I bought nice pair a wahl dog clippers today and starting clipping the hairy mutt for the summer to keep him from shedding all over the place. I filled up two grcery bags just from his neck and back, but how the hell do you trim his tail? he is a border collie mix breed with a huge 8"+ wide 'fan' tail and its hard to clip even. should i start with scissors first?

4/6/2008 1:14:50 PM

We use scissors for the tail

4/6/2008 1:59:19 PM

i've always done my 2 dogs' (border collie & australian shepherd mixes) tails with scissors. it's tough to get them to stay still but i usually just sit on the deck w/ them and pet them until they're really relaxed. the one time i tried to use clippers was the last time...moving dog + a powered trimming device =

4/7/2008 8:26:17 AM

Well, first of all, make sure the tail is well brushed and combed out. Take the tail in your non-scissor hand, and pull it out away from the dog - find the center part of the tail and part the hair on either side. Hold the tail towards the end and take your scissors and cut the hair from the end of the tail towards the base. Shake gently after the first cuts and even up the rest. What I like to do on furry dog tails that are attached to a shaved dog is to also shave the base of the tail an inch or two to get clean up the area around the rear end, then you can scissor around the end to neaten up stray hairs.

4/7/2008 9:51:50 AM

^ I should have also prefaced that I'm a professional dog groomer (c;

4/7/2008 9:54:53 AM

can you use human clippers on dogs?

4/7/2008 11:02:22 AM

instead of hair clippers?

(sorry, had to say it )

I wouldn't see why not, but, im not the professional.

4/7/2008 11:18:17 AM

It wouldn't be ideal to use human hair clippers on animals just because of the fact that animal hair is much denser than human hair and will burn out the clippers really fast. Andis, Wahl and Oster make several models for animal use that you can get in your local Petsmart or Petco, and you can find even better deals on ebay. You just have to be sure that you oil your blades regularly so that they don't get worn and hot, change them often and use good safety measures to make sure you don't injure the dog.

4/7/2008 1:26:53 PM

i figure buying a set of clippers is going to be cheaper in the long run over the 80 bucks a pop it costs me to get my dog groomed at a grooming place.

unless the wheezer can hook a brotha up...

4/7/2008 1:30:46 PM

PM me and I might be able to help (c;

4/7/2008 2:19:47 PM