# How do you keep beards clean?



## LibbyDog (Aug 22, 2013)

My dog's white beard is stained from food. I wipe her off after she eats with a wet wash cloth. But the bigger issue is that her beard seems to get matted. I brush her out and the rest of her body is just fine, but I had to get matted spots out in a couple of places on top of her mouth and her beard.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I don't think there's an easy answer. I grew up with schnauzers and we never found a magical way to keep their beards clean. 

What do you feed her? If you're feeding wet food, she would probably get less staining if you moved to only kibble.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

I use no canned foods, dyes, only kibble and real meats. I also wash their face off with a clean wet wash cloth after every single meal.  I use tear free shampoo in their beards at bath time.


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## RoughCollie (Mar 7, 2011)

Aidan's beard and mustache get matted unless I comb the hair every day. If I forget to do it or get lazy, I cut out the mats that I can't easily remove. I have no reasonable excuse for not doing it since this takes only a few minutes a day and he cooperates with me.

His beard/mustache never get stained. He eats Orijen kibble and various homecooked meats and veg, and sometimes raw beef, beef bones, and bully sticks. He gets canned food once in awhile, usually single ingredient.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

If your hair was dunked in food and water, and rubbed on the floor, thru the grass etc, and not brushed and cleaned every day, it would be a mess too. ;-)


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## Sighthounds4me (Nov 7, 2010)

Knock on wood, Bru's beard is doing well. It's a little stained, but not bad. It rarely mats, but I do run a comb through it regularly.

You can try self-rinse (waterless) shampoos daily, or a leave-in conditioner spray to prevent matting, and loosen mats that do form. Otherwise, regular combing may be the only answer to matting, and the stains can be considered a strictly cosmetic problem.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

I know I'm a little late to the party, but if you're still here, this is the secret to keeping beards/ears clean:

Use a drinking bottle instead of a bowl. 

I used to wonder how show people kept their Shih Tzus/Malteses sparkly clean too, until I realized that their dogs NEVER drink from water bowls. Only from bottles. Here's what they look like:

http://thumbs4.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mSDdoTDqXPWIGBdsS1jZwbg.jpg

You can get similar ones off eBay and various websites... the dogs catch on pretty quickly. All my puppies are raised in play pens that don't have water bowls, only bottles (because they step all over the bowls and spill everything onto the floor). They catch on really quickly!

Oh and also, clean your dog's face with a wet towel or wet wipe after meals! Or even better, give it a quick rinse.


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## dextermax (Feb 2, 2015)

My shihtzu can really slobber. I have to clean his bowl out every couple days because the amount of build-up is disgusting. A paper towel moistened with water can help reduce the amount of staining, but for him it usually takes a good bath to get it all out.


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## noahwhite (Dec 10, 2014)

Same as you doing, wiping his face as the time after meal.


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