Grooming Using a Razor Comb?

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Last year when I was shopping for  a groomer I visited several shops and interviewed groomers that had been recommended by other Doodle owners. One groomer I met uses ONLY a razor comb to groom the entire dog. I saw some of her work and it looked pretty nice actually but I had never heard of this tool being used in this way and haven't since either.

 

When I told her that I preferred that Tara be scissor cut she acted like I was demented. She said it wasn't possible.  What I discovered after trying it myself was that it IS possible I just takes 8 days!! :) JK

 

So I  BOUGHT a razor comb to experiment with it and it seems to pull quite a bit (tried it on DH! Well, I didn't want to hurt TARA!! LOL!) I wonder how uncomfortable this might be for the dog??

 

Has anybody else had any experience with or heard of anyone who grooms doodles with a razor comb? Or tried it yourself?

 

[Apple Creek Doodles]

Ok, question....when you say razor comb are you talking about a blade guard...like a comb that snaps over the blade...want to make sure before I comment??? I think that's what your talking about. Here are my opinions....they are GREAT BUT the dog needing grooming must be totally brushed out and free of mats, needs to be completely dry as well or it won't cut evenly. It's much harder to blade guard a dog that has naturally thick hair as it will bog the blade down if it's not new or very sharp and not dull which can make for a very time consuming haircut. I used these all the time at the kennel I groomed at. If anyone had a golden retriever that they wanted cut short but not shaved that is what I would use. They are great because you can leave your puppy longer with a guard than you could with a blade....they now have guards that are 3" long. Most people with doodles do not keep them in good enough shape to be scissored...most would be shaved down.....wait, all that I groomed were always shave downs. I use guards on my doodles very lightly down their backs if their hair is getting crazy. I keep mine in full coats so they don't get much other than baths and brushings but I do use the guards and find them very useful in doodle grooming and a great way to get a longer cut. All my doodles are F1s so their coats are very manageable. Hope this helps.

P.S.- I use them on my husband too:)

Hey, I just re-read your post....maybe I misunderstood you. Are you talking about a comb like thing with a blade in it and not actual clippers? If so, sorry I don't know anything about those:)

Tara ~ Apple Creek Doodles

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Hi Tara, (I like your name by the way!!) I added a picture of what I was referring to  up above.  You're right it is a comb like thing that comes apart and you put razor blades in between the 2 halves of the comb!  This one would probably give a 1/4 inch cut on one side and 1/2 inch on the other.

 

This is what the groomer used. She held it up and showed me it so she manages to groom dogs with it somehow!

 

But you have me curious about the 3 inch guards you are describing. I recently bought an Andis clipper and could only find combs up to an inch. Where did you find the longer ones?

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Yes, I am curious too about the 3 inch guard attachment.  I had the Oster A5 but just replaced them with the Andis clippers.  I have a complete plastic and also a complete metal guard set but they only go to 1 1/4"  I have never seen or found anything larger.  Where can we get a 3"?  Also, what blade do you use with it?

Thanks!

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

This is a great question as I have been looking at Andis clippers, but was looking for a longer blade.

When I was in cosmetology school (for humans), we learned to razor cut hair and used a razor very similar to the one on the picture. We started to learn on with a straight razor but ended up using the one with the guard to keep from slicing fingers. I cannot imagine grooming either of my dogs with this kind of razor. I scissor them both, but would love to find a 3" guard for electric clippers. It would be a whole lot faster than what I do now.

I have always scissored my F1 goldendoodle (it takes a coupla days), but had my F3 ALD professionally groomed when he started his puppy-to-adult coat changeover. I wasn't impressed with first the poodle, then the bichon head, though. So I do them both myself now. I found good quality shampoo, conditioner and especially high quality grooming spray are worth their weight in gold.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

I have a phone call into Lambert Pet Supply now.  They were suppose to call me back yesterday but didn't.  They have the longer comb attachments but you have to call them and they have to special order them.  They are called Mammoth Kim Laub comb attachments and they have sizes including 3".  In small print on the website it says you must use the mammoth Blade Cartridge but when I look on the website or Google it nothing comes up.  I think maybe it is included on the attachment.  The person I spoke with wasn't sure.  I also asked her to find out what size blade we needed to use with these special attachments or if the Cartridge WAS the blade.  You can go to Lambert's site and look at the combs.  Do a search for them because they don't show up under the regular blade/comb section.  If I get more information I will post it here.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Nice work Nancie! I've been coming up empty trying to find the longer comb attachments!!  That is kind of strange about the blade issue. Please let me know what they say about that when you hear from them!

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

I can't imagine this tool being useful on a doodle. I would love to see pics of the results. Many groomers are not taught how to scissor. I have had some people working for me that had grooming jobs in the past and they did not use scissors at all. During my grooming I uses scissors 90% of the time for cutting coats.

The best way I have found to groom a doodle is

blow

cut

brush

comb

blow

brush

shape

wash

sqeeze dry

This takes me about 3 hours on a 50 pound standard size dog whose coat is in good, but not perfect condition. This about the same amount of time as a standard poodle with a full groom and scissor cut.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

It seemed kind or horrifying to me too. That was why we chose another groomer. It seems like the razor blades would have a real pull or drag to them.

 

This was over a year ago when we were shopping for a groomer and I saw a woman in the neighborhood walking a doodle. I stopped and asked her who her groomer was.  I have to admit I had a pretty untrained eye at the time but the doodle must have looked good enough for me to consider using the same groomer. The dog was a standard size goldendoodle!

 

We went with another groomer who scissor cuts :)

 

Barb, in your list above when you use the word "blow" are you using your large dryer that you have mentioned before? And are you blowing them when they are already dry? Does this straighten the coat?