# what kind of clippers should I get?



## Sage (Feb 4, 2009)

Hi everyone. I am new to this great forum. I have a question about clippers for you professional groomers and pet owners who groom your own dogs. I have a Cocker Spaniel with a thick, wooly matted coat. I am tired of spending 50 bucks to get her groomed. We do this two or three times a year, because of the cost. I figured if we groom her ourselves, we can do it every 5-6 weeks. I have narrowed my choice down to the Oster A5, because it looks powerful, bombproof, and has a universal motor. I have heard complaints about how heavy and bulky they are. That does not matter to me. I don't care if the thing weighs 10 pounds, as long as it does the job and lasts forever. My wife will disagree, because she is a hairstylist and uses clippers all day long. Since I will be grooming the dog, I do not care how big or heavy they are. Although I am getting the A5, there are 4 different models. Do I really need the Turbo for a Cocker? My wife's friend loaned her a pair of dog clippers (she thinks they were Oster) and they didn't work on her heavy coat. I am leaning towards the Golden, because I don't think it will get as hot. Is the golden adequate enough to go through a thick heavy coat? Will the Golden outlast the Turbo? Do I need a 2 speed, or will a single speed work fine? If I get a double speed, how often will I actually use the higher speed? I am not a professional, who needs speed to do 10 dogs a day. I do, however,want the power and torque to rip through her coat like hot butter, and will get the turbo, if it makes a difference. However, I do not want any more than I need. I am concerned that the turbo may be too fast on low speed, and may not last as long as the Golden(it seems like the higher speed will sacrifice torque and burn up the motor easier.) Cost is no issue, as the Turbo does not cost much more than the Golden. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.


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## Binkalette (Dec 16, 2008)

Ooh I'm gonna post here too so anyone who has recommendations for you might see my post and have one for me too! 

We've got a 4 month old Lhasa Apso puppy, and I'm looking to get a pair of good clippers for her that I could put a 2" guard on. I want something durable that will last forever, and that has lots of power to actually cut the hair (we have $30 human clipper and it hardly works on my hubby's hair :-( ) and that is not too heavy, because she is a small dog and I am a small woman and, well, big heavy clippers just don't seem like they'd fit in too well. lol. If anybody has some suggestions for me too that'd be great!


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Personally, I hate Osters and the Turbo, Golden, etc..They are heavy, they are long and hard to get under the dog, they get hot, and they have those stupid air vents that blast all the clipped hair in your face...But since you are set on them,  you don't need the big fancy heavy duty ones. Simple A5 2 speeds are all you need. I think the reason you are thinking you need heavy duty stuff is because you are used to dealing with people clippers, or the junk clippers from the pet stores. A professional dog clipper, like the Oster, will go thru a thick cocker coat no problem. Your problem is going to be blades. Your blades are going to dull up faster and you will need to have them sharpened periodically. If he's matted, I would get a 7F blade, a 10 blade, a 40 blade. Use the 10 on the face and cheeks, sanitary area and rear. Use the 40 blade on the inside of the ears, and the foot pads. Use the 
7F on the body and legs, top of head and ears. Be very careful! Matting can cause the skin to be pulled into the blade and sliced open. Go slow, stretch the skin, and let the clipper do the work..Don't force it. Ideally, you would have your dog professionaly groomed first, then maintain it from there when there are no matts. You will need brushes, combs and nail trimmers also. A slicker and a greyhound comb, and some good shears to trim the feet, edges of ears, etc. Also, only clip a freshly bathed and dried dog..Dirty dogs dull up blades in a heartbeat. Clean clipping will help your blades last as long as possible. 

To Binkalette, my favorite clipper (and only clipper I use in my salon) is the Andis 2 Speed AG. The AGC is fine too, but I like the square casing over the round one. You will need a few blades if you are going to be doing the grooming on your pup at home. You will need a 30 (pads of feet) a 10 (corners of eyes, and sanitary trails) a your 2" attachment..I prefer the stainless steel attachments from Wahl, but they don't make a 2" once..so you will have to use the plastic ones. Those go over your 30 blade. You will need shears to tidy the feet, face and tail/ears, and clean up over the attachment length. A 2" attachment is not going to leave the coat completely even, and you will get a better look if you learn hot to tidy afterwards with shears. And the usual, brush, comb, etc. I am sure some other groomers will add their thoughts too..these are just mine and we all have different preferences.


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## GroovyGroomer777 (Aug 21, 2008)

Sage said:


> Hi everyone. I am new to this great forum. I have a question about clippers for you professional groomers and pet owners who groom your own dogs. I have a Cocker Spaniel with a thick, wooly matted coat. I am tired of spending 50 bucks to get her groomed. We do this two or three times a year, because of the cost. I figured if we groom her ourselves, we can do it every 5-6 weeks.
> 
> Cost is no issue, as the Turbo does not cost much more than the Golden.


Shame on you.


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## Binkalette (Dec 16, 2008)

Graco22 said:


> To Binkalette, my favorite clipper (and only clipper I use in my salon) is the Andis 2 Speed AG. The AGC is fine too, but I like the square casing over the round one. You will need a few blades if you are going to be doing the grooming on your pup at home. You will need a 30 (pads of feet) a 10 (corners of eyes, and sanitary trails) a your 2" attachment..I prefer the stainless steel attachments from Wahl, but they don't make a 2" once..so you will have to use the plastic ones. Those go over your 30 blade. You will need shears to tidy the feet, face and tail/ears, and clean up over the attachment length. A 2" attachment is not going to leave the coat completely even, and you will get a better look if you learn hot to tidy afterwards with shears. And the usual, brush, comb, etc. I am sure some other groomers will add their thoughts too..these are just mine and we all have different preferences.


Thank you! Guess what I'm getting for my birthday! :-D


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## Sage (Feb 4, 2009)

Shame on me for what? Thanks for the info Graco. I have heard others (including our local pet groomer) recommend the Andis. My wife does not like Andis for cutting hair (people.) She doesn't think they last very long. However, their dog grooming clippers may be better-made.


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## melgrj7 (Sep 21, 2007)

For allowing your dog to get matted. It is very painful for a dog to be matted. You really should let a professional groom her and get her matts out and then you can maintain her coat after that, it is extremely easy to injure a dog that has matts while trying to cut or shave them out.


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

I am with Graco on this one; I don't like the heaviness of Oster. I also don't like that, even when they are new, they are alot noisier than most dogs like. I realize a clipper will make noise, but Oster is just too much imo. 

I prefer Andis, and I have a few different ones; I have an older Super two speed (the 'square one'), I have a cordless AGR, and two AGC super two speeds...I prefer the AGC models, as they are easier to hold. However the 'endurance' of this line of clippers is second to none...A couple of mine are some years old, and still run great, and have costed little to 'upkeep'...mainly just changing drivers religiously.

As far as the difference between human and animal specific clippers, I'm not sure; I would geuss that 'most' clippers made for barber use aren't designed to run as efficiently as ones made for animal use, simply because a barber doesn't have to spend tons of time clipping in her client! But, I am just geussing on that. I have never been disappointed with any of the Andis clippers I have bought. I still have my first ones from over 9 years ago, and they need new housings, otherwise they still run well too...


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## Sage (Feb 4, 2009)

Thanks for your advise Love's-Sophie. Our Cocker's name is Sophie. I am going to check out the Andis, since there seems to be an overwhelming majority in favor of them. As for letting her get matted; that's why I am buying clippers! I can keep her groomed constantly, without spending 500 bucks a year, which is what it would cost to groom her every 5-6 weeks. I plan to have a professional do her the first time.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

The real way to prevent matting is to brush and comb. That doesn't cost you anything.. Its free.


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## GroovyGroomer777 (Aug 21, 2008)

Also, you have chosen to own one of the most hard to maintain, high maitenance breeds there is. And then you say you don't want to spend 50 bucks to have her groomed? And only get her groomed 3 times a year? Why get a cocker if you can't spend money on having her groomed?

I would never charge 50$ on a matted cocker. You would be spending at least 65 at my place.


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## Sage (Feb 4, 2009)

Actually my wife chose the Cocker. She already had Sophie before we were married. I initially wasn't thrilled about this, because I had to give up my beloved Chessie, which I still consider the best dog I ever owned. Sage was a handful as Chessies are known to be. However, I trained her myself, and she turned out to be my favorite. She didn't do well with Sophie, because both dogs competed to be the Alpha female. When Sage attacked Sophie, I had to make the hardest decision of my life, and put her up for adoption. Thankfully, Sage is with a good loving family, whom I call and e-mail regularly. I have since grown to love Sophie as much as any dog I have ever owned. All that I asked for here is some advice on clippers, so I can groom and take care of her. Instead of attacking me GroovyGroomer, help me out and give me some advice!


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

If you can, I would go to your groomer and ask if you could 'watch and learn' so to speak, before really attempting to groom Sophie yourself; learn how to hold the clippers properly, brushing techniques, scissoring, etc...Ask questions there too, and perhaps see if you could do a 'self groom' there; you would of course, usually need your own grooming equipment, but you would be able to use their tub, shampoo, dryers, and a table...my old boss would let people who knew how to groom their own dogs, but had no where to do it, do this, for a small fee; it wasn't much in her pocket, but more than if she would have turned them away, and didn't get anything at all. It would be worth inquiring into. 

I feel for a lot of people right now, because the economy IS so poor, and they just don't have the money to groom their dogs as regularly as before. I know alot of my clientele are struggling, and are getting shorter haircuts, so they don't have to come in nearly as often. 50$ is also fairly 'standard' for a dog her size...and when you're not making what you normally do, or someone is layed off, that's alot to spend every 4-8 weeks. I know if I was not a groomer, there's no way I could afford to groom my mini poodle right now, because everything goes for everyday bills, and pet food, etc...grooming would 'have' to come 'last'. I wouldn't like it, but I would have to stretch out grooms as long as I possibly could, because making rent, car insurance, etc, is a bit higher on the list!


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## GroovyGroomer777 (Aug 21, 2008)

Sorry - it was meant to be more of a kick in the butt than an all out attack.

Copy everything I said and paste it in an email to your wife, then.

You have been given good advice here, (not by me but by the others), good luck to you and Sophie.


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## Sage (Feb 4, 2009)

Thanks for all of the replies. I have made an appointment with the groomer on Tue. She said I can watch, as long as I do not get too close (she is afraid of Sophie getting excited.) I will probably get the Andis AG 2 speed. We were not trying to neglect our dog. We have been having her clipped short during the summer, and letting it grow out during the winter. Unlike South Florida, It can get down to -40 here in Montana (it didn't this year.) I should have kept up with the brushing more. Maybe I did need a butt-kicking...LOL I have decided to keep her groomed all year. It is getting warmer (20s-30s) and we have sweaters for her. Plus, when it gets cold, I only leave her out long enough to do her thing. Thanks again. You guys have been a big help.


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

Good luck with her! 

One tip, would be to not say anything to your dog while she is on the table...even if she can see you, it's mostly when a dog hears their owner's voices that they get really excited!


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## Sage (Feb 4, 2009)

Thanks. I will keep my distance and not say a word.

One more thing; You have been a big help Love's_Sophie. Times are tough right now. I wasn't going to mention this, but, as a matter of fact, I have been laid-off, which is part of the reason for me to decide to groom her myself. It is a little intimidating to attempt such a task with no experience. Thank you.


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

Sage said:


> Thanks. I will keep my distance and not say a word.
> 
> One more thing; You have been a big help Love's_Sophie. Times are tough right now. I wasn't going to mention this, but, as a matter of fact, I have been laid-off, which is part of the reason for me to decide to groom her myself. It is a little intimidating to attempt such a task with no experience. Thank you.


I hear you! I was paying $180 every 4 weeks to have my two Standard Poodles groomed. So, I was determined to learn how to do it myself. I learned a lot by lurking on groomer's forums/groups, in addition to picking the brains of other Standard Poodle owners and breeders about grooming equipment, tools, and products. I invested in the best professional tools I could, and that investment was paid for, and then some. Good luck to you!


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## Sage (Feb 4, 2009)

Thanks. I took Sophie to our groomer today. She was very helpful. I watched everything she did and asked questions. I thought she would be more stand-offish, because I was trying to gain advice from her so I could start grooming my dog myself. She actually encouraged me. She is very nice though. I feel way better about this. Once I get my clippers, I will be doing this every five weeks.


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## GroovyGroomer777 (Aug 21, 2008)

Glad to hear it! 

Any pics of the freshly groomed Sophie?


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## Binkalette (Dec 16, 2008)

Just got my clippers, blades and combs ordered :-D Hopefully they will come sometime next week and I'll be able to give it a try. I've been brushing her out every day to make sure she hasn't got any mats. Her hair is getting soooo long....


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## carriedenaee (Nov 14, 2006)

Why would a cocker spaniel be one of the hardest to maintain. I have had one that i might have clipped 3 times a year...but with good combing and brushing she wasnt matted. I dont think she was hard to maintain at all...maybe a mat here and there but nothing that warm water and a bit of detangler couldnt get out with ease and it was mostly because i missed that spot when brushing, she was a bit hyper. but we never had painful brushing experiences...she loved it!

i have however had a mixed pup that we werent sure of the breed becauseshe was found on the side of the road. the very dog that sparked the start of the dog shelter in our area that i helped build. i think she had a bit of lhasa and maltese in her...either way she was hard to keep from bein matted and i had to start clipping her to keep her hair mantained..imo alot harder than a cocker. my boss also has a cocker...and they have him groomed about the same as i had mine and he never has a problem with matts. 

did we just happen to get pups with a great coat?? i am just asking because i am toying with the idea of starting a grooming business and i am trying to research the most common breeds that we have in our area..and cocker spaniels are very poular here. does it depend on what type of spaniel? 
what are the most dfficult to maintain? long coats, wire coats,curly?
ANY and ALL info is GREATLY appreciated. thanks so much in advance!!


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## GroovyGroomer777 (Aug 21, 2008)

It sounds like you got lucky. Cockers for the most part, need a lot of upkeep. Many of them have very thick hair, and if it's kept long, can matt up easily without consistant brushing. They also tend to have skin and ear problems.
I find that people have the most trouble maintaining poodles, bichons, doodles, cockers, even shihtzus and lasas come in matted.

Carrie, if you are starting a grooming business you should probably know these things, are you not a groomer? Or are you starting a business with another groomer?


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

carriedenaee said:


> Why would a cocker spaniel be one of the hardest to maintain. I have had one that i might have clipped 3 times a year...but with good combing and brushing she wasnt matted. I dont think she was hard to maintain at all...maybe a mat here and there but nothing that warm water and a bit of detangler couldnt get out with ease and it was mostly because i missed that spot when brushing, she was a bit hyper. but we never had painful brushing experiences...she loved it!
> 
> i have however had a mixed pup that we werent sure of the breed becauseshe was found on the side of the road. the very dog that sparked the start of the dog shelter in our area that i helped build. i think she had a bit of lhasa and maltese in her...either way she was hard to keep from bein matted and i had to start clipping her to keep her hair mantained..imo alot harder than a cocker. my boss also has a cocker...and they have him groomed about the same as i had mine and he never has a problem with matts.
> 
> ...


As Groovy said, you must have been lucky and had a cocker with a field type coat. A true American cocker is NOT easy to maintain..they are very thick, and if only groomed 3 times a year, very matted..lol 

If you are wanting to learn to groom, PLEASE spend the money and take the time to learn correctly, so you can provide a legitimate service to unsuspecting pet owners who assume that everyone that calls them selves "pet groomers" are all "safe" places for their pets and they will get a decent haircut by someone that knows what they are doing. Grooming is not playing with pets, and is not something that can be learned online. I know you understand that you need hands on experience, but that shouldn't be on clients pets, it should be in a school setting, or at the very least, the owners should know that you are learning to groom and using their pets as "practice." There are many well accredited grooming schools out there, and I strongly advise you to find one, or at least find a groomer willing to apprentice you. (not easy to find). No offense to you personally, but this is why we need licensing for groomers...anyone can pick up a clipper or shear and call them selves a groomer..this is also why you read the horror stories about pets being injured or worse at groomers, etc. Amazing there is no licensing for pet grooming, but you have to be liscenced to file and paint human fingernails...Go figure.


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## carriedenaee (Nov 14, 2006)

thanks for the info and concern! I did point out in another thread that i asked a question but didnt make the point here..my bad
i am going to school, i am currently taking classes in Veterinarian Assistance and plan on taking a grooming class and I have 2 ladies that are going to let me get hands on experience..that is why i said i am taking a year to learn before i try anything!!

I dont plan on doin anything before im ready..plus i need to wait till the kiddos are established in school themselves so I have more time for me during the day!


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## MoonStr80 (Oct 9, 2006)

All that matting can prevent one thing BRUSHING!


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## Navblues (Aug 17, 2013)

Wow and not nice! I had. Cocker show up on my porch last February full of matts and I never wanted a dog that needed grooming. After exhausting every effort I got him shots and had him groomed. When you are a novice at this type of thing you go to forums life this for assistance, not to be condemned. Matting is horrible and painful and we agree on that, but why not use your expertise to be helpful? I have learned to use clippers to keep Bruce Matt free, and still go to the groomer several time a year for maintenance. They are happy to see me and never chastise me for his bad hair cut.


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## Navblues (Aug 17, 2013)

What çlippers did you end up getting and do you like them? I ended up with a 5 year old Cocker and the clipper I have used for medical grooming on other pets don't keep up with him.

Thanks


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