Pet Coat Care, Brush & Clipper Blade Planner
Match your dog or cat's exact follicle type with the right brush geometry, bathing interval, shampoo chemistry, and professional clipper blade/guard-comb instructions you can print or take directly to your groomer.
How to Speak "Groomer": Standard A5 Clipper Blades & Guard Combs
Asking a groomer for "a puppy cut" or "just take half off" means completely different things to different stylists. Use exact millimeter or inch measurements from this standard A5 detachable-blade chart so there is never a miscommunication at drop-off.
| Blade / Guard Comb | Hair Length Left | Safe & Intended Anatomical Use | Critical Safety Warning |
|---|---|---|---|
| #30 Blade (Under Guard Comb) | 0.5 mm (1/50") bare | Used almost exclusively underneath stainless steel snap-on guard combs so hair feeds cleanly. | Heats rapidly via friction; avoid bare #30 directly on pet skin except carefully trained show Poodle face/feet work. |
| #10 Finish Blade | 1.5 mm (1/16") | Gold-standard safety blade for sanitary trims, paw pads, armpits, belly, and humane pelted-coat shave-downs. | Closely spaced teeth prevent skin folds from slipping between cutter teeth. Still stretch loose skin flat and check blade warmth every 60 seconds! |
| #7F (Finish) Blade | 3.2 mm (1/8") | Short summer kennel trim on clean, mat-free coats (torso and legs). | NEVER use #7 or #7F on paw pads, sanitary areas, armpits, tuck-up flank folds, or cats! Wider tooth spacing can catch skin webs. |
| #5F (Finish) Blade | 6.3 mm (1/4") | Popular short velvet plush trim on Shih Tzus, Yorkies, Bichons, and Doodles with zero knots. | Will not feed through matted coats; coat must be bathed, blown straight, and combed 100% tangle-free first. |
| #4F (Finish) Blade | 9.5 mm (3/8") | Medium-short plush body length; leaves soft teddy-bear coverage while staying easy to brush at home. | Leaves choppy tracks on thin silky drop coats unless Coat is velocity-fluff dried straight before clipping. |
| #1 / "A" Guard Comb (over #30) | 13 mm (1/2") | Classic "Teddy Bear" all-over length for Goldendoodles, Cavapoos, and Cockapoos brushed 3–4× weekly. | Guard combs pop off or snag painfully if any pin-mats remain at the base of the coat. |
| #0 / "C" & "E" Guard Combs | 19 mm – 25 mm (3/4" – 1") | Fluffy long styling for Poodle mixes, Bichons, and Old English Sheepdogs on strict 4-week salon schedules. | Requires committed 4–6×/week line-brushing at home; high humidity mats 1-inch fleece within days if left air-dried. |
Instead of saying "Give him a puppy cut, not too short," say: "I'd love a 1/2-inch guard comb on his body and legs, a slightly fuller rounded muzzle with eyes cleared cleanly, and ears trimmed to the leather edge. If you find tight mats in friction spots, you have permission to go shorter safely."
Blades without an "F" (e.g., #7 vs #7F) have alternating short and wide-gapped teeth designed to feed thick, unbathed coat during rough-ins. Those open tooth gaps act like jaws around loose skin folds, nipples, dewclaws, and ear margins—home owners should strictly buy Finish ("F") blades and #10 blades only.