Keeping that beard clean?!
When I give her a bath, I'm (of course) nervous about using any shampoo on her head and face.... her wiggling around doesn't help much, either! I always try to wash out her beard with just plain water, or with a teeny bit of soap on a washcloth- but it just doesn't work. Her whites can be totally clean & beautiful- but then that beard has streaks of brown in it! Does anyone have any suggestions? Maybe something that works for them? I know that she doesn't always have to look sparkly clean, but I see many pictures in the gallery with sheepies that are! How do you do it? Thanks!  |
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| It's a losing battle! Try to change her water often and dry the beard after she drinks. There are whitening gels that you can use but, honestly, unless you're showing, they're way to much work (at least for lazy old me--probably didn't help that I found the instructions confusing, too).
You're fine to use shampoo on her face. Just make sure it's a dog shampoo and/or tearless so it doesn't burn her eyes in case it drips. |
| ButtersStotch Quote: "It's a losing battle!
I totally agree!!!! .....does she look something like this???????? 
(If not consider yourself REAL Lucky!!!!!!!)  |
| Here is what I do, not only for my show dogs, but also for my retired show dogs who are now just our pets.
I always have a bottle of self rinsing shampoo handy. This stuff is wonderfull for quick touch ups. Spray it in the beard, lather, and towel dry. I then comb out the beard, and apply cornstarch with a blush brush. Depending on the day maybe a quick blow dry and that is it. Hope this helps! |
| Ditto to what Amber advised. Important to, to towel the beard after drinking also.
If there slobbery then very hard to keep that Beard white. I've been lucky so far mine have been non pools of drool.  
Packing the beard with corn or potato starch helps heap to dry it off and get rid of the mud/dirt collected with the wet beard. You apply it with a shaving brush or your hand, pack it in, then just flick it out of the beard with a brush. Works like a dry clean of the beard |
| LOL love that pic That looks like Sophies beard Her's looks like that ALL the time no matter what I do. I just live with Beau is the clean one. Always stays clean but Sophie, I bath her and a half hour later she is outside rolling in the dirt. |
| The staining is simply an acidic reaction, ie the saliva burns the hair chemically, apart from muck in there cleaning will not remove the stain, I give Archie plenty of water and change it regularly as it washes any food or muck out as he drinks, okay he is sloppy but it is clean (ish)
a prime example of how archie is http://archiepup.fotopic.net/p53495355.html |
| Thank You everyone for the great tips. (Love the photo Sheepieshake!!!)
I also didn't realize that the light brownish staining is a reaction to their saliva- no wonder why her beard gets stained when she isn't outside playing in the dirt! And yup, she too is a dirt-lover! 
Sounds like a common thing among sheepies! 
(She was digging in & playing with my garden! Now that garden season is over, she's become obsessed with digging holes in the yard & pulling out rocks- with her mouth!!!! Crazy sheepie!!!) |
My mud monkey has discovered the joys of pulling grass out to get to the dirt. I let him have a good time because I figure, once we start showing, the days of dirt eating are going to be over. Plus, he's so easy to toss in the tub for a quick rinse off right now!
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| Oh, yes, it is a challenge!!!
We can go from this - 
to this! 
and back again.
I wash his face nearly everyday. At the minimum I rinse his face and towel dry. More often I use a diluted shampoo and rinse. Thankfully, he's not a drooler, but he loves water.......in any form....  |
| I love the messy pictures the best! |
| Those feet! Looks like every a.m. after first call.......especially if they felt the need to run the fence before coming in for breakfast.
Also see those usually less than 10 minutes after mopping the floor. As for beard, try rubbing in some Milk of Magnesia then rinising out. When bathing try the ladies' white hair shampoo, of course I don't remember the name but made specifically for white hair. |
Great tips- I'll definitely try those out! Thanks! (Who would've thought that milk of magnesia would be a great doggie shampoo! Just as long as she doesn't try to lick any of it up, or there will be worse messes to clean up!  hehehehe ) |
| I've had a lot of luck with ludo's face being very wet with clean water for a long time. The best luck I've had so far is when we're playing with the hose. He loves it so much, I can spray him in the face and he chomps at the spray, after a half an hour or so of water play, I can towel his face and all the brown streaks are gone. I think his is mostly dirt though, since it's possible to wash his out to white. |
Butterstotch, Jazz does the same thing  My other 3 never pulled out grass I think Jazz is making a career out of it his face is always muddy. When I tell him no, he wants me to chase him to get the grass out of his mouth, I get it, then he grabs more, and I chase. It has become quite the game. I have to stop this now I have never bathed one of my puppies as much as I have this little sheepie devil  We now call him Piggy, and I have to stop that also because he comes to that name |
loried wrote: Butterstotch, Jazz does the same thing
My other 3 never pulled out grass I think Jazz is making a career out of it his face is always muddy. When I tell him no, he wants me to chase him to get the grass out of his mouth, I get it, then he grabs more, and I chase. It has become quite the game. I have to stop this now I have never bathed one of my puppies as much as I have this little sheepie devil We now call him Piggy, and I have to stop that also because he comes to that name That's his favorite thing to do, too! He's very sneaky about it, too. He'll act like he's peeing and then do this very subtle drop of his neck and then PLUCK! He yanks out a huge tuft of grass-- mud, roots and all. He's a nut. I can't complain too much though because he doesn't look for anything else to munch on outside. At least just putting grass in his mouth is pretty safe. He likes to carry it around to show it off, making it very easy for me to take it away! I have found that letting it dry and brushing out works pretty well. I've only actually given Owen one bath since we got him but I brush him every day-- as much as an almost 12 week old puppy will let me. He's definitely due for another bath, though. All the playing with Clyde and Bear leaves him full of spit and other who-knows-what goo. |
got sheep wrote: Oh, yes, it is a challenge!!!
I wash his face nearly everyday. At the minimum I rinse his face and towel dry. More often I use a diluted shampoo and rinse. Thankfully, he's not a drooler, but he loves water.......in any form.... Dawn as always you make me feel like an underachiever!! I am lucky - Morgan is usually in short coat and he is my drooler. Marley has a great teflon coat and only recently started showing any yucky beard thing. guess I need to get her used to a nightly beard bath after she eats (its the raw meat that is doing it now I am sure). |
kerry wrote: got sheep wrote: Oh, yes, it is a challenge!!! I wash his face nearly everyday. At the minimum I rinse his face and towel dry. More often I use a diluted shampoo and rinse. Thankfully, he's not a drooler, but he loves water.......in any form.... Dawn as always you make me feel like an underachiever!! I am lucky - Morgan is usually in short coat and he is my drooler. Marley has a great teflon coat and only recently started showing any yucky beard thing. guess I need to get her used to a nightly beard bath after she eats (its the raw meat that is doing it now I am sure). You are NOT an underacheiver!!! Chewie goes places at least 2 days a week - just to classes with me. Throw in the odd conformation class and therapy dog visits..... He also is a total momma's boy and always in my face. He is a boy....he licks himself....I wash his face!!!!! |
got sheep wrote: He is a boy....he licks himself....I wash his face!!!!!
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| Does anyone use one of those electronic water feeders? Are they viable for this breed given the beard? |
| Mine isn't electronic - but I do use one of the fountain style waters with a gallon sized jug that fills the dish. |
| I have always worried about getting shampoo in Chauncey's eyes so I use Johnsons baby shampoo on his face & beard. An added benefit is it's easy to rinse out. It also keeps it nice & white. The lavender smells nice.
On his body I use a good quality human shampoo & cream rinse. |
| there is an addative that you can get that you put in the food, it is supposed to cure it from the inside out. its for tear stains and mouth stains, its from america from a site called www.bichonhotel.co.uk its called angels delight, ive not tried it yet but it has been recomended to me by other groomers.
i too have this problem with my swamp thing! i also use whitening shampoo by kelco leave it on for 5 minutes, do it again, leave and rinse, i dont like leaving shampoo on especially around the mouth. i have also been recomended the corn starch but mixed half and half with baby powder |
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