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A5 Clippers : These
clippers are very handy especially for powderpuffs. If later in
time you decide to clip your powderpuff down this clipper will be a
must. It's also quite handy for clipping a hairy hairless down.
Please frequently touch your blades if they are getting hot. Refer to
the manufacturer's care guide.
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Blades : You
may want to slowly build up on different size of blades. #50 is the
closest you can get to all the way to #4 which gives you a longer cut.
Make sure you never clip a dog with dirty hair as it dulls the blades very
quickly.
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Snap-On Clipper Combs
: These little easy to attached combs give you the
liberty to give your dog a longer clip. You have to make sure that
your dog is free of mats, as the comb would get stuck resulting in hair
pulling and probably make your dog uncomfortable.
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Oster Finisher : This
little clipper is handy for the face or the elbows. If you are unsure
and a beginner on how to handle a clipper, and you are somewhat nervous and
it's taking you longer than you would like, just a word of advise,
with this particular model...the blade quickly becomes hot.
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Wella Contura : Well
this is basically "la crème de la crème" as far as small
clippers go. This magic little clipper doesn't vibrate, is practically
noiseless and the blade stays cool forever!...I find that is has made such a
difference in training my puppies to get their face and ears shaved.
They are not as scared and quickly become used to it....this clipper is also
excellent for trimming the hair under your powderpuff pads. It is
somewhat expensive and can be bought throu a costetic distributor...you will
have to sweet talk your hairdresser boys and girls!
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Combs :
This little particular one is not naturally curved but i kept it like this
after it caught in a lawnmover at someone house...I thought I had lost it at
the show :-)....this smaller version I find is nice for the feet.
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Combs : This
is a "Greyhound" comb. I had one last this that lasted me
for at least 13 years until I lost it. You may want to be very careful
in buying cheaper brands. You do not want the coating to be starting
to peel off the teeth. This will results in braking your dogs
coat...hairless or puffs! Greyhound combs are a little more expensive
but I think they will last a lifetime. There is also a "non-static"
version of comb like this that I like quite a bit also. It is of black
color. At the time of taking this picture the comb was picture shy and
nowhere to be found!
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Nail Clipper : There
are different kinds of nail clipper and I find this kind (Guillotine)works
just fine for me. It is wise to frequently change your blades if you
have many little toes to trim! For my puppies I use the rounded
scissor type kind. Nails should be clipped every time they have a bath
which is about every 7 to 10 days here.
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Nail File : This
little tool I find is quite useful to dull out the sharp edges of the nails.
My dogs don't mind and it comes very handy around breakfast and supper time
when they all jumps up and down at the back of my legs all the way down to
their room where they will be fed.
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Scissors : You
will need a good sharp pair for trimming the hair under your powderpuff's
pads or the odd trimming of broken ends. A good thinning shears are a
must to trim the feet. It trims them without giving the chop-chop
look. Like all other "cutting" tools you want to keep your
blades as sharp as possible...remember that a drop usually means a new
sharpening will be in order. Also remember that trimming dirty hair
will dull the blades a lot faster. Not everyone are equipped to
sharpen shears especially thinning shears. It is wise to call to a few
places first or to bring them to a dog show where most of the time someone
experienced has a booth.
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Brushes : Like
the combs, your brushes should be of good quality. My favorite ones
are the #1 All Systems, the Christiansen and of course (not shown) the
fabulous Mason Pearson. One of my dogs was at the show and this is why
it's not shown. All the above brushes have very supple pins. I
think it is very wise to buy a good brush right from the beginning.
Don't buy the biggest size, the smallest works best. I would never use
a slicker brush on my dogs.
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Spray bottle : You
should never never brush or comb your dog when its hair is dry...especially
if you live in a dry climate. This will help to prevent the hair from
braking. A good habit to have. A mix of 1 part conditioner to 3
part of water is usually nice or follow the manufacturer's recommendation.
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Soothing Cream : Sometimes
if your blades are a little dull or if your dog has done a sudden move or
simply because its skin f healing...from sore gums to applying on
wounds this product is very nice!
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Razor & Blades
: Last but not least, I have found that depending on
the degree of hairlessness your dog is, differente razor and blades may be
touch and go for trial for a while. I find the newly Venus works very
nicely on all dogs types (hairy and not so hairy ones)...I have however
found the Mach III to be somewhat too sharp for the ones who have a stronger
hair growth...and overall good rasor that I always used is the Track II.
I never do 2 dogs with the same blade. Sometimes I will even use a
different blade to do the face. Remember that the sharper the blades
are the FEWER rasor cuts you will get.