# Direction of Clippers along dogs side



## lexilu (Jun 26, 2008)

Just had a thought regarding the direction to clip Lexi (cockapoo). I have been reverse clipping her - from her rump to her neck with Wahl SS blades, usually 3/4 or so, every 6-8 weeks or when she looks too sloppy. I am NOT a groomer (as if you can't tell by my question). Anyway, I was just wondering when doing her sides, am I supposed to go _across _her side (like from her butt toward her shoulder, but along the sides), or is it better to go _down_ - like I would do when trimming her legs. I wonder what you pro's do. Also I got a gold LP brush for Xmas (no directions came with it). Am using with a tap and tug motion. She tolerates her feet being brushed with this one. How do I use the straight side. I am currently using it in reverse, when I finish brushing her. Is this the way? Thank you.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

I don't do much in reverse trims with attachments. Usually if I am doing a reverse, its with a blade. But you certainly can. The idea is to go against the grain of the growth..So you would go from tail to head, from bottom of foot to shoulder/hip, etc. So when you do her sides, you would go from bottom of belly, curving around to spine. You can also hold her up, standing on her hind legs, and run your clipper from tuckup to elbow. You can play around with different directions to get it as smooth and even as possible, if you aren't doing a scissor finish afterwards. If her hair is wavy, rather than curly, you may get better results going in a few different directions in certain areas to achieve an even finish. 

Oh, and yes, you are using the Les Pooch correctly. And the back side with the straight pins is supposed to be for fluffing only, like when you would fluff, then scissor over..I find that to be a complete waste, it doesn't work well, a comb is MUCH better...But many people love the Les Pooch brushes. I just don't find them that spectacular...for the price...


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## lexilu (Jun 26, 2008)

Graco22- thanks for your reply - I have been getting a not so smooth finish (not really too bad, but I am very critical of my work anyway) with the SS blades, so I tried going in reverse to see if that helped. I have no scissoring skills, and am afraid to even try finishing her with a scissor. I also have Andis 3 3/4 blades. - 2 of them. I used them once (about a year ago) and then bought the SS attachment blades. Do you think I would get a nicer finish with those 3 3/4 blades? I stopped using them, cause I read so many great things about the attachments. Plus they don't get hot the way my regular blades do.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

THe finish you get is going to depend alot on what your dog's coat is like. Do you have any photos of her? The wavy, soft coats are going to be harder to get a nice finish without scissoring over than the dense, curly,coarse coats. Which SS attachment are you using? (the color tab on it?) And what blade are you using under it? I can be of more help if I know what her coat looks like, and what blade and attachment you are using.


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## lexilu (Jun 26, 2008)

I am mostly using the orange color on a Wahl Competition #30. I use the 10 for under her armpits, sani , and by her eye area. I use a wahl trimmer for her foot pads (but she really won't let me near those feet). Her coat is soft and wavy. I will see if I can post a picture of her over the weekend. Please be gentle when you see her and give me advice on her haircut 

I have nice scissors (for a pet mom) - just don't know what to do with them. I have geib gators (7.5 straight) and geib Avanti 8.5 curves, and an assortment of Millers Forge (blunt,5.5, 6.5 and thinning 30 tooth), and some assorted nothing scissors. I use the curves for her head, and the thinning on her face. And I've NEVER touched her body with them out of fear (me, not the dog). She will let me do anything to her - as long as it's not her feet. So - with that - I will gladly take your recommendations.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Well, you are using the best blade under the attachement, and usually, with that orange atta.(my favorite) you can get a nice, even finish. It may be that you would be better off going with the grain, rather than against. I can say for sure when I hopefully see a pic of her.  

You DO have some nice shears! LOL You can use the straights or curves for rounding up her feet, once you get her clipped on the body and legs. That takes alot of practice to get them to look nice and not choppy, but once you figure it out, its easy. I do it with the foot on the table, and just cut around the outside of the toenails, to round and tidy the foot. On the wiggly ones, I will hold up the other foot, so they stand on the the one I am trimming. You are doing great with using the curves and thinners on her face. You can also use them on her body to even out the clipper work. Just comb the hair out and up, and scissor/thin off whatever sticks out. If you are nervous about it, use the thinners first, since they won't take a chunk of hair out at once. 

Oh, another thing that can be affecting your finish. Make sure she is freshly bathed and blow dried (while brushing to fluff the hairs) right before you clip her. If its been a day, or she air dried, it will be harder to get an even finish on her. Ideally, bath, brush and blow dry, then clip as soon as she is dry. If you haven't been doing that, it may be the only problem with your finish. And if you like the length that the reverse orange is leaving, you can try the next step shorter (blue) in the direction the coat grows. It should give you a nice smooth finish. I know many use the combs in reverse, but I don't. I just don't like the way they turn out, and end up scissoring over the entire dog anyway. I like using them with the grain much better. I do go against the grain on heads and faces with the attachments though. Do you only scissor her face? An attachment first over her head and face, then a quick neaten with the shears is a good time saver, and easier to get everything even. I would love to see pics of her, and maybe I can help some more?


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## lexilu (Jun 26, 2008)

Graco22 - I have finally found some photo's of my first attempt at grooming her in May 2008. Since then I have had several more sessions with her, but the back of her body still comes out similarly. I have managed to fix some of the nasty things since then, like her sides, underarms and belly. But she still seems to have "ridges" on her back, and legs and feet are still a mess for me. I will try holding the opposite leg/foot of the one I am doing. Thank you for your suggestion. 

I thought the ridges was fat and that it was where her belly/skin folds, but I'm not so sure. I have practiced alot more with the thinning scissors on her face and that has improved alot. I have not used the ss attachments on her face yet. I didn't think that was how it was done but I will try that in reverse next time. What do you recommend to get her looking better - other than a professional groom : ) Thanks,


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

lexilu said:


> Graco22 - I have finally found some photo's of my first attempt at grooming her in May 2008. Since then I have had several more sessions with her, but the back of her body still comes out similarly. I have managed to fix some of the nasty things since then, like her sides, underarms and belly. But she still seems to have "ridges" on her back, and legs and feet are still a mess for me. I will try holding the opposite leg/foot of the one I am doing. Thank you for your suggestion.
> 
> I thought the ridges was fat and that it was where her belly/skin folds, but I'm not so sure. I have practiced alot more with the thinning scissors on her face and that has improved alot. I have not used the ss attachments on her face yet. I didn't think that was how it was done but I will try that in reverse next time. What do you recommend to get her looking better - other than a professional groom : ) Thanks,



I think she looks REALLY good for your first time! I bet she looks even better now! Really, you are doing a very good job for not being experienced with grooming, and having no one to really help show you. I see what you mean about her sides, and I think alot of it is the direction that her hair is growing there, and the angle you are holding the clippers at. You have to make sure when you start to follow down the rib cage that you do not change the angle of the clipper blade/attachment. Its hard, and it takes practice to even realize what you are doing. You can run the attachment all the way down the legs, all around, and over the top of the foot. That will help leave you less to scissor after the clipping. You can run the attachment the opposite way the hair grows under her tail, to clean that area up, or just hold the tail up and scissor it short. 

When I do a round face, I use the same blade I use on the body directly under the ears. I hold the ear up, and run it straight down and then along the side of the neck. I also go in reverse with that blade under the neck, about 2 inches from where the bend of throat is. (does that make sense?) That gives you a nice clean line there where head meets neck. I almost always use an attachment for round faces. Usually a size or two longer than the body length. My favorite size for faces is the Yellow Wahl SS attachment. I start with it behind the head, and run it forward, right down over the bangs. I do that from top of ear to other top of ear. Then I lift the ear, and run it from behind the ear, forward, but keeping in the same straight line. If you dip in to the muzzle area after the cheek, you won't get as nice of a round face. Then I go from throat to mouth from underneath. If its not a short as I like it, I will then run the attachment from the bridge of the nose, sideways, down the muzzle, kinda blending off. Then all you have to do is tidy the face with shears. I have a video of a yorkipoo on youtube. Its not really a tutorial, I posted it to show length of time for a groom only, but you can watch it, and see how I do the face, and body work. Its with a blade on the body, but its the same pattern to follow. Just search Graco2200 on youtube...(I am bad with links.) I also attempted to draw on your pic to show the direction you want to run the blade down the side. Also, when you go to do the are behind the elbow, pick up the leg, and pull it forward, then come down the ribcage behind the elbow as you are holding the leg out of the way. That will help the dips in that spot too. Does that help some? I am sorry, I am terrible at explaining things in type..Its so much easier to show someone than try to explain in writing. But you are doing a great job, keep up the good work. A little tweaking, and she will look like she's been getting a nice professional groom!!


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