Scissors made for dog hair are different from paper or human hair scissors. They made to keep a sharp edge when dealing with dog hair. Human hair and paper scissors will blunt very quickly when used on dogs, as dog hair is much thicker than human hair. The wrong type of scissors will blunt even faster for dogs with difficult coats, like 'oodles, terriers and mixed-texture, thick or double coats.
The first step is deciding what type of scissor you need. Straight, curved or thinners? (the term 'thinners' are often used to describe blenders, thinners or chunkers - more about that coming up). There are other types of scissors, but these are the most popular.
The difference is the blade. A straight scissor has two, solid, straight blades. Curved scissors have two, solid, curved blades. Some straights and curved come with a safety tip (or 'ball tip') option, with a blunt end on the tip for delicate or injury prone areas.
Thinners, chunkers and blenders all have notched blades. Some thinners have two notched blades, but most have one solid blade and one notched blade. Thinners and blenders have thinner, smaller teeth, and smaller spaces between the teeth. Chunkers have wider spaces between the teeth, often with 'T' or 'fishtail' shaped teeth.
Straights are the easiest to get used to using as they are so similar to paper scissors. Curves tend to quickly become favourites once you get used to them, as almost no area of a dog's body has straight lines. Curves help you get a smoother, more natural shape with less effort.
Blender-style thinners (that's the type with one notched and one solid blade) are popular as finishing scissors, as they trim and tidy coat without leaving blunt lines. Often used to blend shorter areas in to long, tidy up any uneven areas or blend in clipper and blade marks to give your groom a polished, and professional look. They leave a smooth but textured finish, compared to the blunt cut a straight or curved scissor leaves. Thinners are also very popular for use on the face, as they help to achieve a softer, more natural look that many pet owners desire.
They are almost a cross between a straight scissor and a blending-style thinner. The wide spaced notched blade combined with the solid straight blade creates a textured and natural finish, as opposed to the blunt cut of a straight scissor, but creates more texture and less uniformity than the blending-style thinners. The wider teeth spacing allows for larger sections of hair to be removed, and can result in faster work. Chunkers are great when wanting a more natural look on a larger area, such as the legs or bottom, especially on large dogs.
Once you know if you want straight, curved, or a type of thinner, step 2 is to decide scissor length.