Clipping is a genuine art
Good technique and understanding your equipment key to success
Everyone has a preference about clippers. Personally I am an Oster fan but there is not much difference between brands and what suits one groomer doesn’t necessarily suit another. I tend to find that the faster the clipper BSPM (blade strokes per minute) the better the finish, especially on smooth-coated dogs – beware though, fast clippers can make blades hot
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Clipping
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Starting with a perfectly prepared coat clip into the style you’ve chosen:
- Use a sharp blade with no broken teeth – not only is this dangerous, it will affect the finish. Blunt, dirty blades leave lines, won’t glide through the coat and will strain clippers.
- Choose the right blade: the longer the blade the looser the finish, particularly on poor quality coats. You may find scissoring or using a comb attachment in reverse better.
- Start at the back of the head unless the dog is unused to clippers, in which case desensitise the dog by starting near the tail and work backwards.
- Use long fluid strokes and your other hand to stretch the skin to help make your clipper work neater.
Once completed:
- Brush or comb the coat in the right direction to remove any loose hair and lift the coat ready for the next clip.
- Re-clip the dog with the same blade.You may want to repeat the clipper work a third and final time – this is up to you!
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Blending
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Make blending easier:
- When clipping in a pattern, as you reach the feathering line, scoop the blade away from the coat to graduate length into the furnishings.
- Skip tooth blades make blending easier on a thick coat.
- Use a short comb attachment to reduce the amount of scissor blending.
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Reverse Clipping
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Coats that don’t clip neatly will often benefit from a reverse clip. Instead of clipping with the lay of the coat, go in the opposite direction.
- Particularly useful on fine straight coats that lie flat to the skin eg Yorkies.
- Always use a much longer blade or comb than you’d usually use as it takes the coat much shorter.
- When looking for a 5f length try a ½” (No 4) comb attachment in reverse.
- Tends to work better on shorter coats.
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Reverse Clipping
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Coats that don’t clip neatly will often benefit from a reverse clip. Instead of clipping with the lay of the coat, go in the opposite direction.
- Particularly useful on fine straight coats that lie flat to the skin eg Yorkies.
- Always use a much longer blade or comb than you’d usually use as it takes the coat much shorter.
- When looking for a 5f length try a ½” (No 4) comb attachment in reverse.
- Tends to work better on shorter coats.
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Skip tooth v Finishing (F) blades
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Skip tooth blades will leave a more natural finish.
- The “F” blades are more suited to finer coats requiring a smoother finish.
- Try the longer skip tooth blades if you want a natural handstripped look.
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Wide blades
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Are becoming very popular now as they’re such great time savers. They’re also great for setting in skirt lines as the edges of the blades don’t dig in when clipping over the ribcage and shoulder area.
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Final Tips
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Stainless steel comb attachments are much superior to the plastic ones.
- Put the blade or comb attachment in the coat before you start to give you an idea of the length that will be left.
- The ¼” (No 2) stainless steel comb attachment is a great blending tool, especially on thick coated Westies and Cockers.
- Before doing your final clip give the coat a good mist of scissoring spray to improve the finish.
These tips will save you time, help your equipment last longer and provide the basis for a superb finish when clipping.
