# 1st time at home trim



## Lilly's Mommy (Apr 28, 2011)

Hi everyone,

I need your advice. I've decided to try (maybe) to trim Lily myself this time. She already has the cut I want but I want to trim her up for the summer. She's longer than I wanted, but I didn't want her too short before her pictures. I'm going to let the vet cut her nails, because their black and I'm scared I'll hit the quick. Sooo do you think an amateur can handle a basic trim? Any tips for me? I added some pictures from her recent photo shoot :innocent: so you can see how long she is right now.


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## Lilly's Mommy (Apr 28, 2011)

Sorry,this one didn't attach the first time....


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

I've never attempted to cut my fluffs, myself, but if you feel comfortable then I say go for it! we'll be waiting for pictures! Lily is a cutie!


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Just anticipate a few bad haircuts while you get the hang of it. It is just hair and it grows back.


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Hi Blaire, it is nice to see you and Lily again. The picture of Lily is just adorable. 

Do you have clippers with a long blade and good sharp shears? the cut I gave MiMi is really easy to do and easy to maintain. You basically just cut the body with clippers and then just trim the head and feet with scissors.

Here's a picture....


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## tobysmom (Jan 1, 2011)

Lilly's Mommy said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I need your advice. I've decided to try (maybe) to trim Lily myself this time. She already has the cut I want but I want to trim her up for the summer. She's longer than I wanted, but I didn't want her too short before her pictures. I'm going to let the vet cut her nails, because their black and I'm scared I'll hit the quick. Sooo do you think an amateur can handle a basic trim? Any tips for me? I added some pictures from her recent photo shoot :innocent: so you can see how long she is right now.


For sure. I am a very amateur, non-committal, uncreative type person and did just fine. My first set of clippers were some $50 wahl ones because i didn't know if i would stick with clipping. But know the first couple cuts you do are not going to look very pretty.

It's pretty simple though. Just go to the youtube wahl channel and they show dog clipping videos.

Then wash your dog, blow dry, put him/her somewhere where they can't get away (i use an ironing board), and then just clip the way they do on the video. Mine have gotten better with every cut, i'm on cut #6 now and it actually looks pretty good, but the first 2 were ...lol, interesting and it's good my dog didn't know what he looked like.

People say get a great pair of scissors but unless you know you're definitely going to continue clipping your dog, i would start with a less expensive pair, tweezerman makes good hair scissors, i like my revlon hair cutting scissors the best.

the wahl pro-series dog clippers are $45-50 on amazon, they're light and can be used cordless, definitely the best less expensive clippers there are. and the clippers that get the most recs here are Andis single or double speed clippers, amazon and ebay have good prices on those, those are about $100-150. (i have the single speed, it's good).

But watch some wahl youtube videos, they're good.

another tip: when you get your clippers, if you're dog is nervous about noises, just let her get used to them bit by bit. I used to just hold them in my hand while they were turned on and fed him treats, that sort of thing.

My gosh, i have saved soooo much money grooming my dog myself and my dog is only 2! I still go to the groomers, maybe every 3rd or 4th cut.


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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Lily is sooo cute! She looks like a Coton :wub:




tobysmom said:


> It's pretty simple though. Just go to the youtube wahl channel and they show dog clipping videos.
> 
> My gosh, i have saved soooo much money grooming my dog myself and my dog is only 2! I still go to the groomers, maybe every 3rd or 4th cut.


Thank you for all your tips--these will help me groom Zooey better :thumbsup:


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## Madison's Mom (Dec 26, 2007)

I've started trimming my three myself, too. They are far from perfect, but I think they look pretty good for an amateur! I actually got 8 of 12 paws of nails clipped yesterday...a first! Trimming nails is scary for me! (Axel was not cooperative yesterday!)

Professional grooming my three costs about $150.00 each trip. I really enjoying doing it myself and I've already saved a ton of money!


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## Lilly's Mommy (Apr 28, 2011)

Hi Sylie  So, a friend gave me some andis pet clippers(don't know if that's a good or bad brand). There are some sharp scissors in the kit but how do I know how long the clipper's blade is?


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## Lilly's Mommy (Apr 28, 2011)

zooeysmom said:


> Lily is sooo cute! She looks like a Coton :wub:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks! A while ago someone (either on here or somewhere else) mentioned that she looked like a Coton. So my husband and I looked up that breed and we were shocked how much she does act & look like the Cotons.:huh:


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

I have been giving my dogs haircuts for something like 20 years. Still it takes 3 or 4 days to keep perfecting. I started Ray five days ago and he still isn't finished. I don't know what to tell you, except that you have to start somewhere. It is nice to take your fluff to a groomer...if you have a good groomer. If not, you learn as you go...you spend a lot of time. In the end, it is very gratifying to groom your baby....hard, but so gratifying.


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## Lilly's Mommy (Apr 28, 2011)

tobysmom said:


> For sure. I am a very amateur, non-committal, uncreative type person and did just fine. My first set of clippers were some $50 wahl ones because i didn't know if i would stick with clipping. But know the first couple cuts you do are not going to look very pretty.
> 
> It's pretty simple though. Just go to the youtube wahl channel and they show dog clipping videos.
> 
> ...



THANKS! :aktion033: Your suggestions were awesome. I seriously have to copy and paste them to my grooming file so I can make sure I follow things step by step. I didn't even think about using clippers for the actual cut. I always imagined that clippers were just for shaving them down or doing their stomach and the rest was done with scissors...I want to at least try it once and if it doesn't go so well its okay because it cant be any worse than when the groomer shaved her that first time we went!


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Lilly's Mommy said:


> Thanks! A while ago someone (either on here or somewhere else) mentioned that she looked like a Coton. So my husband and I looked up that breed and we were shocked how much she does act & look like the Cotons.:huh:


My Ray is a coton, and I agree that Lilly looks very much like a coton. They are wonderful little creatures...goofy, loving , silly and adorable...so if that's what Lilly has going...Yay. But, whatever Lilly has in her pedigree, she is one absolutely adorable little girl.


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## StevieB (Feb 2, 2012)

Lilly's Mommy said:


> Hi Sylie  So, a friend gave me some andis pet clippers(don't know if that's a good or bad brand). There are some sharp scissors in the kit but how do I know how long the clipper's blade is?


Hey Blaire! I just bought the Andis clippers this week, and gave my boy a haircut for the first time (my first time clipping, not his). I started with the 3/4" clip on comb attachment (I think that's the No. 6), and shaved in the direction of the hair. It actually took hardly anything off (and his hair was a good 2" long) so I shaved in the opposite direction of the hair and more came off, now it's maybe 1" long. I only clipped his neck and body, left the legs and tail long, then I used scissors on his head, cut the hair around his face in a rounded off style. I didn't butcher him too bad at all and he actually looks pretty cute! I've been meaning to post a pic but I haven't been able to get a good one yet. Anyway, it was so much easier than I thought, so go for it! If I can do it you can do it! It's just hair! I also got the thinning shears but I haven't quite figured out how to use those yet. Good luck and post pix!


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## tobysmom (Jan 1, 2011)

Lilly's Mommy said:


> THANKS! :aktion033: Your suggestions were awesome. I seriously have to copy and paste them to my grooming file so I can make sure I follow things step by step. I didn't even think about using clippers for the actual cut. I always imagined that clippers were just for shaving them down or doing their stomach and the rest was done with scissors...I want to at least try it once and if it doesn't go so well its okay because it cant be any worse than when the groomer shaved her that first time we went!


my pleasure! : ).

yeah, you can use longer blades or wahl stainless steel combs to do a coat to any length, not just for shaving. I use a #4 (1/4 inch) or #5 (3/8 inch) for a short puppy cut. This link has a chart at the bottom that lists blades and length. Most clippers come with snap on combs of different sizes.

Clipper Blade Usage Guide | PetEdge.com


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