<p>We have a large retriever/australian shepherd mix who comes home from runs with lots of mud and other debris on her coat. We’ve found that by getting her a “puppy cut” we can just towel her off with a dry towel instead of having to rinse her off after every outing. H is wishing for dog clippers for Christmas – the groomer is expensive! I see that the Oster A5-2 clipper is pretty well reviewed, but blades are sold individually and I’m not sure what size to buy – about 5/8 inch maybe? I saw a pet clipper kit at Target for about $35 but assume it’s not powerful enough to do a good job. Advice, anyone, about clippers, blades and good retail sources?</p>
<p>Is there an Australian shepherd discussion group on the internet that you might ask for recommendations? I clip my dogs myself, but they’re not Australian shepherds. I don’t know if the blades and combs I use are the right ones for use on retrievers/shepherds.</p>
<p>I love my clippers, which are the Oster A-5 dual-speed turbo model. Andis dual-speed clippers are also good. For a puppy cut, I use a #30 ceramic-edge blade with a 1/2" or 5/8" metal comb attachment and a #10 ceramic-edge blade by itself where closer trimming is needed. Some people prefer a #3-3/4 blade which gives a cut of approximately 1/2" (no comb is necessary), but I find the #30 blade plus comb works better on my dogs. Also, I’ve found that a grooming table is very useful. It makes grooming dogs SO much easier. Good scissors and thinning shears are a necessity, too.</p>
<p>I purchased my supplies from Pet Edge (you can sometimes find coupons online.) Please don’t waste your money on the pet clippers from Target! The motor definitely isn’t powerful enough to groom a shepherd. Good clippers are expensive, but they should last for years.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>After a great deal of research. and talking to many poodle people (I have poodles, and they need a lot of grooming), I bought the Andis AGC two-speed. I think Horse.com had the lowest prices. I had the pet clipper kit from Target, worthless. Used it once.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what your dog’s coat is like. As a rough guide, the reciprocal of the number gives you the length of hair you’ll get. So a #4 gets a 1/4" coat. Most dogs grow about 1/2"/month. (For my poodles, I just use a #10 every couple of months. It’s a lot easier.)</p>
<p>The blades are expensive. You’ll want two, because they get hot as you use them, and you can actually burn the dog. You change blades as they get hot (and let the other one cool down). They also get dull very quickly, especially if used on a dirty dog. I find the ceramic blades well worth the extra cost, as they don’t get dull anywhere nearly as quickly. </p>
<p>Many dog groomers will spend an hour or two helping you learn to groom your dog, if you pay them for their time. I paid my regular poodle groomer for two hours of her time and it really made a huge difference. We talked about equipment and methods, and I did part of the grooming and she did the other part. Of course, poodles are a challenge!</p>
<p>I sell pet clippers at the shop – although I do not know a great deal about them. My sales rep at the distributor says, in no uncertain terms, that you get what you pay for. He suggests that $100 retail is a reasonable sum for a clipper kit that my customers will be happy with. He feels that much more than that is overkill for an occasional groomer, but less than that is useless. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Thanks, everybody, for the great advice. I knew the Target clipper kit was a bad idea. How did I know this? Because we tried to clip her last summer using a cheap human-type clipper kit --what a disaster. Five hours later (no exaggeration) she had a haircut but she also looked like she had mange. I knew she was the best dog before that day, but her patient tolerance for our bumbling grooming attempt was remarkable.</p>
<p>I didn’t even know about ceramic blades and was confused by the blade sizes. Now that you’ve given me a starting point it will be much easier to “shop” and know what to look for. Thanks!</p>
<p>Another place to check is your vet. They might have a recommendation for clippers. Your groomer might be reticent to answer as if you do it yourself, you would not be bringing them business, but the vet’s office surely has experinece with clippers as well.</p>
<p>tango14, I hadn’t even thought of that. Great suggestion!</p>
<p>One thing to keep in mind is that dog groomers may do a lot more than just clip the dog. For example, proper poodle maintenance includes trimming the hair between the paw pads, plucking the hair from the ear canals, trimming toenails–as well as grooming the coat. There are sources for grooming methods out there. This link actually has some good advice: [How</a> to Groom a Dog - wikiHow](<a href=“http://www.wikihow.com/Groom-a-Dog]How”>How to Groom a Dog (with Pictures) - wikiHow)</p>
<p>Petco (and other places) have professional bathing facilities that you can use yourself for a small fee. It’s really worthwhile to have a clean dog before you start clipping.</p>
<p>Thanks, dmd77. I’ll take a look at the link. Eew – plucking hair from the ear canals? Yikes, I don’t think I could do that. </p>
<p>Fortunately we have a large walk-in shower and my husband regularly shampoos our dog. She also swims in the lake, though that doesn’t exactly leave her smelling like a rose, especially when she finds something stinky to roll in.</p>