If you have a long-haired dog requiring frequent haircuts, you may wonder if it’s possible to use them to shear your sheep.
Getting the most from the various equipment on your homestead is a priority.
But it is also essential to make sure it will serve the same function for you.
Dog clippers are not the best option to shear sheep. Dog clippers tend to have less power, and likely won’t be able to handle the density of sheep wool. The blades and combs on dog clippers are not designed to cut through the fleece, so you likely won’t have much success using them on sheep.
Shearing sheep is an essential part of sheep maintenance.
Whether you are looking to sell the fleece to make a profit or want to keep your sheep cool, you’ll need clippers to get the job done.
Let’s look into whether it’s OK to use dog clippers on sheep.
Will Dog Clippers Work On Sheep?
Many wonder if a dog clipper will work the same as an electric sheep clipper.
While it must to have sharp blades, whether using electric sheep shears or an electric dog clipper, there are some major differences.
Dog clippers may work for sheep shearing but are not the best option.
They are not designed to cut through sheep fleece and will likely not have the power necessary.
When you use an electric sheep clipper, the shape and design will help, as will the shearing blades put in the electric clippers.
You’ll spend a lot more time shearing sheep with dog clippers because they are not as efficient and not designed to work on wool coat animals like sheep.
Even the thickest coats on dogs aren’t as thick as wool coat animals.
Generally speaking, electric clippers for sheep are significantly more heavy-duty and designed to shear wool sheep.
You need a powerful motor and heavy-duty clippers to effectively shear wool sheep.
Unfortunately, dog clippers don’t have the powerful motor necessary to get the job done.
You’ll likely encounter issues using dog clippers and may even burn out the power motor shearing the sheep or cause other motor damage.
Related Reading: Does dog shampoo work for sheep?
What Is The Difference Between Dog Clippers and Sheep Clippers?
While both clippers have a powerful motor, there are some differences between the overall power.
They also are shaped differently to suit the thickest coats of sheep.
Coat cutting is necessary during shearing times.
Skilled shearers will get the job done on coarse wool fleece with sheep clippers.
The cutting speed of the sheep clippers allows for precision performance and allows you to cut through the coarse wool fleece covering the entire body of the sheep.
Dog clippers are typically less heavy-duty.
They also are much cheaper than expensive shears.
While you save money by avoiding the added costs of sheep shears, you won’t get the faster trims or precision performance as you would with sheep clippers.
Faster trims are vital if you have a large flock with dozens of sheep.
Another difference with dog clippers is the lower maximum power available.
Dog clippers and sheep clippers both come in various options.
Some use power cords, while others feature rechargeable batteries.
The cord does limit where you’re able to shear your sheep, but it does provide consistent power, which is useful when shearing a handful of sheep at a time.
The max power tends to be higher on corded varieties.
This is also true for cheap sheep shears, which will have less power than those of excellent quality.
Whichever you decide, look over the customer reviews to ensure they meet your needs, whether you need to shear dozens of sheep or just a handful.
For a professional rechargeable option, check out these clippers found on Amazon.
You’ll get the best of both worlds with this one.
Will Sheep Clippers Work For Cutting Dog’s Coats?
Part of sheep farming is using a professional sheep clipper to manage their wool.
Whether you have hundreds of sheep or a single sheep, you need to use a dedicated sheep blade to clean sheep up during the warmer months.
Some people who have sheep and dogs wonder what the differences between sheep shears and dog clippers are and whether the same clippers used to shear an entire sheep to help lower body temperature will work for their dog.
The answer is yes, but it is not the best option.
The shears designed for wooly coats will have a very efficient motor, but the shape is not set up for the double coat or soft coat of many breeds of dogs.
Using dog clippers with an electric motor would be significantly better for your double coat or soft coat dog.
While they may have a lower max speed and different blades for body clipping, they are perfect for cutting dog fur.
Heavy-duty quality clippers are essential for dogs with thick coats or curly hair as cheaper body clippers may get clogged with fur easily.
Some clippers like this have a body for vibration reduction to help first-time shearers care for their skittish dogs.
Some dogs will be slightly afraid of electric shearers.
Those experienced shearers whose dogs are used to the sound and vibration will do just fine with an electric hair clipper for dogs.
How Often Do I Need To Shear Sheep?
Since you know which clippers to use for precision shearing for your sheep, you may wonder how often you’ll need to shave the entire fleece coat off your sheep.
Typically sheep are shorn once a year.
This is usually done in the warmer months to help the farm livestock regulate their temperature.
It is also very cost-effective to only take on this task once a year.
Since you will likely only be shearing once a year, it is important to properly maintain electric clippers between shearing times.
This involves using a cleaning brush to remove all the fleece from the blades and getting a blade oil bottle like this to lubricate blades so they do not rust out.
Further Reading: Will sheep shed their own wool naturally?
