Some dogs need more grooming than others. You might think that a Lapphund, with its long, thick coat, would need agonising hours of brushing, but not so! Their coats are surprisingly easy to maintain - a bath once a year or so (providing they don't roll in something disgustingly smelly, that is), and a good brushing through the thick undercoat down to the skin once a week. Ish.
Young Lappies and dogs with softer coats will need more brushing rather than less. The soft fur around the ears and legs will need regular combing to prevent matting. As the dog matures, the coat becomes coarser and easier to maintain. When they get muddy, just wait for them to dry and the dirt simply falls off. Ideally somewhere easy to clean up rather than the sofa or your prized antique Turkish rug.
Lapphunds don't lose much hair in between moults, but when they do moult once or twice a year, then it can make quite a mess. Your Lappy puppy's first big moult is an experience like no other you will have had. The undercoat comes out in - literally - bagfuls, yet there always seems to be more to be brushed out tomorrow.
Daniel with 13-month-old Kuura after one good brushing session during the boy's 1st big moult. You can see from his woolly coat that there is plenty more to come.
I generally advocate the use of 2 or 3 specific grooming tools. However, after using the same things for several years, I'm now in the market for a couple of new dog brushes, so watch this space for future product reviews.
No discussion of grooming would be complete without mention of trimming the nails. Oh, the trauma! Oh, the drama! It is an event in itself and so warrants a blog post to itself too.
But, until then, the helpful folks at Dummies.com have produced this handy guide to brushing a dog. Keep in mind that an adult Lapphund will have a very thick, long coat and you will need to brush it in very small sections to ensure you don't miss any.
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