The dog on your table is bathed, dried, brushed, and ready to have some length clipped off. You snap a blade on your clipper and get to work. All is well for the first few swipes, but then you notice that the fur is ridged, uneven, and choppy where it was cut instead of a nice, uniform finish.
What you are seeing are known as "clipper marks," and they can happen at any time. Here are some reasons they appear:
- Dirty blades—If your blade is clogged with fur or dirty from buildup, it will not clip smoothly and may leave ridges and gaps in its path.
- "Dry" blades - If a blade is not adequately lubricated with oil, it cannot move back and forth smoothly and completely, which may cause tracking. Remember, oil is key, not lubricating spray.
- Worn blade drive assembly—This inexpensive part must be replaced relatively frequently. When it becomes worn, it cannot guide the blade's cutting edge the full span it is supposed to travel, which can lead to unwelcome marks on the coat.
- Improper blade tension. If your sharpener doesn't adjust the blade tension correctly, the blade will not leave a smooth finish.
- Poor clipper technique —If you don't keep the clipper moving along properly but instead lift and dip, you will get dents in the coat.
- Incorrect directional clipping - Attention must be paid to clipping the fur in the direction it lies. If you cut across the natural growth pattern, irregular lengths will occur.
Along with these common causes, coat texture can be a culprit. Some very soft coats seem to show clipper marks quite alarmingly. Using a slightly shorter or longer blade often helps on these coats, but it may take some experimentation to find the proper tool that will look right for that particular pet.
When you find that the blade has left those tell-tale corduroy tracks, there are a few things you can try to make them less noticeable.
- Clean and oil the blade. Back brush and go over the trouble spot again.
- Back brush and try clipping at a slightly different angle.
- Brush, comb, and then go over the area with thinning shears to "erase" the uneven spots.
- Try carding the coat on flat coats like those of many sporting breeds or clipped terriers to remove dead under-fluff and reclip.
- if none of these techniques work, using a slightly longer blade and clipping the area in reverse may smooth the coat.
No one loves the choppy look left when clipper marks happen. Keeping your tools well maintained, paying attention to your technique when you work, and choosing the correct length blade for the coat you are working on will help reduce the chance that you will end up with those tell-tale "whoops!" ridges.
