Disgusting, Smelly, Stinky Beard!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I think this has come up before, but I just haven't been able to find the discussion.  Murphy's beard stinks!  I had him groomed on Monday, and they did cut it back some, and he had a good "face wash".  He came home looking and smelling great.  By yesterday, the beard was slimy and smelled awful.  It's because he's dipping his whole face in the water dish when he drinks.  He "emerges" from a drink of water dripping wet.  I've been trying to wipe it dry each time, but that's a never ending task.  I can get it clean by putting some shampoo on a facecloth and washing it really well...but that only lasts a day.  I worry about putting too much shampoo on his face....that can't be good.  I look at other Doodles' pictures, and their beards look just fine....not discolored and even pretty dry, plus I'm betting they don't stink.  So how are you doing it?

[Heather and Bama]

Try wiping with baby. Wipes. It seems to help between shampoos. Hope others have more ideas.

[Linda and "Toby"]

Toby's gets wet when he drinks water, but living in the desert (with minimal humidity), I haven't had a problem with it smelling bad. I did a Google search and found some discussions. I hope these help:

"boo had the most horrible smell coming from her face after a trip to the vet we were told it was dermatitis. she also has the folds in her lips it only affects one side of her mouth."

"Nelson had a yeast infection on his chin and it smelled really nasty. The vet gave us prescription shampoo and it worked well."

This one had good info on smells AND beard stains:  http://www.oes.org/page2/31533~Funky_and_Fowl_smelling_muzzle.html

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jack actually developed an oral infection on the side of his lower gums from all the gunk that gets stuck in his beard. We're now shaving the sides close to his lip; you can't even see it, because his "mustache" hair hangs down and covers the sides of his muzzle, but it's a lot cleaner and no stink! I've found the sides of their beards where their lips are looser is where the problem is worst.

[Kathy Brady]

Jane,

Count Tully in as a stinky face! We call him the "wet mop" because that's exactly what is beard smells like just hours after grooming. I assumed it's because he puts his entire face into his dish, rather than just his mouth, and because he dives into the toilet for a drink and comes up dripping. On occasion, I have used a warm washcloth to just tone down the odor, sometimes with a dollop of organic lotion or essential oil; I'm careful about what I put on his face. Who knew that, among their vast array of talents, Doodles are great face divers--better than dumpster by a long shot.

[Camilla and Darwin]

I wish I knew the answer to this! We do the washcloth thing too. Someone suggested hydrogen peroxide to me once... but I've never tried it.

[Bonnie and Kona]

That sounds like a good idea especially in lieu of the possibility of infection. Kona's face doesn't smell but it is always wet. In fact we talk about how good Kona smells. Of course, Owen still has some of that lovely puppy smell I can never get enough of.

[Sharon & Monty]

I keep Monty's beard nearly nonexistent.  He does get staining on the long hair around his mouth, I trim that back too.  I cant keep all the stained look away but it helps. He doesn't submerge his face in the water.  Maybe some kind of food or treats that Murphygets?

[Martha & Cooper]

Cooper's beard and mustache got kind of stinky too and I remembered that tea tree oil was a great natural antiseptic and antifungal, so I asked my Vet if it would hurt him if I used a couple of drops in warm water to wash his beard and mustache and she said it wouldn't and to go ahead and try it.   It worked wonders for him.  I do it at least once a week between seeing the groomer and whenever I notice him starting to get a smell.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Where do you find tea tree oil?

[Martha & Cooper]

You can buy it at any health food store or find it on the internet.

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

So here is my take on the beard problem. The founder of the ALD's says that the dogs should not have beards. The chin should be kept short. I do this  for my dogs as well as trim very close all the way around the mouth. I feed raw, so this helps keep them clean. There is little beard to get wet as well.

 

When poodles are groomed, they get not only 'clean feet' but also shaved muzzles. The groomer has to learn to take every last hair from around the mouth. I use these techniques to give my dogs 'clean toes' which are hidden by the foot hair and 'clean lips' to keep the mouth clean. This prevents the lip hair from curling into the mouth as well.

If you do get the smelly beard syndrome, you can wipe their mouth with water and vinegar.

Here is a pic of one of my doodes that shows her chin is short, but her throat is longer. The trim around the mouth is hidden. Also hidden is the shaved strip around her neck from ear to ear. The longer throat hair hides it.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am glad to hear this from you. I really don't like the beards and never let my doodles get long under the chin.