so I buzzed her a little too short.:no: But within 2 weeks, you can't tell the difference and she didn't care a bit! She lays on her side and takes a nap while I clip. Then I just wake her up to roll over to the other side when I'm ready. She's a Colorado import so we joke that she has polar bear genes and is stuck in eastern NC. ;)

[movo]

Dogs are clipped in the direction of coat growth. Horses are clipped against the grain. You don't need the combs if you buy the correct blade. Remember the higher the number, the closer the cut. A #7 blade will give your dog a coat about the length of a labrador. I prefer that so my dog doesn't get sunburned. If you run the blade against the grain of the coat, then you will get twice as close a cut.

Here in Florida, I clip my Shelties. They feel so much better, but the fabulous coats they came down here with (from the North) will not come back. the hair grows out, but it's not the same as it used to be. Oh well, it's better for them to be comfy anyways. I also have German Shepherds, but I don't clip them. Just keep them brushed.

Bathe the dog first. Clippers dull quickly on a dirty coat. Make sure you have blade wash on hand. You'll need to dip the blades every little while to clean the hair out of the blades.

Oster A5 clippers are great, Andis makes nice clippers that don't run as hot as the Osters in my opinion. They can use the same blades. Don't try to use the cheap clippers you can get in KMart, etc, with the combs because the motor will not run the blades fast enough to get much done. You will just get frustrated.

[Petstorejunkie]

Strip them with a #10 with the grain, leave the head (start at poll and work around leaving an amish beard) and leave the tail just like you would a horse. your dog will be an inch long by july.
have no fear.

[JB]

Sounds like we might have a fun weekend coming up :D

#10 with the grain sounds like a place to start.

I think Blonde Boy Dog will be the guinea pig - mistakes will be a lot harder to see then dark GSD-colored Girl Dog :yes:

[Boomer]

I clipped both my late GSD/Golden mix and my little Border Collie mix in what the groomers referred to as a "lion cut" - shaved body and legs, left head and tail long.

I give my aussie shep a "lion cut" too. From the shoulders to start of nubbin is shaved. I don't actually clip her nubbin so it looks like this red pompom on her butt. She's fuzzy from the shoulders forward (front legs fuzzy too).

It's a lot more comfortable for her than all that hair! And she's got a heavy undercoat.

[shakeytails]

What blades do you dog grooming experts recommend for getting through a thick Great Pyrenees coat. DH said "sheep shears!". I can borrow some Oster Clipmasters or I can attempt to use my A5's, though the A5's choked when I tried to clip a ChowX I used to have. I don't want to clip to the skin, but rather leave maybe 1/2 - 3/4", so my standard 10's and 40's are out of the question. What about skip-tooth blades?

[grouseviz]

Make life easy on yourselves, back clip them!!! There is no rule that says dogs must be clipped with the growth! You get a smoother more professional, vertually track free finish if you clip against the way the hair lies and it's also easier to get the coat off.

To get a longer length you must completely demat the coat and get the loose undercoat out, give it a good bath, dry and then recomb, then you can use anyl ength comb attachment you fancy. If you don't want to take the time to do that then back clip with a 3 3/4, a 4f, a 5f, or a 7f. the more matted/heavily ubdercoated the coat the higher the number blade you need to use.

I would absolutely NOT use a 10 blade, way too short and the finish looks like hell if you do not know what you are doing.

I am a groomer, do this for a living do a damned good job and earn every penny I make:-))) Clipping a dog with a totally proffesional finish is not easy and very time consuming. However, anyone can do a very acceptable job if you do what I suggest prep wise and blade wise.

[Alagirl]

didn't read all (actually most) of the thread. I just want to mention that most dog clips are of utilitarian nature. even the - GASP - lion clip of a poodle, of course in it's perverted show incarnation over the top crazy, is a matter of the original use of the dog as water retriever.