Dog Grooming by LowchensAustralia.com

Grooming your dog doesn't have to be a complicated process. A little information about the use of clipper blades will make the job easier and make your groomed dog look more professional.

• Different clippers are designed to clip different types of hair-coats. Heavily coated breeds or dogs whose coat is matted or heavily tangled require stronger, better quality clippers than light coated breeds.

• The faster a blade moves, the easier and faster it will cut. Better quality clippers have faster motors.
  How fast a blade moves is dictated by the quality and strength of the motor in the clippers as well as how well you lubricate the blade while you clip. Kool Lube lubricates your blade as you clip to keep its movement free and unimpeded.

• When a blade is moving, friction creates heat which makes the blade get hot. Test the blade against your cheek or the inside of your forearm (like a baby bottle) to be sure it isn't uncomfortably hot for your pet. Kool Lube keeps your blade cool.

• Different blades leave different lengths of hair. The lower the blade number, the longer the hair ie: a #4F blade leaves 5/8" of hair and a #10 leaves only 1/16" of hair. ie: The #10 is used for smooth or summer cuts, the #4F for "fuzzy" cuts.

• Skip Tooth blades cut faster through dense, matted hair, but their clip is rough and not attractive. Use a skip tooth blade for the first pass "rough in" and then smooth your grooming with a full tooth blade.

• Smooth faces, feet, the pads of the feet, groin and tummy areas and anal areas can usually be clipped very close with a #10, #15, or lightly with a #30 or #40 blade to clean them of hair.

• Never clip a dirty dog. Dirt and products such as flea powders destroy the cutting surface of your blade.

• Never clip a wet dog. It's too hard to get through the coat.

• Clipping AGAINST the hair growth pattern leaves shorter hair than clipping WITH the hair growth.

• Store your blade clean, coated with Kool Lube, wrapped in a paper towel and enclosed in a plastic, air-tight baggie to prevent corrosion from humidity on the cutting surfaces.

• Attachment Comb must be over #40 blade.

• "or" (ex. #10 or #15) - Select the blade according to how long you want to leave the coat.

• "&" (ex. #7 & #7FC) - Use the "skip tooth" (ie. #7) blade before bathing and the "finish cut" (ie. #7FC) blade after bathing to complete the cut.

• Blade cutting lengths listed (refer to Blade Chart) are against natural lie of the coat. Cutting with lie of the coat leaves hair one size longer (ex. #7 cut with lie of the coat = length of #5).

• Andis AG blades will fit on the Andis model AG, AG-2, AGR and MBG Clippers and Oster A5 Clipper.

• DO NOT use skip tooth blades on cats. 

• Keep skin taut when clipping dogs and cats.

• BLADES & BLADE CARE FAQ'S
  A list of frequently asked questions about BLADES AND BLADE CARE compiled over the years.
• CARE OF SCISSORS
  Important guide to caring for your scissors
• CLIPPER & BLADE PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS
  Your questions answered by Bobby Murphy
• CORDLESS CLIPPERS
  Cordless clippers, you love them or hate them! If you tried some of the first cordless units you may have found them heavy and cumbersome, with short life battery packs.
• CERAMIC CUTTERS
  A few years back when ceramic blades first appeared on the market there was great reluctance by many groomers to purchase these and this has continued, because the fear of breaking them and being left with a useless blade having paid the extra for a ceramic one.
• CLIPPERS OR BLADES?
  This is probably the most sought after dilemma solution in the grooming industry.
• BOTANY BAY IMPORTS/EXPORTS
  Clipper Blade Sharpening, Sydney, Australia. Returned within a week by mail.