Styling Equipment

 

Scissors

 

Scissors for dog grooming are used with the ring or third finger of your dominant hand and have a finger rest for your pinkie finger. There are several types of grooming scissor:

 

Straight working Scissor - These scissors are an essential for all groomers. These reach a sharp point and produce a clear, straight line. Working scissors come in varying lengths. They are made of heavy metal and although they should be handled with care they can withstand the occasional drop.

Types:

o     As these are generally pointed they allow precise cutting lines. 4.5 - 6 inches (10 - 15 cm) .These are used for trimming around feet, tips of the ears and nose and down to personal preference of the individual groomer (may be influenced by groomer hand size and what feels comfortable)
o     6.5 -7.5 inches (16 - 20 cm). These can be used on a wide variety of breeds and coat types and are generally the most popular sized scissors
o         8 -10 inches (20 - 25 cm). These can be used whilst working on the larger breeds of dog and for finishing

 

 

 

 

Curved working scissor – These scissors are useful in creating the rounded shape of the finished dog, in particular around the back legs, fact and feet. They are solid blades shaped into a gentle curve and produce a clean but curved line.

 

 

 Finishing Scissor - These scissors as the name suggest are for finishing. They should only be used only on very clean coats. These scissors are made from a softer metal and often rewined when dropped so require extra care.

 

Thinning scissors – These scissors have one straight blade and one toothed blade. The toothed blade comes in a variety of sizes and shapes and are used for blending, giving a more natural appearance. They can also be used to remove bulk and create shape.

 

 

Face and ear trimming scissors – These are small, trimming scissors with a round tip to prevent injury to the delicate areas of the dog. Face and ear scissors can have either a straight or curved blade. 

Blending scissors -These have one straight blade and one toothed blade and are used on areas of the coat to blend the cutting line. 30 -40 teeth blenders are used for removing bulk from heavy coats and areas such as furnishings . Blenders with a larger number of teeth 40 - 50 are particularly helpful in providing finish to slightly finer coats such as those on Yorkshire terriers and help to reduce the incidence of lines on silky coats. They provide a more natural and textured finish. They can also be used on breeds in full coat where the coat is needed to be reduced by several centimetres but avoids the use of clippers.

Bullnose scissors - these scissors have flattened rounded areas on the tips making them ideal for use around the eyes or genital area. They help because they do not have sharp points and so reduce the incidence of accidental injuries. 
 

 

Clippers

Clippers come in a variety of sizes but all clippers comprise of the main clipper unit and a range of interchangeable blades and guard combs. Clippers work when hair is pushed through the comb of the clipped and cut by the cutting blade. Both the comb and the cutter blade are available in a variety of tooth sizes. Clipper blades come in a variety of shapes and sizes each with its own function.  The blades are numbered according to the depth of the blade, the higher the number the shorter the coat will be cut.

 

 

 

Clippers can be plugged directly into mains electricity through a cord or can be battery powered. Due to the electrical components clippers must never be immersed in water.

 

Guard combs allow groomers to leave a scissor like finish and length of coat but in a much shorter time. They are also useful to keep a consistent length to the coat. Like blades, guard combs also come in different sizes.

 

Small clippers, known as trimmers can also be used to clip off small amounts of hair. They are commonly used for in between toes and pads.

 

Blades Sizes

Fine Blades

o      Size 30 – Very fine – Poodle feet, Terriers ears (not W.H.W or Cairn)

o      Size 15 – Poodles/Bedlington face and tail.

o     Size 10 – W.H.W and Cairn ear tips , with growth Cockers heads, hygiene areas. Produces a medium fine length and often used in the hygiene areas (armpits and groin areas)

o      Size 8.5 - A short medium length body blade used mainly on Spaniels and Terriers or for 'clip offs'

o      Size 7F – Spaniel, body of long legged Terrier, reversed on the head for Cockers and long legged Terriers.

 

Medium Blades

• Size 5F – Poodle and Westie, Lhasa Apso body, Airedale

• Size 4F – Thin coated dogs or if the owner does not want the body too short. Short clipped Bichon, Lhasa Apso

• Size 3F – Thin coated dogs or if the owner does not want the body too short, Clipped Bichon, Long clip Lhasa Apso

 

The 7F, 5F, 4F, 3F are all finishing blades that leave a smoother cut finish

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