Doodle Beards

[Boomer and Jeri]

Ok, so here is the latest drama.  Poor Boomer gets sopping wet whenever he drinks from his bowl.  Aside from drippin all over the floor and leaving wet spots all over my lap, The bigger issue is how badly his beard smells.  It takes forever to dry and without fail he drinks again and starts the cycle all over again.  His beard never gets a chance to dry until the morning after he has slep!  I am looking for a natural solution.  Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

Thanks,

 

Jeri and Boomer!

[ej]

My DH and I are probably the weird ones here...

After Koda's professional grooming (3 weeks back), he came home smelling all nice and clean, and we were both a little disappointed cos he did not smell like Koda to us. Finally after 2 weeks, his beard has gone through numerous cycles of wet and partial dry, then wet again, the skunky beard smell is back! Ahhh! The Koda smell... we LOVE it!

I agree with the suggestion on keeping the beard short, if the smell really bothers you.

What I really don't like is the dark reddish brownish stain on his beard. Someone suggested those special wetwipes for Maltese tear stains.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

We have that problem with Murphy, too. When I can't stand the smell any longer, I lather up a face cloth with warm water and a little of his shampoo, and clean his beard area really good. It gets rid of the odor for a day or two, but then it's back.

[Sue Z. + Finley]

What about a spray of apple cider vinegar and water solution. You can keep it mixed in a spray bottle to use when needed. I spray Finley's beard ( or sometimes the whole body) and wipe off the excess. The apple cider smell lingers for a little while, then disappears. I used this when Finley smelled like Fritos - it really works. I also give him Kefir (which is like yogurt) and that has helped control the smell.

[Melissa]

Any thoughts on baby wipes? Maybe that would help with the smell and it may be easier than lathering the area up.

[Robert Johnson & Joan Milligan]

We use baby wipes on Angus. Our groomer recommends them.

[Boomer and Jeri]

Boy oh boy! Thanks so much! I have a lot to think about!

My family loves the "shaggy" look on Boomer, although his summer cut is adorable too! He is just so cute, i think he would look great any way you groom him! Either way, we like his beard to "look" full. someone suggested to me to trim the fur under his lower jaw very short and leave the top longer. This would give the same appearance as a full beard. Unfortunately, Boomer has a lot of facial hair! LOL! he is still too shaggy and damp.

I heard about the vinegar, but never thought to use apple cider vinegar. That may be a good solution as it is antibacterial too! The lemon sounds great too, for the same reason! And the lemon smells great!

The ideal scenario would be to put something in his water on a daily basis so keep the smell at bay, rather than have to shampoo him every day! Who has time for that?! I promise to follow-up with any solutions I find and thanks for all your imput!!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Squeeze a lemon in the water. I haven't needed to try this but it is what I would do if Ned or Clancy's beards smelled - maybe they do, but if I smelled that they smelled.

[Linda Karell]

Yup--I keep Chervil's cut short, too. Not as much for the smell as for the mess. I like the look, though. She has a rounder face that way. But I keep her pretty short anyway--turns out I didn't have the patience for a long coat--so that may not be the answer that will work for you. Good luck!

[Lorraine Bromley]

Yep, and I just fixed it and fixed it good! I bought the no spill bowl from gundog website. It is listed as a recommended product here on doodlekisses. I didn't think it would make THAT much of a difference, but BOY was I WRONG! It is a Godsend. Our hardwood floors are clean. We have no wet feet. Neely doesn't drip all over us. Only thing is its plastic. He figured it out really quickly but when it ran dry the first night, apparently he knew it had to come apart to clean and refill it so how does a doodle do this...he uses his teeth! So it is now a very great bowl and MOSTLY no spill. It will drip along the side he got the worst when it is upside down. But seriously get it. Worth the price.

[Dr. Judith P. LaVorgna]

My Austrailian Labradoodle girl, Gypsy, also gets soaking wet under her chin and in her beard when drinking water. When I first noted it she also had a bit of an odor from the damp area combined with her very tight, very tight curls. I was advised to do two tings, clean her chin with white vinegar and water solution (one part vinegar and 3 parts water) by rubbing it under her chin and then patting dry with a paper towel or a regular clean white handtowel. I was further told by the Vet to keep the hair under her chin and her beard shorter so that the fur would dry faster.. Apparently if it stays damp and smelly any length of time, the skin under her chin will or can become infected; sometimes become masecrated.. If this should happen, antibiotics are the only solution to what can quickly and silently become an open wound which is mushed with fur and dried bloody skin which then often becomes both itchy and painful. My Gypsy is now fine as long as I make sure to keep that chin hair short and give her what is called in other forums, the Doodle Kiss....literally the white vinegar and water wash and dry under chin and also kept shorter and thin the beard. Either I do it after the Vet showed me how or it is accomplished when she's groomed. This long standing solution is called on other forums, a Doodle Kiss! Pretty neat based on the name of this site. Gypsy doesn't mind it at all now, I use the solution as necessary, but the groomer actually has shaped the fur under her chin and side beard so she is almost bald there but you don't notice it looking at her.
Some people use a raised feeding and water bowl for dogs who have this issue. That didn't work for Gypsy. No apple cider vinegar tho, absolutely no said the Vet and other forum where I posted... Plain white vinegar and water. You can keep the solution readily available in the refrig and remake it after several days. The vinegar odor simply disappears in a very short time from the hair.
Most dogs have no problem with this...but for those who do it can become much larger than just a problem if you know what I mean. I've had Gyps for three years and she is my only Doodle Kiss dog! Not necessary at all with my other two.
Works just great! Not good to shampoo there frequently said my Vet...disturbs the balance of the skin. So do the Doodle Kiss and I'm sure you will see a VAST improvement quickly. I did...and I learned it from several other Doodle owners when I sometime ago asked the same question elsewhere. You will be so happy. I am. Some people use a half and half solution for their Doodle Kiss. I didn't have to do that since I had Gypsy's hair and beard organized as I proceeded. Good luck. You will be amazed at the difference.

[Frannie & Callie]

I have organic doggie grooming wipes (they are probably just unscented huggies odor-free baby wipes, put in different packaging and upcharged 800%) to deal with Callie's dirty spots. The beard isn't a huge smelly spot for her, but she does sometimes get a funky "butt" smell around her tush (not a poop smell), and if I don't have the time for a full-out bath I clean her up with these wipes. I also have a spray version too, if I need more saturation (I feel bad telling all the shortcuts I take...I just don't always have time for the 2+ hours it takes to wash her and get her thouroughly dry!).

[Zoe, Benny and Tyler]

Would a different water bowl help like the buddy bowl? You fill the bowl and it has an extra layer floating on the water with some holes in there. When the dog drinks it pushes the layer down and water comes up. You won't have a mess in the house and I think it would also keep the beard more dry.
I actually use it for in the car because it can't spill.