clipper blade size suggestions please!

[Terrie Kaleta]

I have been scissor cutting my doodle for two years now and is is a very time consuming task.  I have read a lot of grooming posts and it appears I am not alone in that opinion.

I have an oster clipper with a #10 blade.  This alone will cut through his hair, but I am afraid to use it like that because I fear it will take his hair down to skin level.  I bought a combo pack of comb attachments, but they will not go through his hair unless I spend hours and hours trying to get his hair straight enough, not an option. 

Comb attachments, if they worked, offer protection from totally shaving him to his skin by choosing the correct length. I like to keep his coat about 1 inch minimum length, and I fear using the #10 oster blade alone will take him down to skin.  

 

I saw a post that suggested a 3 3/4 blade or a "coarse" (#4?) blade for the clippers.  I have no knowledge of the different blades and what they do.

I am wondering if the different blade will allow me to follow his body and allow the length of the cut to be longer?

Not sure I am able to word this post correctly.  Hopefully a groomer out there will understand my question.

If I don't change blades, I will continue to scissor cut him.  I am getting pretty good at it and he looks great.  I find I have to do a complete groom at least 4 times per year.  I am trying to find a technique that will be less time consuming.  If changing blades is not the answer, then I will have to accept my fate that my dog has hair that is unyielding to the clipper.

[Mary Steward]

So glad you posted this as I have the same issues, and I just cannot "skin" my Toby in the winter, but his hair is "sheep like" and big globs of mats, no matter how much a brush a comb him. So I scissor him.
Following this topic... thanks. Mary

[Barbara & James McGillivray]

I'm not a groomer and we've only had our golden doodle for a couple years, but when I get him groomed, I love how he looks when a #3 blade is used - it leaves the coat a little longer than the #4. He has the thick sheep like coat and he comes home feeling like velvet after he's been groomed with a #3. You have to be careful as I've been told that these larger clippers cannot be used near their genitals because there is a greater likelihood that they could get cut in those areas if too large of a clipper is used. They usually try to use a #7 in those areas, but it tends to leave him with some razor burn- maybe his skin is oversensitve to the close cutting clippers?

[Sandra Griffith]

Usually a #10 is used for the "sani" portion of the dog's trim (around the genitals, tummy and anal region. It is also used to trim in front of the ears (lift up the ear flap and clip just in front of the ear) to allow a little more air flow to the area (this should not really be visible as the dangling ear flaps cover it). Lastly, the #10 blade may be used to clip between the toes on the bottom of the foot(the side that is facing the ground) to keep this hair from acting like a dirty sponge and prevent matting of the hair between the toes. To make life easier, many groomers will use a blade like a #4 on the body and neck and then scissor the legs and head (blending the legs and head into the body with your scissors). This prevents that shaved look but cuts down (pardon the pun) on a lot of work in upkeep. Clipper blades are not really able to go through matts, they go underneath them, so the closeness of matts to the skin may often determine what blade the groomer must use if the groomer is not going to attempt to comb out the knots- a process that can be very painful to the dog if he is severely knotted.

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

The lower the number, the longer the blade cuts.

If your doodle coat is thick wool, shaving to the skin with a 10 might be the only blade you can use. You are absolutely right about the coat preparation time if you want to use a longer blade. This why I hung my clippers up and opted for a pair of scissors for all my wool coats. I cut the coat, then brush, then even it up then wash....done. This the shortest amount of time I could come up with. The longest part is the brushing after cutting, but at least I am brushing thru a shorter coat. I find this method very useful when dealing with matts.

I have used a #4 skip tooth blade on one of my wool doodles, but I scissored the coat down to one inch first, then did a full coat prep as a groomer would do. This took quite a bit of time and of course, the coat was too short to suit my taste. I just wanted to see if I could do it. The finished coat was 1/2 inch long. See below.

If you think your dog looks great with the scissoring, keep it up. It is probably the best way. Comb attachments really only work on fleece coats that are not too thick. The coat has to be completely straightened by table drying [blow drying]and brushing first.

[Sandra Griffith]

You are quite right in saying that you might not be able to use a #4 blade if the coat is not prepared properly first. I often use a #7 with a thicker coat- not quite as shaved as a #10 but often able to get under a thick coat that has not been really well prepared first.

[Terrie Kaleta]

I would like to thank each and every one of you who responded to this post, as I learned something from all. It is really reassuring to know I am on the right path. I will continue to use the #10 for the sani-groom and under the ears. I will probably get both a #3 and a #4 blade and see which works best for his coat.

My plan of action will be to use a clipper with a lower number for the first cut (if I can get through his hair) on body and neck. Then I will line brush him and trim away the strays. I may even use try using this #3 or #4 blade for the upper portion of his legs to his knees. I will most likely continue to scissor cut his lower legs, feet and face.

Anything that cuts down on this time-consuming process is hugely appreciated. I am so happy for the responses to the post. More importantly, my 2 year old doodle, Boze, says thanks to any technique that speeds up the time he has to tolerate the grooming. Here's a photo from this week's scissor cut......

Thanks everyone!

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

I have been out of town and am getting in late on this discussion. I am not a professional by any means but I started working at grooming Gracie Doodle myself last summer. I too spent hours on DK getting advice and trying to understand the blades and combs. The one thing that finally sunk in is that the higher the number blade the closer the shave! I have a huge fear of nicking Gracie so I always use a comb. Unfortunately the combs don't fit on all blades and I still need to figure that out. But, here is what I use. I have the Oster A-5 clippers and use a #15 blade with anywhere from a 3/4" to 1 1/4" comb. I haven't found combs that go any higher in number. The 1 1/4" comb is going to give you the longest cut. I always go with the growth of the hair because going against the growth will make it shorter. My combs are plastic and even though my clippers get really hot for me, they are not hot for Gracie. The plastic really helps protect from a hot blade. We also take lots of breaks during the grooming session. I scissor cut her head and face. I am not comfortable using a clipper blade on her tummy yet so I very carefully use the scissors. Sanitary area I am still experimenting with. Scissors or clippers. Clippers always away from the center!!! I scissor cut the feet and use both clippers and scissors on her legs. I haven't a clue how to scissor cut the body but I know it must take hours and hours so I am content with the clippers. Gracie is a wavy fleece coat (very soft and not thick or dense). If you look at some of her pictures she will look very short. I do that in the summer or when she goes to a doggie ranch when we travel. Hopefully with all the information everyone has given you, some combination of methods will work for you! Be sure to post a picture!

[Sandra Griffith]

There are #30 and #40 clipper blades but these are used more for medical purposes as they remove all of the hair (as in bald) around a wound, incision site, for surgery, etc. They are not used so much for pet grooming.