Gun Dog Forum

Hello guys,

Although my dog is a herding dog, I have met with several gun dog owners who are also wondering how to groom their dog's coat. Indeed, going outdoors in the mud and the dirt everyday makes the hair difficult to groom. Do you guys have a best pet clipper in mind that you use to keep the hair super short so you avoid matting hair and knots?

There are so many factors coming into play when it comes to choosing the right dog clipper that it is confusing. And I am pretty familiar with clippers for dogs myself... I read that Andis Excel 5-Speed Clipper is the best out there but kind of out of my budget...

Feel free if you have any suggestion...

Lazhar

I don't know anyone that clips sporting breeds. Most are doubled coated and the guard coat should never be clipped. The wire-haired breeds need regular hand stripping.

I've got 5 britts to clip. I go to walmart and buy a set of $30 Wahle clippers(I put on the 3/8 plastic guard that comes with the clipper)--I trim all 5 britts and throw the clippers away and get a new set next year--It cost about as much to sharpen or get a new blade as it does to get a new clipper. $6 a dog per year is cheap. JMO

I've been shaving/grooming 3-5 dogs two or three times a year ( with touch-ups every six weeks or so) with the Osters I bought in the 70s. I've used those clippers on the horses, too. A new 10 blade every couple years ($20). Spend the bucks for a decent set, take care of them, and you'll have them a long time.

What do you hope to accomplish by clipping double coated dogs?

It is fact 1) They suffer more in the heat when they are clipped, 2) Their skin is not equipped to be exposed to the sun and 3) It destroys their coat.

Spaniels get their ears and feathers done in the Summer. I have found the 'Wahl' Best for doing my own 'Head' ...I have not been to a hairdresser for 15 years ,but then I'm not that vain ..
https://www.pet-supermarket.co.uk/Wahl- ... Aquo8P8HAQ

I've got him well beat ! I've not been to a hairdressers for nearly 40 years ! It wasn't worth the money for the few hairs I had left ! My wife just goes over my dome with electric clippers about once per month and that's that .

I never take clippers of any kind to my spaniels. My wife and I trim them about once every 3-4 months with round nosed scissors. We cut away much of the feathering from the legs, ears and tail and we trim the hair from between the toes close. We also trim off long chest and belly hairs and that's it for another 3-4 months. We have a sort of brush/comb thing that we fairly regularly go over the dogs with ............ that thing could remove loose hair from a snooker ball !

I think dogs like spaniels have thick coats for a reason .......the weather is often bad in Scotland ! Removing a dogs weather protection with clippers is not a good idea in my opinion and I should know , I have to wear a hat summer and winter !

Bill T.

Osters are the best I've found.... I've had my current clippers for about 25 years..

I don't clip my dogs so they are cooler (Springers). I clip them because of burrs. I also have a Setter whose coat is horrible...very wooly texture and I think the burrs jump on him when he's within 10 feet of them....talk about a burr magnet. He gets clipped more often than the Springers... I don't clip any of my dogs real close.....just enough so they don't pick up burrs and if they do, it doesn't take an hour to deburr them.

MonsterDad wrote:I don't know anyone that clips sporting breeds. Most are doubled coated and the guard coat should never be clipped. The wire-haired breeds need regular hand stripping.

Well, not quite. Clipping is clearly NOT right. But there are a number of options for wirehaired dogs other than that.

I use Mars Coat King (see link) mostly plus a stripping knife on my pure hunting (FC,MH) German Wirehaired Pointer. She looks pretty nice and neat imo, and the coat is certainly protective.

http://marsgroomingproducts.com.au/mars-coat-king.html

My male is hand stripped, but he's out in public a lot year-round (competition obedience dog) and as he's a finished champion, I feel we need to have him looking as good as possible, just to uphold the honor of the breed. If I were just going to hunt him, I'd follow my procedure with my bitch.

The Mars link is worth reviewing for any non-short-coated breed.

I've got top of the line Andis clippers for my two Brits. After seing them clipped this week with Andis #10 horse clippers, I realize I made a mistake getting regular clippers. You can do a dog in 1/3rd the time with horse clippers. The only problem for me is my already roan dogs get even MORE roan when they are shaved.

I just use the wahl ones I use for my head but my advice isn't worth much as I do not fully clip my cocker. I do his ears just for burr management, and I'll use them on his feet so he doesn't collect snow in the winter. Other than that, I use scissors to trim his feathers on legs/butt/tail but do not touch the majority of his coat with anything other than a brush when he's shedding lots.

I clip my competition dogs 2 times a year and use an oster with a #7 blade. It cost me $12 to sharpen once a year.

I use a Wahl every other week for myself.

When it comes to best dog hair clippers ,you should keep some details in mind such as Motor Speed ,working noise level, ect. I suggest Andis AG2.