Why I wanted the best dog grooming clippers
You can save a lot of money by purchasing some good clippers and clipping your own dog’s hair. I’ve saved hundreds of dollars since I started doing my own grooming less than a year ago. Do you know how much it costs to get a dog groomed nowadays? I know, it varies a lot by the type and size of dog, but around my part of the world, it costs about 80 bucks. At least it does for my very hairy pooch. She’s an amazingly lovable goldendoodle, but as her most recent grooming appointment grew closer, the idea of shelling out $480 for goldendoodle haircuts every year started to eat at me. I don’t know if I’ve spent that much on my own haircuts over my entire life.
Finding the Best Clippers for my Goldendoodle
To start, I searched “pet clipper reviews” and “what are the best dog clippers?” That narrowed things down to a few major clipper brands… Wahl, Andis, and Oster. My groomer had previously mentioned that goldendoodle hair could be tough to cut, so I focused on professional grade clippers. The clippers that made the cut at that point were made by Andis and Oster. I figured that I’d have my money back after just a couple of home clipping sessions, so I might as well get something that would do the job right and last a long time. I’ve made the mistake of focusing on the absolute lowest price in the past and I’ve found that you usually get what you pay for in the end. I didn’t want to buy cheap clippers that would make my learning experience even harder.
I’ve included my amazon affiliate link here, but I only recommend products I believe in (and I use these clippers myself). I ended up going with these Andis 2 speed dog clippers mostly because there were so many people raving about how great they were when I read reviews. (They really do work very well.) They also sell ceramic blades that are supposed to stay cooler longer. I picked one of those up too. There are actually many Andis clipper blades available, but you could also just buy a set of plastic clip on guide combs if you like. That’s a bit cheaper, but I was looking at this as an investment that would pay for itself within a few months.
Giving my dog a haircut
Long story short, I called the groomer and cancelled. That might have been a little bit bold considering I didn’t even own any clippers and I had no idea how to cut dog hair. Still, it cut off my options and forced me into taking some kind of action. I see that as a good thing. I decided to write this post for other people who might be thinking that they could find a better way to spend almost five hundred dollars per year. I’ve got nothing against groomers, but I don’t show my dog, and her haircuts are mostly for maintenance. I might make a few mistakes, but I’m sure I’ll get better with the clippers and my dog doesn’t seem to be embarrassed when we go for walks. If you plan on showing your dog in competitions, I certainly wouldn’t recommend jumping into home grooming the day before a show! It takes some practice, but I think the savings is worth it.
The day after I cancelled the appointment, I started to look for information about how to groom goldendoodles (see videos below). If you don’t know what that is, don’t worry, you aren’t alone. She’s a special blend of golden retriever and standard poodle (those are the big ones). The hair (not fur) that results from that mix grows fast and can be very coarse. In my dog’s case, it is also curly. I was just looking for a nice close cut on the body without anything too fancy on the face, so it wasn’t too hard to find some good tips for a basic cut online. The confusing part came when I had to choose a set of clippers for the job. I will be including affiliate links below, but I only will recommend products I trust myself.
I’ll admit that I was nervous about cutting my dog’s hair at first, but I think she came out of it OK. I didn’t scalp her and she sat still through the whole adventure. The clippers really were very quiet and she never even flinched. I’ve been watching some more grooming videos online, and now I’m actually looking forward to the next time my dog needs a haircut! #ad
Andis UltraEdge Super 2-Speed Detachable Blade Clipper, Professional Animal/Dog Grooming, AGC2 (23275)
Andis ProClip AGC Super 2-Speed Plus Detachable Blade Clipper – Spring Green
How to Groom a Goldendoodle
I was so excited to find these wonderfully helpful videos on Youtube. I’m including them here so you don’t have to search them out yourself. Thank you so much to the talented lady who posted them! Just a note, I after I started using the Andis clippers above, I was amazed by how much quieter they are than the clippers used in the video. I just wanted to mention that in case you have a dog who isn’t fond of loud noises.
Part One (Line brushing your goldendoodle)
Part Two (Start with the dog clippers)
Part Three (Keep at it with the clippers)
Part Four (Finishing up with the clippers)
Part Five (Working on the goldendoodle’s head, ears, and beard)
Part Six (Finishing up)
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