Groomed Yorkie for the first time - clipper help!

[samara83]

It was terrifying! I was so scared to hurt him. He has the 'puppy cut' so I used the 10 blade for the tummy/sanitary spots then a 4 for his back. What I was wondering is how do you do his tail and underneath his tale (he holds his tail down)? Do you use the 4 blade or the 10? I am so nervous because I nearly knicked him on the front of the thigh when I was going down the leg. He yelped but luckily I didn't break the skin or anything. I am just not sure when to switch from the 4 blade to the 10.
I was told to use the clipper over the bottom of his paws but I was too nervous to do that...is it hard to do? I just used scissors to trim the excess hair but it was really tricky to get in between the pads.

 

[Kat09Tails]

Your 10 is your "safe" blade. Its the blade you're least likely to cut your dog with.

For the puppy clip on a yorkie use the 10 against the grain on the bottom of the feet then turn the blade around and go the other direction to clean up the other bits left behind. unlike a poodle you do not have to get in between the toes. It's not hard.

As far as under the tail do your best with a cold 10 (watch for clipper heat) to get around the poop shoot and then trim the rest of the tail scragglies with scissors with your finger firmly on the meat of the tail. Better to cut your finger than the dog.