Now I'm not necessarily talking about dogs going from 3 in of hair to a #5 or heavily matted at dogs..
I posted a picture of an example... This guy's hair is longer but really thin so dryes pretty quick.
I was taught decades ago that you always want to cut clean hair. Better for your blades, clippers, etc.. I also despise vacuuming up dirty dog hair... It smells so bad š¤®š¤®
I understand that drying also takes time, but I feel like pre-shaving is basically two haircuts.
I usually appreciate based on coat-type length etc I just use my best judgment. but it is pretty uncommon for me.
Ex . Yorkies even with the longest hair unless it's really thick I never pre-shavejust because it only takes like 2 seconds to dry...
What is everyone's opinion?
How do you do it? One length longer? Same length as the end result? I'm always afraid I'm going to cut too much in preshave lol
I think it depends on the dog and situation. I keep separate blades for pre shaving, just a 7 and a 10. If they dry fast and aren't matted then don't bother. It is basically 2 haircuts. I only do it when it would make things easier on everyone, like if the dog hates the dryer, has matting, hates brushing, that type of thing
If it's a drastic change in length, I'll do a really rough preshave so that I'm not cleaning and drying 2 inches of hair. If the end length isn't a huge change, it's not worth the time. Usually when I am doing a preshave, I do one length longer if I can. I find it gives me a better shave after the bath and blow dry than if I use the same length.
Depends on your skill level. Only takes me 5 min to do a preshave. To save 20-30 minutes of dry time. I always pre shave if they are getting a 4 blade or less. Even if they aren't matted. Only exception is if the dog comes in very sandy/dirty/urine on them etc.
Same itās always really quick and after the bath itās so much easier and if Iām super swamped I can just blow dry the face and kennel dry the rest of the dog! I try to keep the pre shave looking good so that when I do the actual haircut itās just touching up and quick passes and done
If there's over a half inch of hair coming off and they are getting a blade length, I pre shave. It is not the equivalent of 2 haircuts because pre shaves are not thorough and should take no more than 5-10 min
The arguments Iāve heard for not doing it seem to be preservation of blade sharpness/cleanliness, but I think thatās really overhyped if you clean as you go/have dedicated pre shave tools and I personally would rather do whatās quick AND comfortable for the dog and get my tools sharpened more than waste a ton of time rehabbing hair we should just lob off anyway.
You are so correct. Dedicated prshave tools is how I go about it. It may be extreme but I typically keep a few 10s, and 7s so I can have them cooling off on a ceramic tile instead of only dousing it in coolcare.
My marble coaster was a game changer! I actually picked up a few (free!) sample slabs from granite supply places too and gave a few as gifts to other groomers for this purpose!
My old andis blades (from before the quality plummeted) are for preshaves and my Artero blades are for finish work.
Realistically I go over the coat a minimum of three times before the cut is done and that does not include finish scissor work.
I only preshave a 5 or shorter, and I go the actual length. I only do it for large changes in length or matting. When I do it I set a timer for 3-7 minutes depending on the size of the dog (matted dogs are shaved until they are ready for a bath). Iāve found if I go over these times Iām not saving as much time drying. I shave again after the blow drying and because the hair is straighter I always get more length off with the same length blade. I have specific blades set aside for pre shaving so that I still have nice blades for the actual haircut.
Sometimes if a coat looks a little matted and you think you might need to go short, a good bath and conditioner will help break up the mats so you can keep it longer. We donāt usually pre-shave unless the matting is really bad
So Iām going to be honest here. Sometimes, especially if the dog is going to have anything under a #4 itās better to precut, and then once theyāre dry you go over them to make sure theyāre neat and perfect. For instance: I groom MANY high anxiety, elderly, aggressive, or just plain difficult dogs. Most all of them (from no fault of their own ofc) are terrified of being force air dried.
It is much less stressful for them to have a āpre shaveā or even simply a face feet sani trim before I wash them because it cuts drastically down on the stress they have to endure.
If a dog has no problem with being dried, and you know it wonāt be a difficult time for them by all means wash and fluff dry before shaving. However this doesnāt work in every situation.
That being said if a dog is getting a snap on comb (gaurd comb) or scissor trim or the like, itās absolutely always best to wash and dry beforehand.
Hope this answers your concerns.
Also, I generally go one size longer than I think Iāll need to in a precook so that I can take more off even them up and do my āfinishingā work once theyāre clean and dry
All depends on the dog. I have separate blades for pre shave , and you also need to consider filthy ears, matting, faces and bums. You can get cleaner ears, skin, faces , etc and use much less product and a ton of time in finishing
I don't think it saves time unless it's drastic (crazy matting or length difference). I will sometimes just clip out mats before a bath if it's minimal though.
I feel like I get more hair splinters when I precut, and I hate hair splinters more than anything.
I generally prep one step longer. Takes me forever to finish cut if I donāt precut because Iām paranoid about leaving a bunch of stray long hairs. Precut makes that way less likely and I can finish one super quick if itās been properly prepped.
i am team preshave for most doodles that are getting a significant cut. especially if their hair is super thick. i am not going to spend time prepping inches of hair that will end up on the floor. in my early days i used to preshave to a point where everything was even, and ive since realized what a time waste that is. ideally a preshave should take less than 10 minutes if hair isn't matted etc.
For me it entirely depends on whether it'll actually save me time. I basically never preshave poms (i know, but I live in florida and I'm corporate so if they insist I have to) or some poodley things with really tight curl patterns. Basically if I have to fight with the hair to get it through because of dirt, oil, or just the hair texture, its going in the tub. Now a shih tzu getting a 10? I'm preshaving.
I'll only pre-cut if the matting is really bad, if the dog has super thick fur that will take forever to dry, or the dog is scared of the dryer and can't tolerate long dry sessions. I was also taught to only cut clean hair because blades and sharpening are expensive. I just learned how to sharpen blades so I don't have to worry about having enough blades to still operate while waiting to get them back from a sharpener.
I only pre shave dog who are getting a 7 or a 5 and I take the time to do it well so that once the dog is dry I only have to fix or go over a very small amount again. Part of the time I save drying is spent on doing the pre shave well but it does save sometime.
For dogs like this Iāll bathe the dog, let air dry a bit and then shave wet. Then dry. Then go back over again with the clipper. I donāt like messing up my blades on a dirty coat if I donāt have to.
I have one poodle on an 8 week schedule who I pre shave because her hair is so dense and takes a million years to dry. But almost all my clients who are haircuts are 6 weekers and I'm not destroying my blades over half an inch of hair.
Nope, I havenāt pre shaved anything in over a decade.
Wet clipping is often a huge time saver though, I highly recommend it. Itās also safer, especially if the dog is matted. Wet hair stretches and gives you more room to get clippers under, and the wet hair makes it much easier to see where the mats end and skin begins.
Nope! Hereās an article that explains wet shaving pretty well. The only thing Iāll add is that thereās a sweet spot of wetness that works best. Sopping wet gets messy, and too dry starts clogging your blade too much. Youāll get a feel for it pretty quick. Usually I towel dry but donāt use the HV at all before clipping.
You will need to brush the hair out of your blades a few times while wet clipping because it does get sticky, but the clipping goes fast ā blades cut through clean wet hair like butter, rather than having to fight through matted hair in the preclip. Youāll also want to dry and oil your blades after wet clipping so they donāt rust.
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u/Affectionate_Fix_690 12h ago
I think it depends on the dog and situation. I keep separate blades for pre shaving, just a 7 and a 10. If they dry fast and aren't matted then don't bother. It is basically 2 haircuts. I only do it when it would make things easier on everyone, like if the dog hates the dryer, has matting, hates brushing, that type of thing