Best Dog Hair Clippers

The history of dog’s hair grooming and styling can be traced back to the Roman Empire period. In Europe, the officially documented pieces of evidence show that the very first breed to experience the fashion tendencies on themselves were the poodles. Some of the tombs and monuments, built during the reign of Emperor Augustus (27 B.C. – 14 A.D.), depict the Royal Poodles with a haircut popularly known as the Lion Cut: the hair is groomed almost everywhere, leaving only the mane and the tips of the tail and legs modeled like on a lion. By the way, this fashion is popular among the home cats too.

More images from the 16th-17th centuries have the well-groomed dogs depicted on them. They were mostly the breeds popular among the royals and aristocrats - Spaniels, Bichons, Maltese. At the beginning of the 20th century, the animal beauty salons and vet clinics started to appear in the European cities. One of the first such salons was Dogs’ Toilet Club in London – talk about funny store names. Along with the hair styling, a pet could take a bath, have its claws cut, even put on the tailored apparel or special dog's jewelry - pendants or gem-encrusted collars. Anyhow, by the 1930s, many families have started keeping dogs at homes and apartments. Since then, the small and large dog's hairdressers have gradually become widespread. But now, you can be a pro stylist all by yourself - with one of the special electric trimmers like the Andis ProClip hair clipper from above.

We can recommend this dog seat cover by iCode for car owners. It is designed to fit on almost any car seat without sliding or folding. You can also set its sides upright to make a box with the open top if your dog is a naughty one.

If you have just started learning the ropes of grooming, make sure that your dog enjoys the process too. We want to share a couple of basic useful advice with you.

1. If you have no previous experience in hair clipping or grooming at all, start with a longer guide comb attached - that way you'll be able to fix possible mistakes with a shorter comb later.

2. Hold the blade at a little angle to the animal's skin. The shorter the blade is, the greater the angle should be. If necessary, pull the skin with a second hand to even out the wrinkles.

3. Clip the hair along the growth direction. This makes pet’s coat look natural and attractive. Start with the dog's head and gradually move toward the back. Generally, the feet are the last thing to trim.

4. For the sensitive areas, armpits, and the area around the eyes we recommend the # 10 blades that have 1/16" long teeth.

5. Beginners often ask whether they should cut the whiskers. You can cut them – they’ll grow back over time. However, whiskers are a very sensitive part of many animals. Dogs and cats rely on them similar to humans relying on their finger touch. So, unless you are preparing a dog for a show, consider either clipping them just a bit or leaving untouched.

6. The dogs with long, bouffant hair are less tolerant to heat. Therefore, buy a hair clipper like the Oster Turbo A5 to relieve your lovely pet from the stress during the hot seasons. Leave no more than 1" for the best effect or keep it even shorter if you live in a State like Arizona.

For the greatest look of your pet, we recommend buying additional tools. Take a look at this Augymer pet grooming scissors kit. Not all of the pets are very docile. So, flattened tips on the scissors will protect their skin from accidental cuts. There are totally 5 items in the soft case, including a comb and 4 scissors. This set will surely come in handy for you on many occasions.

The standard hairstyles may differ from a breed to breed. However, there are some techniques that can be universally applied to most of the dogs. Let's take a quick look at some of them.

• Flatwork haircut is probably a most common one. It aims to maintain the same coat length on every part of a dog’s body. As a rule, this one is performed with a trimmer or scissors.
• Blending is a haircut with the seamless transition between long and short hair. This procedure is usually performed at the very end to give the coating a finished look. Mostly done with special thinning scissors.
• Show trim is generally referred to a haircut for the dog shows. As a rule, it involves many stages to give the pet either unique or classic look like in a dog breeds encyclopedia.
• Stripping is not a haircut per se, rather the way that the hair is trimmed. The hair is plucked entirely out with a special knife to give a room for a new one to grow.
• Plucking is similar to the previous one but done by hands only. Simply put, the dog’s old hair is pulled out with fingers instead of a knife or clippers.

If you are tired that a pet constantly twitches and swirls during the grooming, you might need a haunch holder. This device is designed to comfortably support a pet in a standing position by attaching the middle part to a special table arm crane above the dog, while the two ends are clipped to the collar and around the belly. That way, the dog stays still and relaxed while you safely groom it. You can make one by yourself or just grab this No-Sit Haunch holder by Pro Guard. It's available for small-medium or large breeds.

The grooming usually implies not only trimming but also a list of other procedures aimed to keep your pet healthy and good-looking. Take notes if you want to choose this career path or simply want to take care of your dog.

• Brushing or combing is an important part of managing the coat appearance. First of all, choose the comb specifically for your dog's hair. For flat-coated breeds use either a closely-spaced side of a comb or the models specifically designed for this. As for the long or shaggy hair, use widely-spaced combs. Of course, you can just grab a 2-in-1 brush like the model by Vets Pride USA.
• Ears cleaning. The words speak for themselves. As the dog ears are very sensitive, it's critical to keep them clean and healthy.
• Toenail clipping. Another regular procedure that a dog should undergo. Unlike stray dogs that have their claws wear off from the asphalt or rough ground, home pets should have their claws clipped by a human. You can ask a vet for a few tips and get yourself a pair of nail clippers to get it done by yourself.
• Bathing. Well, this one is simple. In order to have healthy skin and hair, dogs should be cleaned with a special shampoo. Please note, that human shampoos may contain colorants and deodorants that a pet might be allergic to. The grooming specialists and vets might give a couple of recommendations specifically for your dog's breed and coat type.
• Dental care. This service might not always be provided in every salon, but your dog can have its teeth cleaned and cured in many of them. Grab a dog toothbrush if you want to clean them yourself.

After the trimming, lots of hair stays on a pet. To remove it without bathing a dog once again, you can buy the low-power portable vacuum cleaner by AerWo. It's capable of sucking up the short hairs without grabbing the uncut one. You might also want to get 3 AA batteries to power it as it comes without them.

In the end, we want to say a few words about the package content. All items come in a durable plastic case with a handle for transportation. The latch prevents it from accidental opening. There's also the blade oil to ensure the smooth operation and prolonged service life, while the narrow brush effectively cleans the fur stuck between the blade's teeth. The included scissors and comb are perfect for giving a touch of elegance to the finished hairstyle. Each item of this Wahl clipper kit looks the highest quality. 

With this Wahl kit, you will easily accentuate the smallest features of any dog haircut. The cordless clipper is a great means to improve and demonstrate your stunning grooming skills anywhere. After all, it is a great present that will make any dog owner happy.

If you are eager to master all the secrets of dog grooming asap, we can recommend you this awesome book: DIY Dog Grooming, From Puppy Cuts to Best in Show: Everything You Need to Know, Step by Step by Jorge Bendersky. A must-have for both beginners and pros. Totally worth reading if you want to know more than just a few basic tricks.