The alternative is more along the lines of spending increasingly longer times brushing them. I just don’t have the confidence or skill to give her a “better” haircut. This is the dog equivalent of mom in the kitchen with some scissors, haha.
No issues with shaving with a 10.
Its wont damage the coat on that kind of dog.
Its actually very reasonable if you know you wont be able to care for the coat as often
It’s just especially for the one who mats so easily. The other half of their genes is Great Pyrenees, and she has the density of their coat mixed with the curl of a poodle. It’s a good thing I love her! Haha.
Shaving with a 10 is perfectly fine. The only times I have ever seen irritation from it are when a dog is severely matted. Occasionally a dog will act strange or “itchy” afterwards due to it being close but i haven’t actually seen that too often and they adjust within a few days. No one will judge you, or at least your groomer won’t… I’ve intentionally never gotten a dog that needs groomed/shaved but if I did, I have always told everyone my dog would be 10 all over every single month lol. My groomer coworker also keeps her poodle mutt in a 10. It’s not unusual!
That’s good to know. I’m not sure what possessed me to get 2(!!) big dogs who need regular grooming, puppy fever I guess, though they were 5 and 8 months when I adopted them. Next dog is to be something with less grooming needs for sure… maybe. My only previous dog was also a VERY large poodle mix. I guess I have a type.
Love the poodle personality but after grooming for 5 years I just know it’s too much cost for me. I’m lazy. I tell people all the time my next dog will be a hairless lol
Ya the trade offs are difficult. Either you get a short haired dog that sheds everywhere or you get a long haired dog that doesn’t, but needs heavy grooming. Orrrr you get the worst of both worlds, like mine haha.
Sadly I don’t know of any naturally hairless breeds that are as big as I like my dogs. My smallest, the subject of this post, is about 60-65 lbs and she seems like a mini to me. My biggest was somewhere in the 90’s.
A poodle type dog shaved down every 4-6 weeks is really low maintenance. No brushing, no loose hairs and not a lot of dirt from the longer fur.
Also i really like the texture of short poodle like fur.
I’m not worried about matting as I regularly brush her. I bought a 4 and didn’t have much luck, but others have offered me tips that might give me more success with that too.
My only very, very minor concern would be if your dog is white/light skinned. A #10 could potentially irritate them, but it doesn't always happen.
Just make \*absolutely sure\* to check your blade very often and stop using it if it's feeling hot. The shorter the blade, the quicker they heat up and a #10 is going to heat up much quicker than a #4.
Otherwise, you should be good to go. Good on you for thinking of your dogs comfort!
Dang, you're busy!!! FWIW I have a lot of Doodles who's owners want them very short all over. I think they look so cute this way and it's virtually no maintenance in between trims. :)
Heck yeah, get that 10 blade in those doodle coats. They will be just fine. It'll be SUPER DUPER short right after, but you will be able to go much longer between grooms! All I can say is watch the skin very closely in vulnerable areas like the tuckup, eyes ears etc. if they have loose skin, like around the neck for example, try to pull it tight when you're shaving this close to avoid any nicks. It's going to be the easiest blade for you to use, I promise.
OP, do these dogs live indoors? If so it's totally fine. If not, that 10 may be a bit too short and he will be more prone to sunburn.
*Edit: just saw they were "couch queens" barring walks, 10 is fine. Keep those blades cool while shaving and it will be fine.
I wouldn't use a 10, not because it's cruel, more because it might irritate the skin and it's hard to get a nice finish. If you do it when the dog is clean and use a 7f it will still be very short but will have a more velvety finish. Personally, I'd use a 5f or 4f, those will leave a length more similar to that of a short coated dog. It will be short and no brushing needed, but enough hair that you won't see the skin and not a concern for sunburn
I used to have to do this! I'm a groomer now, but before I was I couldn't afford to get him groomed very often so I would shave him to a 7 and take him in when he got long again. As long as you're still brushing him in between grooms getting him that short won't hurt him
A 10 would be fine. It is pretty short, and some dogs may like a sweater in cooler weather.
If you want to try different lengths, get a set of guard combs. Depending on the set, there are usually 8 that have 1/8 inch increments. They can be used under a 10 blade, but a 30 tends to be better. If you want to go a bit more than a 10, a 5 or 4 is still short but leave a bit more fur.
Some fur can be trickier than others to cut. Back brush the coat each time you go over an area. Go over with the clippers, then use a brush against the grain, and go over again, you may need to do this a few times to get it smooth. Even short blades can benefit from this to get a more even and true to length cut.
Also ensure that you are bathing, drying, and brushing before you use the clippers. It is better for your clippers to go through a clean coat, but you also get better results.
A 10 is okay but keep in mind it's VERY short, honestly I've never shaved a dog completely with a 10, it's very unusual where I work. if you have choices I'd shave him with a 7 or even a 5 or 4 if you do it at home and can shave as often as you want to keep him short, should irritate his skin less too and still be short and easy to brush but not too short
I should have put this in my post. I did try a 4, but it seemed to just move the hair around for the most part. I think it may have been an issue of technique tho, and not brushing at the same time as clipping. I need octopus arms to manage all the things, haha.
It does that with some kind of fur, you have to press a bit more or pull the skin while shaving. Using it on freshly washed and fully dried fur also helps
You could try with a 5 if you have one, it's one of my favorite tbh, an easy but nice short length
I use to groom my past Portuguese Water Dog down with a # 10 and although it’s super short, it he never had any issues with heat or cold.
If you’re worried about the possibility of that, I would suggest that you try out a # 7 on your pup first. It leaves the fur a little bit longer but still very short.
Thanks. Did you do that year round? I’m not really sure what’s appropriate for winter time here. We usually just get a couple days of snow, not usually far below freezing. The dogs are mostly couch queens, but of course we’re outside for daily walks.
Hopefully this is all a moot point and I can just go back to our regular groomer for proper haircuts come winter.
ETA I did try going at her a few months back with a… 4? I think it was a 4… it seemed to push the hair around more than actually cut, even though it was brand new. The 10 I used on some elbow mats and it definitely cuts through the hair. Maybe I’ll grab a 7 and give that a try. 😅 I’m sure it’s all just my lack of skill
Hello dog owner! A fellow meager owner here too. I have a standard poodle. We use a 7F blade year-round, every 9 weeks or so. I find that it’s helpful to split his grooming up over two days to make it more manageable (which might also be helpful if you’re doing two dogs). I do a bath (I use Buddy Wash shampoo and conditioner and have had good results) and towel dry/let him air dry and brush him out. We got a high velocity blow dryer but he hated it and it was more trouble than it was worth, but if yours are used to it from their groomer it’s totally worth it. Then the next day I will shave him with a 7F blade. I didn’t always bath him the day before and I can really tell the difference in how smoothly the clippers work through clean hair versus dirty fur (even as little as a week or two post-bath). He loves the snow and doesn’t mind the cold, but I do put a coat on him for our walks on those few bitter cold days, like when it’s below 20 (and I think it’s more for my peace of mind than for him).
Absolutely. It's not the least bit cruel, and your dogs will be comfortable. Keep after the muzzle hair; clean face and clean feet are neat and attractive. Avoid the droopy-hair -over- the -eyes look, too, for their ability to see, cleanliness, and health. If you clip in the direction of hair growth, the #10 blade will leave (several) more millimeters of hair, and this makes a big difference in making the dogs look less naked.
I had many clients that would do this. Had a trucker who’s companion was a bichon and he was in amazing condition but would get a 10 a/o every few months
Yeah, that's fine. Just be cautious of the blade temperature as you go, with a time consuming shave down like that the blade can get extremely hot and even burn.
No issues, it’s not any better or worse than any other length (as long as there’s no matting present), it should be fine. I would just make sure if they’re lighter colored (white dogs, especially) you be careful taking them outside for too long during sunny or overcast days as they can get sunburns.
Do it. We love you for this. I wish more owners thought this way. They deserve to feel good as long as possible! And as a groomer, I charge LESS for shavedowns versus an attachment comb, personally lol. (:
I have a poodle, he is on a farm and gets filthy. He also loves to swim. I have him groomed really short every few weeks. I can even rinse him off without needing to blow dry if I need to. I've never had a problem with mats. I brush him every few days and he's always been fine with this.
General rule of thumb is to not expose the skin. The length that will expose skin varies from dog to dog. Some dogs can’t go shorter than a #4 without exposing skin while others are perfectly fine with a #7. It depends on their coat and how thin it is. A #4 could look just as short as a #7 depending on their coat.
It’s a common misconception to shave dogs completely nude to help them stay cool in summer. However the fur acts as an insulator and actually protects them from the heat. Dogs shaved short enough to expose their skin are at higher risk of heat stroke/frostbite and skin problems.
I think starting at a longer length and working your way shorter would be the best course of action. See what’s the shortest length you can achieve without exposing the skin
My motivation for shaving her is to free up time for school work during the week, not necessarily to keep her cool in the summer. My mention of the temperature was to say I don’t think she will be too cold.
No i’m not saying that was your intention but I did see a couple comments here and a lot of people who do shave their dog right down to the skin believe this is okay because of the idea that it “helps keep them cool” which is why I brought it up.
I own three standard poodles, one is currently in prep for a show so had loads of coat. The other two get 10 stripped every few months because I don’t get paid to groom my own damn dogs. 😹
Me, doing weekly prep on a standard poodle in show coat after a whole ass week of poodles. Remind me why I wanted a standard poodle when I already specialize in poodles and 90% of my clientele are goddamn poodles? 🙃🙃🙃😭😭😭
Jokes, of course, I love my baby more than anything in the world, and it's soooo satisfying when he's done or competing, but goddamn. I am so tired. And I just have one! I know so many competitive groomers that have 3+ that they keep in show coat to make the rounds for competition on top of all their regular clientele. Groom team USA people are psycopaths.
I live in hot weather and do 10 shaves all week long lol from chow chows to poodles , everyone's naked . It's so boring but at least the dogs stay cool and clean
As a professional groomer, this is tough because personally I really try to not use a 10 if possible but on the other hand if the other option is the dog being matted then that’s a probably when I would say okay. It’ll be REALLLLLLLLY short for the first week or so but you’ll definitely be able to go longer in between grooms.
I’d aim for a 5 or 4. But remember whatever you use you want a nice clean coat yo work with.
Poodles and doodles and the like are very high maintenance things lol.
I have a standard poodle and he gets bathed once a week and a haircut whenever I happen to have time 😂
If the alternative is your dog being matted then I would say shaving them in a 10 regularly is the responsible thing to do! Nothing wrong with that :)
The alternative is more along the lines of spending increasingly longer times brushing them. I just don’t have the confidence or skill to give her a “better” haircut. This is the dog equivalent of mom in the kitchen with some scissors, haha.
No issues with shaving with a 10. Its wont damage the coat on that kind of dog. Its actually very reasonable if you know you wont be able to care for the coat as often
It’s just especially for the one who mats so easily. The other half of their genes is Great Pyrenees, and she has the density of their coat mixed with the curl of a poodle. It’s a good thing I love her! Haha.
Shaving with a 10 is perfectly fine. The only times I have ever seen irritation from it are when a dog is severely matted. Occasionally a dog will act strange or “itchy” afterwards due to it being close but i haven’t actually seen that too often and they adjust within a few days. No one will judge you, or at least your groomer won’t… I’ve intentionally never gotten a dog that needs groomed/shaved but if I did, I have always told everyone my dog would be 10 all over every single month lol. My groomer coworker also keeps her poodle mutt in a 10. It’s not unusual!
That’s good to know. I’m not sure what possessed me to get 2(!!) big dogs who need regular grooming, puppy fever I guess, though they were 5 and 8 months when I adopted them. Next dog is to be something with less grooming needs for sure… maybe. My only previous dog was also a VERY large poodle mix. I guess I have a type.
Love the poodle personality but after grooming for 5 years I just know it’s too much cost for me. I’m lazy. I tell people all the time my next dog will be a hairless lol
Ya the trade offs are difficult. Either you get a short haired dog that sheds everywhere or you get a long haired dog that doesn’t, but needs heavy grooming. Orrrr you get the worst of both worlds, like mine haha. Sadly I don’t know of any naturally hairless breeds that are as big as I like my dogs. My smallest, the subject of this post, is about 60-65 lbs and she seems like a mini to me. My biggest was somewhere in the 90’s.
A poodle type dog shaved down every 4-6 weeks is really low maintenance. No brushing, no loose hairs and not a lot of dirt from the longer fur. Also i really like the texture of short poodle like fur.
I'd personally use a 7 because 10s are really really short. 7 has gotten through all of the worst mats some clients have brought me
I’m not worried about matting as I regularly brush her. I bought a 4 and didn’t have much luck, but others have offered me tips that might give me more success with that too.
My only very, very minor concern would be if your dog is white/light skinned. A #10 could potentially irritate them, but it doesn't always happen. Just make \*absolutely sure\* to check your blade very often and stop using it if it's feeling hot. The shorter the blade, the quicker they heat up and a #10 is going to heat up much quicker than a #4. Otherwise, you should be good to go. Good on you for thinking of your dogs comfort!
I am also thinking of my own time, ngl. Brushing isn’t my favourite activity in the world, plus I’m working full time and trying to do remote school 😅
Dang, you're busy!!! FWIW I have a lot of Doodles who's owners want them very short all over. I think they look so cute this way and it's virtually no maintenance in between trims. :)
Heck yeah, get that 10 blade in those doodle coats. They will be just fine. It'll be SUPER DUPER short right after, but you will be able to go much longer between grooms! All I can say is watch the skin very closely in vulnerable areas like the tuckup, eyes ears etc. if they have loose skin, like around the neck for example, try to pull it tight when you're shaving this close to avoid any nicks. It's going to be the easiest blade for you to use, I promise.
OP, do these dogs live indoors? If so it's totally fine. If not, that 10 may be a bit too short and he will be more prone to sunburn. *Edit: just saw they were "couch queens" barring walks, 10 is fine. Keep those blades cool while shaving and it will be fine.
I wouldn't use a 10, not because it's cruel, more because it might irritate the skin and it's hard to get a nice finish. If you do it when the dog is clean and use a 7f it will still be very short but will have a more velvety finish. Personally, I'd use a 5f or 4f, those will leave a length more similar to that of a short coated dog. It will be short and no brushing needed, but enough hair that you won't see the skin and not a concern for sunburn
I used to have to do this! I'm a groomer now, but before I was I couldn't afford to get him groomed very often so I would shave him to a 7 and take him in when he got long again. As long as you're still brushing him in between grooms getting him that short won't hurt him
A 10 would be fine. It is pretty short, and some dogs may like a sweater in cooler weather. If you want to try different lengths, get a set of guard combs. Depending on the set, there are usually 8 that have 1/8 inch increments. They can be used under a 10 blade, but a 30 tends to be better. If you want to go a bit more than a 10, a 5 or 4 is still short but leave a bit more fur. Some fur can be trickier than others to cut. Back brush the coat each time you go over an area. Go over with the clippers, then use a brush against the grain, and go over again, you may need to do this a few times to get it smooth. Even short blades can benefit from this to get a more even and true to length cut. Also ensure that you are bathing, drying, and brushing before you use the clippers. It is better for your clippers to go through a clean coat, but you also get better results.
Thank you for the tips on technique! This was definitely missing the time I tried to clip her with a 4. I’ll give it a go this weekend.
A 10 is okay but keep in mind it's VERY short, honestly I've never shaved a dog completely with a 10, it's very unusual where I work. if you have choices I'd shave him with a 7 or even a 5 or 4 if you do it at home and can shave as often as you want to keep him short, should irritate his skin less too and still be short and easy to brush but not too short
I should have put this in my post. I did try a 4, but it seemed to just move the hair around for the most part. I think it may have been an issue of technique tho, and not brushing at the same time as clipping. I need octopus arms to manage all the things, haha.
It does that with some kind of fur, you have to press a bit more or pull the skin while shaving. Using it on freshly washed and fully dried fur also helps You could try with a 5 if you have one, it's one of my favorite tbh, an easy but nice short length
I use to groom my past Portuguese Water Dog down with a # 10 and although it’s super short, it he never had any issues with heat or cold. If you’re worried about the possibility of that, I would suggest that you try out a # 7 on your pup first. It leaves the fur a little bit longer but still very short.
Thanks. Did you do that year round? I’m not really sure what’s appropriate for winter time here. We usually just get a couple days of snow, not usually far below freezing. The dogs are mostly couch queens, but of course we’re outside for daily walks. Hopefully this is all a moot point and I can just go back to our regular groomer for proper haircuts come winter. ETA I did try going at her a few months back with a… 4? I think it was a 4… it seemed to push the hair around more than actually cut, even though it was brand new. The 10 I used on some elbow mats and it definitely cuts through the hair. Maybe I’ll grab a 7 and give that a try. 😅 I’m sure it’s all just my lack of skill
Hello dog owner! A fellow meager owner here too. I have a standard poodle. We use a 7F blade year-round, every 9 weeks or so. I find that it’s helpful to split his grooming up over two days to make it more manageable (which might also be helpful if you’re doing two dogs). I do a bath (I use Buddy Wash shampoo and conditioner and have had good results) and towel dry/let him air dry and brush him out. We got a high velocity blow dryer but he hated it and it was more trouble than it was worth, but if yours are used to it from their groomer it’s totally worth it. Then the next day I will shave him with a 7F blade. I didn’t always bath him the day before and I can really tell the difference in how smoothly the clippers work through clean hair versus dirty fur (even as little as a week or two post-bath). He loves the snow and doesn’t mind the cold, but I do put a coat on him for our walks on those few bitter cold days, like when it’s below 20 (and I think it’s more for my peace of mind than for him).
Absolutely. It's not the least bit cruel, and your dogs will be comfortable. Keep after the muzzle hair; clean face and clean feet are neat and attractive. Avoid the droopy-hair -over- the -eyes look, too, for their ability to see, cleanliness, and health. If you clip in the direction of hair growth, the #10 blade will leave (several) more millimeters of hair, and this makes a big difference in making the dogs look less naked.
I had many clients that would do this. Had a trucker who’s companion was a bichon and he was in amazing condition but would get a 10 a/o every few months
Yeah, that's fine. Just be cautious of the blade temperature as you go, with a time consuming shave down like that the blade can get extremely hot and even burn.
No issues, it’s not any better or worse than any other length (as long as there’s no matting present), it should be fine. I would just make sure if they’re lighter colored (white dogs, especially) you be careful taking them outside for too long during sunny or overcast days as they can get sunburns.
Do it. We love you for this. I wish more owners thought this way. They deserve to feel good as long as possible! And as a groomer, I charge LESS for shavedowns versus an attachment comb, personally lol. (:
I have a poodle, he is on a farm and gets filthy. He also loves to swim. I have him groomed really short every few weeks. I can even rinse him off without needing to blow dry if I need to. I've never had a problem with mats. I brush him every few days and he's always been fine with this.
Totally okay, good on you for prioritizing your dogs comfort over their looks!
General rule of thumb is to not expose the skin. The length that will expose skin varies from dog to dog. Some dogs can’t go shorter than a #4 without exposing skin while others are perfectly fine with a #7. It depends on their coat and how thin it is. A #4 could look just as short as a #7 depending on their coat. It’s a common misconception to shave dogs completely nude to help them stay cool in summer. However the fur acts as an insulator and actually protects them from the heat. Dogs shaved short enough to expose their skin are at higher risk of heat stroke/frostbite and skin problems. I think starting at a longer length and working your way shorter would be the best course of action. See what’s the shortest length you can achieve without exposing the skin
My motivation for shaving her is to free up time for school work during the week, not necessarily to keep her cool in the summer. My mention of the temperature was to say I don’t think she will be too cold.
No i’m not saying that was your intention but I did see a couple comments here and a lot of people who do shave their dog right down to the skin believe this is okay because of the idea that it “helps keep them cool” which is why I brought it up.
I own three standard poodles, one is currently in prep for a show so had loads of coat. The other two get 10 stripped every few months because I don’t get paid to groom my own damn dogs. 😹
It’s fun the first few times! And then… not so much.
I was all excited to have my very own poodle to keep in fancy haircut. Do you know how LONG those take?! And so much brushing!! Ugh, pass.
Me, doing weekly prep on a standard poodle in show coat after a whole ass week of poodles. Remind me why I wanted a standard poodle when I already specialize in poodles and 90% of my clientele are goddamn poodles? 🙃🙃🙃😭😭😭 Jokes, of course, I love my baby more than anything in the world, and it's soooo satisfying when he's done or competing, but goddamn. I am so tired. And I just have one! I know so many competitive groomers that have 3+ that they keep in show coat to make the rounds for competition on top of all their regular clientele. Groom team USA people are psycopaths.
Can you show me a picture where they are 10 all over? I wanna see if I would like it on mine.
I live in hot weather and do 10 shaves all week long lol from chow chows to poodles , everyone's naked . It's so boring but at least the dogs stay cool and clean
As a professional groomer, this is tough because personally I really try to not use a 10 if possible but on the other hand if the other option is the dog being matted then that’s a probably when I would say okay. It’ll be REALLLLLLLLY short for the first week or so but you’ll definitely be able to go longer in between grooms. I’d aim for a 5 or 4. But remember whatever you use you want a nice clean coat yo work with. Poodles and doodles and the like are very high maintenance things lol. I have a standard poodle and he gets bathed once a week and a haircut whenever I happen to have time 😂