Dog Grooming at Home

Question
I have a lb female toy schnauzer. i have taken her to be groomed many times and have done it at home a few times myself. i bought clippers from costco meant for humans. i would say i have used these clippers maybe 5 times. last night i was clipping her short since its getting a little warmer out and she had lots of mattes in her longer hair. last night the clippers sounded like they were going to die. it was plugged in, so its not that it was low on battery. i am looking for some recommendations for some decent dog clippers that i can use at home. i have looked around online and i just don't know what is good and what is not, what brand to buy. what kind of blades to get (ceramic or metal), etc. she is only lbs as i mentioned, so i don't want the width of the blade to be too big. i am willing to spend a little money to get some decent clippers. i think the most i can spend is $200. i figure this is just 4 trips to the groomers!
my dog behaves very well. I've never hurt her. she just sits still and lets me do what i need to do. i am so lucky!

Answer
Hi Meghan,

I've heard good things about the Oster Golden A5 2-Speed Clipper, and the Andis AGC 2 Clipper, these both have detachable blades. Cheap models comes with blades on it and you must use snap on combs, they do not work as well as detachable models.

Wahl offers a few mid-range dog clippers, but none compare to the power and performance of Andis and Oster. The single-speed dog clippers can produce up to 3000 cutting strokes per minute and they run fairly quiet. The two-speed variety give you 3500 cutting strokes per minute and many are produced to keep cool and not heat up. The worst thing is trying to clip your dogs hair with a clipper that is very hot in your hands

The size of the blade will indicate the closeness of the cut. The higher the number, the closer the cut.  The 40 blade is used on the ears. The 7F leaves the coat the longest and is usually used on the body of dogs that have thin coats. The 10 blade is the most commonly used blade on the body.  Maintenance free clippers are the best since you don't have to oil them up. When using some of the professional dog clippers, make sure to use clipper oil on the mechanics of the blades before you use them. Keeping them well oiled will help prevent the blade from getting hot.  

This video of how to clip a dog might be helpful:
http://www.expertvillage.com/video/8518_dog-grooming-basics-haircut.htm

I think buying a clipper made for pet hair, rather than human hair is going to be a big difference, no matter the brand.

Best of luck!

Patti