The Laughing Dog

Happy National Puppy Day!

Let's talk about... PUPPY COAT CHANGE 2020 has been quite the year! It's no surprise that so many people have taken advantage of their quarantine time by adding a new, furry family member! As a groomer, I am delighted to see all these cute, new faces! A common conversation I've been having this year, with all these new puppies, has been about expecting a "coat change". ... These photos portray a great illustration of "coat change". This is the stage in which every puppy sheds out their soft, fluffy coat they were born with and begins growing their adult coat; typically more coarse, and depending on the breed/mix it can be curly, wavy, or straight. These changes can occur as early as 4 months old or as late as 2 years, but for most puppies it happens before their first birthday. Some dogs naturally have short hair and you barely even notice it. Just all of the sudden you think "why aren't you as soft as day i got you?" For dogs who naturally have longer hair, it's a little different. (anything with "doodle" or "poo" in the name, this applies to you too! ) Coat change may look a little funny or patchy OR you may not even notice it at all until after a haircut. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR GROOMING (because this is my grooming page after all ) A BIG thing that I often see and experience is that it is 100 times harder to brush out adult coat than it is puppy coat! That's because the puppy coat is softer, finer, and much easier to manage. As the adult coat grows in on long hair breeds it can tangle and matt with the still existing puppy coat. A common mistake i see alot of puppy owners make is that they start brushing their puppy and think "This is easy! I dont need to do this everyday!" Then out of nowhere... completely matted!? It's because that coat change was taking place and they couldn't tell until it was too late. Short coated breeds are typically not as severe, however they still eventually require specific tools and maintenance as well. Here's the "Moral of the story", if you will. Cherish that sweet, soft wonderful puppy coat while it lasts! Start your puppy with grooming as early as possible, whether it's conditioning at home or with a professional. Talk to your groomer about tips and tools to manage your puppy's coat type. We hope everyone out there is staying safe and healthy! Cuddle your furry companions young and old. Cherish every minute with them! PHOTOS *The first photo you can see that the puppy coat naturally shed out on the front half of the body, leaving a curly adult coat. The back half is still soft puppy coat. (The groomer ended up clipping down the remaining puppy coat to even everything out per owner's request) *The second photo you can see a groomer clipping down the puppy coat to the length of the new adult coat growing in. (These photos were not taken by me. They've been shared by other groomers.)

The Laughing Dog is officially C.S.I. Sanitized! We've been so busy lately that a good thorough deep clean has been hard to stay on top of. Wiping down surfaces, tools, and equipment takes so much time that the little nooks and crannies just fall by the wayside. We are finally back on track! I've used Ty with C.S.I. in the past and was excited to hear he could squeeze us back in for regular cleanings again!

We are so excited to get back with Ty from CSI Sanitizing!

The Laughing Dog would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas!

This handsome boy "Brooks" got his first groom this week! What a stud!

Merry Christmas!

We'd like to wish everyone a Happy Independence Day! We hope everyone has a fun, relaxing and safe weekend with their family and fur babies!

Lilly, the Reindoodle!

Rocky is all grown up and one handsome boy!! #transformationtuesday

Another puppy, because

Puppy time! Groot's first spa day

Monty's first haircut!