OK moms. I have an Akita. With the way the economy is, I cant afford to take her to a groomer and have her shaved. I would like to do this myself, but I need a good clipper. I'm not going to do any fancy designs, or anything. I just need plane jane clippers. I just want to shave her down for the summer. What have y'all used, or recommend??? ( PS..... Akita's have a triple coat, so these need to be able to handle this. Like clipping a sheep. )
M.,
You will need clippers that are heavy duty. I bought the Oster brand. I believe it was the mid range to upper price at
Target. I had a chow with a triple coat. I know what it is like.
Have a great day,
Danabeth
I would look for a "professional" set of clippers. (Sally's Beauty Supply?) It will have the "engine" power to handle the job. I would use the inch guard so she will not get a sunburn. I would research which different brands are the best. I have a pair of Wahl I bought from Wal-Mart but have used it on my kids. It does a good job on the bounciest of things. I would think you may need more torque than those. Good luck!
I am not sure where you live but Muddy Buddy on 2920 has a self service Dog Wash. They rent their stations for exactly the reason you are talking about. With the economy the way it is, they have seen a decline in sales and thought that they could rent their stations and let you, the owner do it. I read the article recently because my grandma takes her little dog their, she does the full service.
Anywho, its a thought: http://www.muddybuddydogwash.com/
Good luck!
I'm not sure about the shaving, either. Can dogs sunburn? I have a very fluffy border collie mix with fur like you describe. We do the Furminator - you will be amazed how much of the undercoat this gets without really changing the look of your dog. My dog feels so good when she's done - she just zooms around with her tail wagging.
I am a dog groomer and the Super 2 speed Andis clippers are the best. Around $130 A #7 blade is what you will need to get through the coat. As stated the coat is an insulator but shave if the hair is matted. The furminator is good too.
Please reconsider shaving your dog. You can actually do the dog harm by removing the coat. A dog's coat is like the insulation in your home, not only does it keep your house warm in the winter, it keeps your house cool in the summer.
I recommend that you purchase a Furminator brush and brush your dog with it on a regular basis. The brush will help to remove the hair when your dog blows coat but keeps the fur that needs to stay in place.
I used to have a pair of Oster clippers but I bought it from a stable and they ran about $100 quite a few yrs. ago already. Reg. brand from Wal-Mart is not going to work on an Akita's coat (by the way do you realize that clipping the fur will actually make the dog hotter). The only reason for really clipping down a dog with long or thick fur is if it's matted (that's when the dog gets hot). If the coat is not matted you shouldn't clip him.
Oster clippers. I work with horses, and body clip several. THE WHOLE HORSE. These can take it!
We use the Oster Golden A5 clippers for our shepard/chow mix that has a very heavy coat. Ours came with a size 10 blade. I bought it off the internet from Household Appliance Service Company in Niles, IL, back in 2004 for $116.95. We have been very happy with these clippers - they are wonderful! I tried to get one cheaper on ebay at the time, but the winning bids for new and used clippers were going higher than the price for a new one from Household Appliance. We usually shave our dog three to four times a year as she gets so hot here in Texas. Good luck!
just go to walmart and pick up a pair of clippers in the pet section.. they work just as well as those groomers ( i'm going to get me some, the pair i have is just regular human clippers)
Go to a GOOD pet supple or maybe even a farm supply and see wheat they use and recommend. My off hand guess is that it will run you about $100. Maybe sheep shears?
