Best Dog Hair Clippers For German Shepherds

Best Dog Hair Clippers For German Shepherds

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In this guide we list and discuss the best dog clippers for a German Shepherd.

We’ve already noted elsewhere on the site that it’s not the best idea to shave your German Shepherd for a number of health, safety and aesthetic related reasons. You can seriously wreck their undercoat and top coat.

But, there might be other reasons you need clippers such as for surface level touch ups or for medical reasons approved by your dog’s vet.

In this case, this guide will be helpful to you.

Let’s take a look at the options!

 

(NOTE: this is a general information guide only, and is not professional advice, or a substitute for professional advice. A qualified vet or animal expert is the only person qualified to give you expert advice in regards to your pet/s)

(*Friendly Disclosure – links to retailers or brands on this page may include affiliate links, and we may receive a commission when you purchase through these links)

 

*Additional Note: before buying a corded or cordless clipper, please consider the skill, competency and knowledge required to adequately and safely groom a dog with clippers.

Strongly consider employing a professional animal groomer to do it if you are uncertain or not confident with what you are doing

 

Best Dog Hair Clippers For A German Shepherd

Our top picks for the best hair clippers for a German Shepherd are:

 

Some other popular or commonly used clippers that might draw more mixed reviews, or varying experiences using them might include the:

 

If you’d like to check out other pet hair clipper options, including cordless clippers but also other corded clipper brands and models, you may like to read this guide:

Best Dog Hair Grooming Clippers: Complete Guide

 

Best Dog Clippers For A German Shepherd: Reviews

You can see reviews of some of the above clippers here:

oneisall Dog Shaver Clippers Review Guide

Andis ProClip AGC2 Professional 2 Speed Dog Clippers Review Guide

 

Best Dog Clippers For A German Shepherd: Buyer’s Guide

What Are Dog Clippers Usually Used For?

To clip, trim, shave and touch up a dog’s hair.

They can also be used to remove hair for medical reasons such as to get rid of infested hair, or to remove hair for application of a cream for example.

They may be used on the face/ears, legs/feet, tail or on a whole body shave.

 

Which Breeds Receive Dog Clipper Grooming Most Commonly?

Breeds such as poodles, terriers, spaniels with heavier hair.

And breeds such as Labradors, Cavaliers, Shih Tzus and Malteses with medium to finer hair.

 

Do German Shepherds Need To Be Shaved?

If they are healthy and there’s no specific medical reason to, then generally no.

German Shepherds are a double coat breed that usually need their coat for different reasons in both the winter and summer.

You can read more about the impact of shaving a double coat breed in this guide.

 

My German Shepherd Sheds A lot – What Do I Do Instead Of Shaving Them?

We wrote a guide about the best german shepherd shedding solutions.

In that guide we mention that you can brush your GSD to remove loose hairs, and use a good pet hair vacuum and lint rollers/pet hair removers to pick up and clean dog hairs around the house and in your car (+ on your clothes.

But, in general, a good way to minimise shedding in the summer months might be:

Wash your GSD (washing not only gets rid of loose hairs, but softens up the hairs for brushing). Just be careful not to wash too much or you can remove the natural oils in your dog’s coat. 

Brush your GSD. Using a dematting comb, deshedding tool and slicker brush on your GSD a few days a week, and right after you’ve given them a bath, can do wonders for removing loose hairs.

Blow out the undercoat. Usually you have to go to a professional groomer for this. They will use a dog blowing machine and blow out all the undercoat hairs

Dog grooming scissors. This one is more so for looks, but you can use dog grooming scissors instead of clippers to get rid of any unwanted stray hairs

 

Which Dog Clipper Blades To Get For Cutting A German Shepherd?

The clipper choice is important, but so is the clipper blade or comb choice.

Some blade manufacturers may tell you what blades or combs to use on different breeds in the product description, blade charts or individual breed grooming guides.

Two examples are:

Specifically for a GSD, Andis blades and combs you might use (on an Andis detachable blade clipper), according to their blade chart, are:

Body, Sides, Back, Tail –  7, 7FC to 4, 4FC, Combs

Head – 8½

Ears, Throat, Cheeks – 10

 

According to Oster’s Canine blade chart, Oster detachable blades you might use on a GSD are:

Body and tail – 7F, 5F, 4F, 3F

Head, neck and ears with lay of coat – 10

Legs, chest, beard, eye brows – 30 with 3/4″ or 1″ UC*

 

Wahl vs Oster vs Andis Dog Hair Clipper Blades & Combs

You can read more about the different Wahl, Oster and Andis blades and clipper combs here:

Best Pet Clipper Blades and Combs

 

How To Cut & Groom A German Shepherd Terrier?

One thing to do to learn how to cut a specific breed of dog is to type into Google ‘[Dog Breed Name] Clipping Guide’.

So, for example, ‘German Shepherd Clipping Guide’.

Another good search might be ‘How To Cut A [Dog Breed Name] With Clippers’.

So, ‘How To Cut A German Shepherd With Clippers’.

You can read different guides and watch videos.

Note that different different dogs can have different cuts for different styles or looks.

You might do a general cut, or a show cut for example.

But, there are many other cut styles as well depending on the breed.

If you don’t know what you’re doing when it comes to cutting, it’s best to go to a professional groomer.

Definitely stay away from doing anything like completely shaving off your dog’s fur unless medically advised to do so (especially if they have a double coat as it can permanently ruin the coat), or anything else which can negatively impact the dog’s health or well being.

It’s also important to watch out for matting and knots in the fur (using a de-matting comb before clipping can be helpful or using a high power/high torque clipper to get through the knots), and things like skin tags that might get caught in the clipper blades.

Clipper combs, and grooming scissors are often used to cut and finish off cuts when grooming as well.

 

How To Find Out What Each Dog Clipper Blade and Clipper Comb Does?

Good dog clipper brands should have a ‘blade chart’ that tells you what length each blade cuts to, what parts of the dog’s body to use them on, what type of fur to use them on, and which breeds to use them on.

For example, you might search for the ‘Andis blade chart’ to see what each Andis detachable blade or comb is capable of doing.

You can also refer to the individual blade or comb product description to see what the blade or comb is used for.

 

Compatibility Of Dog Clipper Blades & Combs 

Different clippers are going to be compatible with different blades.

Read the clipper product description for the types of blades that come with, and work with that clipper.

For example, right now the Andis AGC2 is compatible with Andis detachable blades like the CeramicEdge and UltraEdge, but also the Oster A5 blades.

Most detachable blade clippers are compatible with universal clipper comb sets like the ones offered by Wahl.

This might change from model to model though – so confirm compatibility at your time of purchase.

 

Cutting Dog Hair On Different Parts Of The Body

You usually use a finer clipper blade on the face, ears, paws, sanitary areas and tail – these are considered touch up or lighter cutting areas. For example, you might use an Andis #10 blade on the face and ears

You usually use a broader teeth blade on the body and legs. For example, you might use a 7 or 7FC blade on the body

 

Refer to the blade chart for blades and combs to use on different parts of the body.

For example, for all breeds and mixed breeds where Andis haven’t identified that breed elsewhere in their blade chart, they suggest considering the following blades for the following body parts and coat types:

Sanitary Prep – 10

Pads – 15 to 5 /8″ Wide

Body, Slightly Matted – 5, 5FC

Body, Very Matted – 7, 7FC

Body, Very Heavy Coats – 7

Legs – 3¾FC, 5 /8″HT, ¾”HT, Combs or Scissor

Feet (Except Poodle), Beards, Mustaches, Furnishings –  Combs or Scissor

 

Cutting Different Types Of Dog Hair

Dog hair can come in all types, lengths and thicknesses.

It can be fine, short, thin, curly, straight, coarse, matted, thick and even double coat (vs a single coat).

Refer to the blade chart for blades and combs to use on different parts of the body.

Two examples are

Andis’ 7 & 7FC detachable blades might work well on very matted hair

Oster’s Size 3 Skiptooth and Size 5 Skiptooth blades might work well on curly hair

 

Light vs Heavy Duty Dog Hair Cutting

You can already see that clipper blade choice is important for light and heavy duty dog hair clipping.

But, the clipper is important too.

The clipper product description should mention what sort of clipping it is good for.

For example:

Light Dog Hair Clipping – cheap electric clippers like the Wahl Deluxe U-Clip might suit light clipping, and also cordless clippers like the Wahl Cordless Clippers (Motion, Bravura, Figura etc.)

Heavy Duty Dog Hair Clipping – clippers with strong motors, drives, power and torque are better for heavy duty clipping. Examples are the Oster Golden 1 Speed, Wahl KM, Wahl KM10, Wahl Power Grip, Andis AGC2

 

Light dog clippers are quite common, but you can read more about Heavy Duty Dog Hair Clippers in this guide.

 

Cutting Different Dog Breeds, & Cutting For Different Looks/Styles

As mentioned above, blade charts, product descriptions or individual breed grooming guides published by the blade and comb manufacturers usually tell you which blades to use on which dog breeds.

The breed specific grooming guides also tell you how to achieve different looks and styles using different blades.

 

Cutting Two Or Several Dogs With Different Types Of Fur At Once

Say you have one dog with soft and fine fur, and the other with coarse and thick or matted hair.

In this instance, it helps to have a versatile multi speed clipper for all coat types, and have that clipper also be compatible with detachable blades.

This way you can adjust the speed and blades for the different fur types. 

 

Blade Care, & Clipper/Blade Overheating

It’s good practice to get blade oil for your blades to maintain them.

In addition, clipper and blade overheating can be an issue for some people. To combat this, you might:

Buy a backup detachable blade and alternate so you give one a chance to cool down while you use the other

Use the clippers in intervals instead of continuously for an extended period

Use blade oil/coolant on the blades

Use blade combs so the warm blade doesn’t touch your dog’s skin

Keep the clipper speed down for thick and matted coats so the clipper and blades don’t get too hot. Make sure you have a higher power and higher torque clipper though in this instance

If your clipper body heats up, check with the manufacturer it’s not defective, and use gloves for some added protection if you need to

 

Picking A Dog Hair Clipper For Your Dog

Apart from the blades or combs on the clipper, the clipper choice itself is important.

If you put all the individual features aside for a second, you want to make sure of these key things:

The clipper is compatible with the types of blades and combs you need to cut your dogs fur (refer the clipper product description for blade compatibility, and the blade charts for each clipper brand to see what each blade does)

The clipper has enough speed, power and torque to cut your dog’s hair (for thick, long and matted fur dogs especially). Being able to change the speed is good for different coat types, but you also want the base power and torque to get through matted or thick coats. 

 

What Other Features & Things Should You Look Out For In Dog Hair Clippers?

You may like to look out for the following considerations and questions about a clipper you buy:

What thickness of fur is the clipper for? Thin, medium or thick hair?

What types of coats and dog breeds can the clipper be used on? Poodles, terriers, spaniels, all breeds?

How many speeds the clipper has (SPM/strokes per minute)

What the maximum and minimum speeds of the clipper is

How much does the clipper weigh

How long is the clipper

What shape is the clipper when you grip it – circular, or squarer?

How long is the clipper cord

How long is the warranty that comes with the clipper? What is the duration, and what are the conditions of the warranty and return policy?

What sort of motor does the clipper have – rotary, electromagnetic, brushless?

What sort of blade drive system does the clipper have?

Does the clipper have any technology that keeps the power and torque of the drive motor consistent through the cuts?

What comes in the clipper kit – does it come with a blade, blade oil, storage case etc.?

What extra blades might you need to buy with the clipper

What blades the clipper is compatible with

What guide combs the clipper is compatible with

Does the clipper come with any extra features like an ON locking switch?

Is the clipper a 2 in 1 corded and cordless clipper?

 

Additionally for cordless clippers, you might ask:

What type of battery does it have – rechargeable lithium ion, rechargeable NiMH, or replaceable AA?

How long does the battery last for on full charge?

How long does the battery take to charge?

Does the battery charge on a charge stand or directly through a charger cord?

Is the battery in built into the clipper, or is it removable?

 

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You should always consult your own veterinarian, animal expert, or health care professional and follow their advice before making decisions on all matters.

 

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1 thought on “Best Dog Hair Clippers For German Shepherds”

  1. German shepherd have thick fur and most of these you listed won’t work for thick fur. The fur by the neck and chest and the back legs can be nearly impenetrable.

    Reply

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