Need clipper information

[pound pet]

Hi

I have recently entered the world of dog grooming, and am having trouble accessing information about different clipper blades. What they are designed to do, for ex. I have a #10 clipper blade, but dont know anything else about it. I'm looking for information on different blades, what they do, and what haveing different mm lengths mean.

thanks!

[a.baker]

To add to your question (sorry I don't know the answers) is there also a different hardness to the nail in different dogs? Some nails seem soft and others rock hard.

I don't know maybe this also has to do with different blade types.

[Sunnierhawk0]

I am apprenticing to be a dog groomer right now with a professional dog handler, and I am slowly learning about blades ect.

#7 is what we shave most dogs body with. It gives it a nice short clip, but wont take it to the skin.

#40 is the blade you have to be very careful with, as it can go basically to the skin. Mostly used for face/neck trimming of certain breeds and to do sanitary cuts on dogs underbelly/around privates.

Also the bigger the # of the blade gets, the closer to the skin it goes.

Again, I myself am learning as well, I would try google and see what you can come up with there as well.

[Bigpoodleperson]

The different mm lengths are how long the hair will be when clipped with the grain of hair growth (like nose to tail). The larger the blade numbers, the shorter the clip will be. What kind of dog do you have, and what do you want to do? The longest clipper blade is a #3 which will leave hair 1/2" long. Generally a #3-#10 are what are used to clip the body (anything longer is scissored). A #10-50 are used for very close clips (sanitary trims, between pads, poodle face/feet, surgeries, etc). If you are unfamilar with clipping then dont use anything shorter (or larger number) then a #10 blade. You can burn the cut the dog if you dont know what you are doing.

Practice makes perfect, and having a nice pair of clippers helps (usually over 100$). Good luck!

[doglover83]

I'm no so familiar with the blade #..thanks Bigpoodleperson for the explanation. My vet recommended using the Dremel Multi Pro (the kind you plug in) and using the sanding attachment.

Do dog clipper blades need to be sharpened?