Dog Grooming Clippers What Do You Recommend

[oscamia]

Hi All

I have 2 Cavalier king Charles Spaniels one of them my girl Mia looks like a mini mammoth at the moment I thought I would start grooming them both instead of taking them to the groomers.

Can you recommend Dog grooming clippers I want to buy quality clippers that will do the job what would you suggest middle range prices if they ok to buy or whatever is quality.

I did look on Ebay but decided b/4 spending money I would ask people who would know which clippers are better to buy.

[poodlefan]

Do you want to clip them or strip them? Or are the clippers just for tidying up?

I'd be more inclined to use a Coat King on the body of a CKCS as it prevents hair growing back all curly.

I'm sure some grooming pros will be along to advise shortly but I recommend Andis clippers. Single speed would probably be sufficient for trimming but the higher speed is better for clipping body coat.

[Poodle wrangler]

I bought clippers here:http://www.freewebs.com/clipperbladesharpening/index.htm.

Colin is also on DOL- Nicestmann77, so you could try PM'ing him. Very helpful. And no, I'm not related, invested or on commission . Perhaps I should be?

Mine are the Saxon brand. I know a few other DOLers have them, too, but not the poodle people.

I use these clippers on a mini and standard poodle (home use, pet trims) and am happy with them. They're 2 speed, though I'd be happy with single speed. Had them about a year. I didn't want to buy the more expensive ones until I was sure I'd continue to do it myself and confident I wasn't too clumsy to drop them. I may splurge on Andis next time.

ETA: Your technique as well as thorough brushing, combing and drying before clipping all make a huge difference, more so than the clippers themselves IMO. The force dryers they have at the groomer's help blow-off a LOT of excess fur.

Edited August 27, 2007 by Poodle wrangler

[Dogsfevr]

Good groomers would clip a cavies coat .There not a clipped coat breed.

The fluff is dead coat that needs to be pulled out but if you like the coat you will encourgae that fluffy coat to become worse .

The coat king is a stripping tool that will remove all that dead coat & leave you with a lovely shiny cavie coat.

I would suggest before you even buy the clippers you understand what you want the dogs to look like.

I would contact some cavie breeders & see if anyone can assist you .

If you go to the breed pages at the botton & then click on cavalier you will see what a natural cavie coat should look like & is that what you want .Those coats are never clipped & if you clip the dog will never look like them.

Infact clipping a cavie coat makes it more hardwork

[cavNrott]

Good groomers would clip a cavies coat .There not a clipped coat breed.

Do you mean good groomers would NOT clip a cavies coat? I have taken my boy to a groomer only twice and asked that she trim with scissors - no clipping.

I groom them both myself now and would never use clippers on them.

[BC]

I prefer not to clip cavvies coat but I do if required by the client and they understand what they will look like and what will happen to the coat afterwards.

Many people still request it though.

Some clients I will just use thinning shears on to reduce the thickness of the coat.

I also like a spaniel clip on a cavvie, when the top is clipped off very short and a lovely skirt is left.

Depends on what you mean by clipping as to what equipment you will need.

[oscamia]

Thankyou for all your advice I usually take them both to the groomers they do what they call a Cavalier cut, short coat up the top and a fluffy skirt as BC has said in her post, Mia has been getting lots of knots she has a very thick coat which is short compared to Oscars he very rarely has knots and with summer coming I was thinking of them and the heat especially Mia.

Mia's seems to get knots under her front legs basically under her arms and near her tail having such thick hair and they are very hard to untangle. I will have a look at the Cavaliers pic you have suggested.

What happens to a Cav's coat if they are clipped, I have never clipped my dogs b/4 I dont want to make a mess of their coat if clipping is going to ruin their coat,

I think I will try the coat king can you suggest where the best place to buy the tool I am in NSW, I want to maker sure especially Mia does not get anymore knots and that they are both comfortable for the summer heat, Thankyou.

Edited August 27, 2007 by oscamia

[cavNrott]

I prefer not to clip cavvies coat but I do if required by the client and they understand what they will look like and what will happen to the coat afterwards.

Many people still request it though.

Some clients I will just use thinning shears on to reduce the thickness of the coat.

I also like a spaniel clip on a cavvie, when the top is clipped off very short and a lovely skirt is left.

Depends on what you mean by clipping as to what equipment you will need.

Oh where are you in Melbourne BC? The reason I groom my Cav myself is that the two groomers I've been to want to clip my Cavs. Hence I've been grooming them myself but would love to go to a groomer who understands that Cavs should not be clipped. I've been using the thinning shears but I'm not very good at it. I would love to see my dogs with a really professional groom.

Please tell me where you are and hopefully you won't be too far away.

[BC]

Thankyou for all your advice I usually take them both to the groomers they do what they call a Cavalier cut, short coat up the top and a fluffy skirt as BC has said in her post, Mia has been getting lots of knots she has a very thick coat which is short compared to Oscars he very rarely has knots and with summer coming I was thinking of them and the heat especially Mia.

Mia's seems to get knots under her front legs basically under her arms and near her tail having such thick hair and they are very hard to untangle. I will have a look at the Cavaliers pic you have suggested.

What happens to a Cav's coat if they are clipped, I have never clipped my dogs b/4 I dont want to make a mess of their coat if clipping is going to ruin their coat,

I think I will try the coat king can you suggest where the best place to buy the tool I am in NSW, I want to maker sure especially Mia does not get anymore knots and that they are both comfortable for the summer heat, Thankyou.

There is no harm in doing the spaniel clip yourself.

You could use a single or double speed clipper, Wahl KM2 or single are quite good.

To get the knots from under the arms, you will need to take this very short with a 10 blade, just under the armpits, groin, bum, and a little cricket pitch under the tummy from navel down to groin.

If you like the spaniel clip you can use a 7 blade on the top. Also, get yourself a good pair in Wahl scissors just to trim the skirt to a lovely even finish, and to reduce thickness, try a pair of thinning shears.

Just with Mia, you will need to keep up the brushing a bit more to ensure no knots form, so try and give her a good going over every day with a good comb.

When you clip a cav off entirely, it does change their appearance a lot. They have quite skinny legs with thicker set feet, and the coat can just grow back thicker and heavier, without the nice cavvie wave.

I do have clients that get to clip their cavvies off entirely all year round, as they cannot cope with the hair at all.

[Dogsfevr]

Cavnrott yes i had a brain fart moment should read a good groomer wouldnt clip a cavies coat.

Oscamia it sounds like the groomers already clip the top coat & that is why its growing back thicker & fluffier.

When you clip a cavies coat you clip the good texture & the undercoat is what is left.The undercoat is what you dont want as thats what grows thick,fluffy & dead looking,no sheen.

Evene when you use thinners it still ruins the coat in many ways.

For a cavie its simply just stripping the top coat,The coat kings are good but you can use a simple Knit/flea comb & do just a good a job.

We clip some off as already said its in the dogs best interests as the owners wont brush but the majority we hand strip but we do trim there feet short & infact the hand stripping is far easier & for the pet owners the coat dries quicker,it easier to maintain because your removing the dead coat that matts which is the undercoat.