When you are desperate to get your dog’s hair trimmed or shaved, without having to pay a dog groomer to do the job, it can be tempting to use the human clippers you have lying around. The idea of purchasing an entire new set of grooming tools for your dog might leave you wondering, “Can you cut dog hair with human clippers?”
Human hair clippers only need to run for short periods of time and only need to clip one, small area of the body (our head). With shorter running times and less hair to cut, blade heat and clipper heat are of minimal concern.
Keeping the clipper housing from overheating in your hand, and reducing blade heat to avoid burning the dog, are a feature of dog clippers that human clippers do not have. This is also why human clippers can get so hot when you try to use them to clip a dog. Use left/right arrows to navigate the slideshow or swipe left/right if using a mobile device
The short answer is no, you should not use human clippers on dogs. You can however safely use dog clippers on humans. There are a few reasons why…
Blades for dog clipping have different teeth spacing, different teeth lengths, and are sharper compared to the finer, shorter blades used for human hair. That fine teeth spacing of a human blade is why human hair clippers usually grab, chew or pull a dogs coat, instead of cutting it (as if the blade is blunt, even when its sharp). For puppies in particular, using human hair clippers can cause a negative first experience by pulling the coat and hurting them, which can impact how they feel about being clipped for the rest of their life.
All of that combines to being more than what human blades and clippers are made to cope with.
Critical Differences Between Dog and Human Clippers
Clippers for dogs and humans often look the same or similar. There are still noticeable differences that are important to note before using them.
Is it safe to cut dog hair with human clippers?
Generally speaking, it’s best if you use dog clippers to groom your pooch.
That said, if you’re desperate, there are times when human clippers can be used – so long as you take plenty of caution. Dogs with fine, single coats may cope with human clippers, since fur is reasonably similar to human hair. You should always avoid using human clippers on dogs with double coats.
You should be as gentle as possible, and stop should the dog be showing any signs of distress. If possible, use the clippers on the lowest possible setting and take plenty of breaks.
Human clippers may make the job more difficult than is necessary, so it’s not only good for your pet that you invest in a dedicated pair, but it’s likely to cause less stress for you too.