Shaving and grooming your dog yourself: the complete guide

Short answer: You can shave your dog yourself if the coat type allows it. Curly coats, silky long-haired coats, and wire-haired breeds can be groomed at home; dogs with a double coat should generally not be shaved. Wash and dry the coat completely, detangle it, choose a clipper Blade from 1.5 to 9.5 mm, and work with the direction of the hair growth.

Last updated: August 19, 2026 — author: Team Clipr, the team behind Clipr.nl that daily tests and supplies dog clippers, clipper Blades, and grooming tools to Dutch dog owners and grooming salons.

Grooming yourself saves hundreds of euros per year, but it goes wrong as soon as you start with the wrong Blade or on a dirty coat. This guide covers coat type, clippers, cutting length, step-by-step plan, detail work, and maintenance, and refers to articles that delve deeper into each topic. All advice applies to the situation in the Netherlands.

In short

• Self-shaving is suitable for curly coats, silky long-haired coats, and wire-haired breeds; for a double coat (husky, shepherd, spitz types), it should not be done without a medical reason.
• Never shave a dirty, wet, or matted coat: wash, fully dry, detangle, and only then shave.
• The numbering runs in reverse: #10 leaves 1.5 mm, #4F leaves 9.5 mm. Attachment combs provide 3 to 25 mm.
• A grooming session in the Netherlands typically costs from a few tens to over a hundred euros; your own set usually pays for itself within 4 to 10 sessions.
• Check the clipper Blade every 2 to 3 minutes against your wrist, work with the direction of the hair, and pull the skin taut around armpits, groin, and ear bases.

Can you shave your dog yourself?

Yes. There is no rule in the Netherlands that reserves grooming for a salon, and with a decent clipper and the right technique, you can achieve a neat result at home. The condition is that you know what coat type you are dealing with. In three situations, it is better not to do it yourself.

1. A double coat without a medical reason. German Shepherds, Huskies, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Border Collies, and Spitz types have a dense undercoat beneath longer guard hairs. These layers insulate against both cold and heat, and after shaving, they do not always grow back in the same proportion: you are left with a fluffy undercoat without protective guard hairs. Comb out the undercoat.
2. A matted coat. If you can no longer reach the skin with your fingers, there is a matted layer that presses on the skin like a blanket, often with irritated skin underneath. A clipper pushes the mat up and pulls on the skin; cuts are most likely to occur here. Severely matted dogs belong at the salon.
3. Skin problems. Bald spots, scabs, hot spots, or obsessive scratching: first go to the vet, then consider clipping. Shaving over inflamed skin worsens the condition and makes diagnosis more difficult.

Furthermore: work calmly, use sharp tools, ensure a clean dry coat, and you can do this yourself.

What coat type does your dog have?

The coat type determines whether you should shave, which cutting length to use, and how often you need to groom. First, feel: is there a second, woolly layer under the topcoat? Double coat. Does it feel like sheep's wool? Curly coat. Stiff and bristly? Wire-haired.

The rule: coats that grow continuously need clippers, coats that shed need a brush or undercoat rake. If your dog is in between, see how quickly it mats: if it's matted again within two weeks, it's suitable for shaving. Which clipper suits each coat type can be found in dog clippers per coat type.

When should you shave and when not?

Shaving is functional, not a fixed ritual. You shave when the coat grows continuously and mats, when the coat around the anus and groin becomes a hygienic problem, when your dog needs to be shaved for medical advice, or when the coat is so dense that the skin underneath suffers. Not because it's hot weather.

The latter is the most persistent misconception in the Netherlands. Dogs cool down by panting and through their paw pads, not through their skin. With a double coat, the air between the undercoat and guard hairs insulates in two directions: warmth inside in winter, heat outside in summer. If you shave that away, the sun directly hits skin that has never been exposed to it before.

In addition, there is post-clipping alopecia: after shaving a double coat, the coat sometimes does not grow back, or only partially, for months. The undercoat usually grows, but the guard hairs do not or grow slower, leaving the dog with a woolly, dull coat with bald spots. It does not affect every dog and is unpredictable; precisely why the risk is not worth it.

For curly and long-haired coats, a summer clip is useful: they hardly insulate and mat faster due to swimming and sand, and with 6 to 10 mm of remaining hair, you retain sun protection. What helps against the heat per coat type can be read in shaving your dog in the summer.

Which clipper do you need?

A dog clipper is not a heavier hair clipper. Dog hair is thicker, tougher, and full of undercoat, which requires a motor built for torque. Pay attention to five points.

Power and torque. It's not the wattage that counts, but whether the motor maintains speed in thick coats. A clipper that audibly slows down at the flanks pulls hairs, and that teaches your dog that the clipper hurts.

Cooling. A warm motor transfers that heat to the clipper Blade and thus to the skin; good clippers dissipate it through ventilation and housing.

Weight and balance. You will hold this device for ten to forty minutes in a bent posture; light and balanced prevents your wrist from cramping.

Noise and vibration. Crucial for anxious dogs, and vibration weighs more heavily than decibels.

Battery or cord. With a battery, you have freedom of movement, with a cord, you have unlimited runtime. For home use, the battery wins, provided you have two batteries so you don't stop if one runs out. The Clipr Ultimate is therefore a 2-Speed cordless clipper with two batteries. The full consideration is in cordless clipper or corded clipper.

One term you should know: A5. An A5-Blade is a universal, interchangeable clipper Blade that fits almost all professional dog clippers. A5 is not a brand but a form standard: Blades and attachment combs from all brands fit it, even on your next clipper. If in doubt, go through the selection guide or view the dog clippers.

Clipper Blade or attachment comb: which length do you choose?

The numbering runs in reverse: the higher the number, the shorter the hair that remains. The number refers to the fineness of the teeth, not the length: a #10 has finer teeth and cuts closer to the skin than a #4F. Remember it as: the number goes up, the length goes down.

A clipper Blade cuts at a fixed length. An attachment comb clicks onto a short base Blade, usually a #10, and holds the clipper further from the skin so that more hair remains. Short and precise work is done with a clipper Blade, longer lengths with an attachment comb.

Beginner's advice: start with the longest Blade or comb you are considering. Shorter is always possible, longer is not. All A5 numbers with millimeters are in attachment comb or clipper Blade: all cutting lengths; individual Blades can be found at clipper Blades.

What else do you need?

A clipper alone is not enough; most of the work is in the preparation.

• Comb with coarse and fine teeth: use this to check if the coat is tangle-free before the clipper can be used.
• Thinning comb or undercoat rake: removes loose undercoat without damaging the guard hairs. Indispensable for double coats.
• Grooming shears and thinning shears: for finishing around paws, ears, and tail and to blend clipper lines. See grooming shears.
• Grooming table or anti-slip mat: a dog that slips cannot stand still. A grooming table at working height saves your back.
• Clipper oil and cleaning spray: oil between the Blades, spray against hair and skin grease. See care products.
• Force dryer or hairdryer on cool setting: dries deep into the undercoat. A force dryer blows out the water and halves the drying time.
• Nail clippers and soft treats: do nails in the same session, and reward in between.

Accessories and attachment comb sets, including the 9-piece Clipr attachment comb set for the A5-Blade, are listed under accessories.

How to shave your dog step by step?

Allow 30 to 60 minutes for a medium-sized curly coat, excluding washing and drying.

1. Washing. Wash with dog shampoo and rinse completely; shampoo residue makes the coat sticky and clogs your clipper Blade.
2. Completely drying. The step most often skipped. Damp hair clumps between the teeth, causing the clipper to pull instead of cut. Dry deep into the undercoat.
3. Detangling. Comb the dog until you can effortlessly reach the skin everywhere. A tangle that doesn't comb out, you either cut out or shave around. Never go through a tangle with the clipper.
4. Prepare workspace. Table or anti-slip mat at working height, good light, second battery ready.
5. Maintain order. Work from calm to sensitive areas: neck, back, flanks, chest, belly, legs, and finally the head. This way, your dog gets used to the sound before you reach the sensitive spots.
6. Technique. Hold the clipper flat against the skin, not with the tip, and work with the direction of the hair in long, calm strokes. Do not push, and pull the skin taut around armpits, groin, and ear bases.
7. Temperature check. Hold the clipper Blade against the inside of your wrist every 2 to 3 minutes. Too hot for your wrist is too hot for the skin: put it down or use cooling spray.
8. Detail work and aftercare. Finish paws, ears, and muzzle, brush out loose hairs, check the skin for red spots, and reward your dog. Clean and oil the clipper.

The complete step-by-step plan with cutting directions per body part is in shaving your dog step by step.

Detail work: paws, ears, and muzzle

The body is the easy part. Paws, ears, and muzzle are small, move, and have thin skin. Use a small, quiet trimmer with a narrow Blade, such as the Clipr MiniTrim, or shears with rounded tips here.

Paws. Hold the paw in your hand and spread the toes. Shave away the hair between the paw pads with a short Blade: that hair collects sand and road salt and makes the dog slip on smooth floors. The hairs around the foot are trimmed with shears in a round line. Pay attention to the webbing between the toes.

Ears. The ear flap is thin enough to see light through it. Place your flat hand behind it for support and shave with light pressure in the direction of the hair. Never use a clipper in the ear canal; leave hair in there alone or have it treated by the vet.

Muzzle. Work with the direction of the hair, from eyes to nose, and hold the head with your free hand. Around the eyes, use only shears with rounded tips, with your fingers as a spacer. Leave whiskers alone: they are sensory organs.

The safe technique per body part is in trimming paws, ears, and muzzle.

How to get your dog used to the clipper?

Fear almost always arises from a bad first experience: a hot Blade, a dull Blade that pulls, or going on for too long. Unlearning takes weeks, preventing it takes five short sessions.

1. First, leave the clipper off. Lay it down, let your dog sniff it, and reward. Two days, about one or two minutes each time.
2. Turn it on from a distance. Across the room, briefly, and reward as long as your dog remains relaxed. Come closer as soon as he ignores the sound.
3. Touch with the back. Turn on the clipper and touch your dog with the housing, not the Blade: this way he gets used to the vibration without being clipped. Start at the shoulder, never at the head or paws.
4. Shave one stroke. One pass over the back, then turn off, reward, and stop. The session ends while your dog is still relaxed.
5. Build up in duration, not in intensity. Each session half a minute longer, and never extend a session just because you're almost done.

For dogs that are already afraid, there is a slower process with counter-conditioning; this is detailed in dog afraid of the clipper.

How to maintain your clipper?

Most clippers that are called "broken" are dirty and dry. Maintenance takes two minutes per session.

Oiling. A few drops of oil on the teeth, turn on for ten seconds so the oil distributes, wipe off excess. Do this before, during, and after each use. Without oil, the Blades run dry, get hot, and become dull quickly.

Cleaning. Afterwards, brush away hairs between the teeth and spray the Blade clean with cleaning spray. Hair with skin grease forms a layer that pushes the Blades apart.

Storage. Dry, in a case or box, clipper Blades separate from each other: metal against metal damages the cutting edges, and rust quickly forms in a damp utility room.

Battery care. Do not store batteries empty and do not leave them on the charger for weeks. Use them every few weeks, even if you are not grooming.

You can recognize a dull Blade by five signals: the clipper pulls at the hairs, the result becomes streaky while your technique remains the same, you have to go over the same spot two or three times, the Blade gets hot faster than before, and the sound becomes heavier. If you recognize two or more, sharpening or replacing is necessary. The maintenance schedule is in maintaining your clipper; when sharpening is still worthwhile can be read in replacing clipper Blades.

Special cases: doodles and curly coats

Doodles are the trickiest group, and not because the coat is difficult to shave. The coat varies per dog, even within one litter: one Labradoodle has a woolly Poodle coat that mats within two weeks, the other a wavy coat with some undercoat that sheds.

What applies to almost every doodle: the coat grows continuously and hardly sheds, so loose hair remains and forms mats. This happens fastest where there is friction: behind the ears, in the armpits, the groin, and around the collar. Five minutes of daily combing in those areas prevents hours of grooming work.

Practical advice: start with short grooming sessions at puppy age, even if there is hardly any coat, so the clipper becomes normal. Comb down to the skin, not just over the top layer. Shave with a #4F (9.5 mm) or an attachment comb from 13 mm for a fluffy cut, with an interval of 4 to 8 weeks. If the coat is matted, do not try to cut it yourself: a short clip at the grooming salon is the only safe solution. The approach per doodle coat type is in grooming doodles.

How often should you groom your dog?

The frequency depends on the coat type and the maintenance in between. These are rules of thumb for average dogs in the Netherlands.

Touching up the belly, groin, paw pads, and hair around the eyes in between is often enough to keep the coat neat. That takes ten minutes and noticeably extends the interval.

What does self-grooming cost versus the grooming salon?

To be fair: self-grooming is cheaper, but not immediately. A grooming session in the Netherlands typically costs from a few tens for a small, well-maintained dog to over a hundred euros for a large or matted dog. Matting almost always incurs an extra charge. These are indications, not rates: inquire at your own salon.

Therefore, don't calculate in euros but in sessions. A complete home set (clipper with two batteries, clipper Blades, attachment combs, comb, shears, oil, and anti-slip mat) costs about the same as 4 to 10 grooming sessions. If your curly coat needs grooming every 6 weeks, that's about 8 sessions per year, and you'll break even within the first year. If your dog only needs grooming three times a year, it will take two to three years.

Ongoing costs are low: oil, cleaning spray, and shampoo are the only consumables, and sharpening or replacing a clipper Blade is once every one to two years for home use. Do account for time: a medium-sized curly coat, including washing and drying, quickly takes one and a half to two hours.

A middle ground works well: two visits to the salon per year for a complete groom and doing the belly, groin, paw pads, and face yourself. This halves the costs without you having to master everything immediately.

Common mistakes when shaving yourself

When do you still go to the grooming salon?

Self-grooming is not always the right choice, and admitting that saves your dog an unpleasant experience.

• Severe matting. If a comb can no longer reach the skin anywhere, the coat must be removed in one layer with a short Blade. That is work for experienced hands.
• Skin problems, wounds, or unknown lumps. First the vet, then possibly the salon.
• Breed-specific clips. A correct Poodle clip or Schnauzer pattern cannot be learned from a guide. Have it done once and observe.
• Dogs that cannot stand still. A dog that is panicky or snaps at the clipper is not safe on a table at home.
• Older dogs or dogs with joint problems. Standing still for a long time is difficult; a salon can break up the session.
• Wire-haired breeds that need hand-stripping. Hand-stripping maintains color and texture; shaving makes the coat permanently softer and duller.

How to choose your set

What you need depends on three things: coat type, size of your dog, and how often you will groom. If you are unsure, go through the selection guide: a few questions about your dog and you will get the clipper, clipper Blades, and attachment combs that match that combination.

Frequently asked questions

Can you shave a dog yourself without experience?

Yes, provided the coat type allows it. Curly coats, silky long-haired coats, and mixed doodle coats can be shaved at home by a beginner. Start with a long clipper Blade (#4F, 9.5 mm), work with the direction of the hair, and keep the first sessions short. Dogs with a double coat should not be shaved without medical advice.

Which clipper Blade do I use if I only buy one?

The #10, with a cutting length of 1.5 mm. It is short enough for the belly, groin, armpits, and hygienic trimming, and it is the standard base Blade onto which you click attachment combs. With a #10 plus a set of attachment combs, you practically cover all lengths from 1.5 to 25 mm.

How often should I groom my dog myself?

A curly coat every 4 to 6 weeks, doodles every 4 to 8 weeks, long-haired silky coats every 6 to 8 weeks, and wire-haired breeds hand-stripped every 8 to 12 weeks. Double and short-haired coats are not shaved: these are brushed or combed weekly, daily during the shedding period.

Is self-grooming cheaper than the grooming salon?

In the long run, yes. A grooming session in the Netherlands typically costs from a few tens to over a hundred euros, depending on size, coat, and region. A complete home set costs about the same as 4 to 10 sessions, so for a dog that needs grooming every 6 weeks, the set usually pays for itself within the first year.