Just like their people, dogs need the occasional spruce up, and just like people each one has different styles and hair needs.

Titus, a standard poodle owned by Stacey Atkinson of Powell, rocks a more exotic cut.

Typically his hair is kept fluffy and trimmed back in the summer but this year Atkinson opted to give him a little more flare. Now, Titus is a giraffe — he has the spots, and even the “hooves” to match. 

She was scrolling through Facebook and saw a groomer giving dogs creative dye jobs and jokingly sent the video to Heather Craig and Megan Cotter, the owner and manager at Canine Country Grooming. They were all in. After Titus grew his hair out he came in for a cut and then his dye job. 

“They were so excited to do it, he was a trooper,” Atkinson said.

Now, when people come into the store, Titus gets a lot of laughs.

“My husband shook his head at first, he's like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” Atkinson said. “Then a few days later, he's like, ‘Next one, we're going to turn him into a tiger.’”

Canine Country, which recently celebrated four years of business, often receives interest for colorful and creative ‘dos  although many decide to go the more traditional route after looking at both the time and money costs associated with it. Titus’ transformation into a giraffe took two appointments (one to cut and one to dye) and the dye job took around six hours, Craig said. Dogs also have to be
accustomed to the grooming process, she said; Titus is very patient and receives frequent treats and breaks.

Cotter was trying out this style before she even became a professional groomer.

“I decided to get my own clippers and buy dye, and I was cutting my own dog's hair at home on my dining table, like dyeing her hair, doing all the fun stuff,” Cotter said. “And I eventually made my way over here and apprenticed underneath Heather. And I've done a lot more dog dyeing since then, for sure, I always do mine like a unicorn.” 

Outside of the crazier cuts, Canine Country sees a lot of farm breeds like Australian shepherds and border collies as well as smaller varieties like schnauzers, Shih Tzus and chihuahuas. 

Farm dogs often receive a citrus bath which helps avoid fleas and ticks, Cotter said, they then get trimmed to remove dirt and debris from their time spent in nature. Once they found a Jolly Rancher stuck in a dog’s fur, Craig said. 

People want to bring in their dogs once a year, but Craig does not often take many of those appointments, as the matted hair is hard on the clipper blades, she said. 

Many dogs come in once a month and book out a year in advance. When it comes to the tinier dogs many people often want them trimmed up but there are a few who decide to go with fancier haircuts, particularly poodles.

“It seems like it's always the poodle people that want the super fancy haircuts, just because poodles, they have such great hair, you can do anything with them,” Cotter said. 

Glitz and glam

At Lazy K9, owned by Kaly Brown for the past four years  in Powell, doodles of all sizes are popular as well as small dogs like yorkies and Shih Tzus which come along in part due to a senior discount program.

For the most part the dogs Brown grooms have been longtime clients, which allows Brown a little more flexibility. 

“'A lot of people are like, ‘Just do what you think is cute, just make them look good, just do the usual,’” Brown said, adding, “I try to put a little bit of Asian fusion into my grooming.”

This means touches like a short, round muzzle, longer legs or a shaved tip of an ear among other Asian fusion elements she learned from past employers and seminars.

The style is typically easy to manage and is popular, she said.

Brown also works with dyes and even gems with more patient pups, with whom she is familiar and whose owners have requested it. 

Brown, like Cotter first started on her own dog, eight years ago before dog hair dye was invented. People would ask about her dog and Brown would give their dogs a colorful treatment as well, which built the base for her larger dye jobs which aren’t as popular due to expense. She does dye a fair amount of ears, tails and “booties” on the feet. This type of spot dyeing is also easier to get rid of when the owner is done with it. Some owners will even request gems and other sparkly accessories that are applied with eyelash glue and easy to get off with baby oil or something like makeup remover. They will last a while if the dog is not frequently getting wet, Brown said. One customer, a West Highland white terrier, comes in for an appointment every six weeks and usually has her gems still applied. 

Recently some temporary dye products have come out that “can be really fun and not so much of a commitment as a big dye job,” Brown said. 

Across the basin

Janeen Burrows has been in the grooming business for 19 years and has seen grooming trends change from year to year and place to place.

Burrows, who began her career at a vet clinic in Greybull and who specializes in grooming cats despite the higher danger of bites and scratches, is the owner of Countryside Grooming in Worland, with satellite locations in Ralston and Buffalo. 

She said while in Buffalo the groomers see many cocker spaniels, and in Worland many Shih Tzus, schnauzers and Yorkies, Ralston is doodle country. 

“I find it interesting that different areas have different dogs,” she said. “There’s a lot of doodles in Park County.”

The mix between a poodle and another dog, such as a Lab or golden retriever, is a popular breed nationwide, and one that requires a good bit of maintenance due to the hair. 

Burrows said people like their doodles fluffy, with what she calls a “doodle head,” as opposed to the more shaved look as seen in many poodles. 

“A doodle is not a poodle,” she quipped. 

Besides differences in favored dog types around the northern Wyoming communities she has establishments in, Burrows said when she attends larger grooming conferences, she finds she’s more flexible than groomers in other areas of the country, who will only see more regular visitors. 

“I have farmer/rancher dogs, come in for once-a-year cleans, shaves,” she said, noting that some come in with burs clinging to their coats. “In other areas, they wouldn't do that. But that's what makes money here.”

And while certain dogs are much more likely to be seen regularly, she said any dog can benefit from grooming, as it reduces shedding — she sees a lot of short haired dogs for de-sheds. 

The regular dogs, she said, whether doodles, spaniels, Pomeranians or others, come in every six to 12 weeks. 

Other trends that haven't changed? 

People are always happy to treat their dogs well and “hair always grows.”