How To Use Thinning Shears On Dogs

How to use thinning shears on dogs? How to hold your thinning shears so they dont break? How to scissor smoothly through coat with thinning shears? Our grooming consultant Kitty Ponnet explains it for you! In this video, you see how to correctly hold your thinning scissors while scissoring and learn some basic techniques.

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Cut the hair to the desired length. Work from the paws up and from front to back for the best results. Let the shears cut the hairs rather than trapping the hairs between the blades and pulling them out.

Lay everything you will need to groom your dog on a separate table within easy reach.

Take a step back from your dog and view his entire body after several cuts to make sure youre getting the results you want.

Stand your clean, brushed dog on a level non-slip surface. You may groom your dog on a table or counter that brings your dogs back level with your chest.

Use a slip leash tied to something above your dogs head to steady him while grooming. The leash should be taut but not tight. Your dog should be standing with his weight evenly distributed on all four paws.

The Right Type of Clipper for Each Coat

But buyer beware, you do get what you pay for. Clippers marketed to regular consumers for supposed pet use are just cheap human hair clippers repackaged, and there is a difference. These types of clippers are not strong enough for most pets coats. Pet hair is usually thicker, and/or has an undercoat that this type of clipper is not made to handle.

This is not to say that you couldnt use them. In fact, on a few of the small breeds that have soft, human-hair-like coats, such as a Yorkie, Shih Tzu, or Maltese, they may actually work quite well.

But if you are trying to groom a large thick-coated dog (such as a Golden Retriever, Border Collie, Collie, Bearded Collie, or Tibetan Terrier) or double- or triple-coated breed (such as an Akita or a Malamute, Husky, or Chow), then you are definitely going to need a professional-grade clipper.

I recommend two brands: Andis and Oster. They both should cost in the neighborhood of $130 to $160, depending on where you buy them. Either of these will do the job on almost any coat, and they are strong, durable, long-lasting, and quality built. I use Andis exclusively for my clippers and use both Andis and Oster blades.

The cool thing about professional clippers and the main difference between them and the cheaper models is that the blades are removable and can be sharpened. This is a huge money-saving advantage in the long run. The average Ive paid to have blades sharpened is about $5 each. Another advantage of removable blades is that you can buy blades that cut the hair to different lengths, up to about an inch long.

Most of the cheaper models come with a standard, non-changeable blade that is very short. It is perfect for faces, sanitary areas and stripping all the hair off of your pet. If you want a very short summer haircut and dont mind the hair being about 1/16 of an inch long, then this is fine. Obviously, if you want the hair longer than that, you need a professional clipper.

There are two other methods of cutting hair to consider, especially if you like to keep your dog in a long coat. But these both take more time and skill to make the haircut look good. You could learn the art of scissoring the dog all over. This is extremely time-consuming and tedious, and one wrong flick of the wrist or movement of the dog and youll have big chunks of hair missing. Im guessing if you are reading this article, you may have already tried this.

The other thing is to learn to use snap-on combs which fit right over the blade and result in longer lengths of haircuts. Most of the models that dont have interchangeable blades come with a few snap-on combs for you to try using, so I do not recommend this for the amateur groomer/owner simply because of the frustration factor.

When using snap-on combs, known as combs for short, the coat must be thoroughly brushed out with no mats. When this is achieved, and you get the comb to go through the coat without snagging in the hair, you will still have to scissor it all afterwards to get a neat, uniform appearance. This is because it is very difficult to get comb cuts to look even and not choppy, and takes quite a bit of skill (practice).

Honestly, most groomers greatly dislike doing comb cuts (yes, they make combs for professional clippers too) because of the reasons I just stated. I have found that comb cuts are easier to perform on pets with wire type coats such as terrier mixes, Jack Russells, Cairn Terriers, Border Terriers, Westies, and Wire Fox Terriers. If you have one of these dogs, you may like it.

One last thing I want to include in this section that you should buy is a product like Andis Clipper Cool spray. It comes in an aerosol can and has so many uses. It oils the blades and keeps them cool/cools them off. It is a disinfectant. It will also clean off poop, blood, hair, body oils, and whatever else you run into that may interfere with the blades performance. I always have a couple of bottles of this stuff handy at my shop, because Id be miserable without it!

Decoding Groomer Speak (Whats a Teddy-Bear Cut?) In my experience as a pet groomer, I have learned to speak the language of groomers and interpret my clients needs and desires. It sometimes be hard to understand the terms groomers use, so here are some common cuts defined and shown in pictures.

Shampoo Selection for Fleas, Dandruff, and Other Skin Issues Learn about different shampoos and when, why, and how to use them. You dont have to be too picky about the kind of shampoo you use on your dog, just make sure to get a shampoo that is made for dogs, not humans.

How to Clip Nails and Properly Bathe Your Pet In this lesson, I will describe clipping the nails, cleaning the ears, and giving the bath. Nail clipping is hard to describe, but I will do my best.

Clipper Tips and Tricks Learn the basics of clipper handling and how to cut hair so that you use your tools safely and effectively.

How to Dry Your Pet Correctly To blow dry or not to blow dry, that is the question. Well folks, the answer is: to blow dry. Why you ask? For several reasons.

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. It is not meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from a veterinary medical professional. Animals exhibiting signs and symptoms of distress should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.

Amber on July 21, 2020:

Thanks so much for all of this great information. I already have an Oster A6, #10 blade, and a set of combs. Now I know why I get such a choppy result when I use the comb on my black labradoodle, Smootch. Based on your articles, I think I will invest in the #5FC and #7FC blades. Take care and thanks again!

emily on September 07, 2019:

Radoslav on December 12, 2018:

Nan on June 26, 2018:

Paul Levy from United Kingdom on November 03, 2015:

Great hub, very informative and a great read.

Willow Mattox (author) from Northern California on October 01, 2009:

Thanks Enelle, love knowing you are enjoying this series!

Enelle Lamb from Canadas California on October 01, 2009:

Great hub! A ton of information, pros and cons to help us decide what is right for us…keep up the great work!

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FAQ

Why use thinning shears on dogs?

Dog thinning shears are specially designed to only remove a small amount of hair with each cut. When used properly, they can take blunt lines between layers or from clipper cut hair to shear cut hair much softer, creating in a more natural flow.

Can you use human thinning scissors on dogs?

Scissors made for dog hair are different from paper or human hair scissors. They made to keep a sharp edge when dealing with dog hair. Human hair and paper scissors will blunt very quickly when used on dogs, as dog hair is much thicker than human hair.

How do you use thinning shears on Maltese?