Ask anyone what they think of when they hear the name ‘schnauzer’ and they’ll probably say ‘beard’. This long fur along the snout and under the chin gives schnauzers character and is part of their great charm. But sometimes groomers trim the beard shorter than the owner wants or groomers chop it all off.
So, will a schnauzer’s beard grow back? A schnauzer’s beard and whiskers will grow back if they are cut too short or shaven off. This regrowth takes 5 to 24 weeks depending on the length of the beard, how fast the dog’s hair grows, age, and how healthy the dog is. You should see obvious hair growth within 6-8 weeks.
The hair on a schnauzer’s nose and top of the snout may take longer to grow and often stands in all directions as it grows out. Once fully grown, this hair should lie flat with a middle path along the ridge. But did you know that there are ways to help the beard grow back?
How to help your schnauzer’s beard grow back faster
If your schnauzer is running around without a beard, there are some simple things you can do to help the beard grow back faster and healthier.
You will need to focus on three key areas to help the beard grow: good nutrition from the inside, keeping the dog’s skin healthy and moisturized, and preventing damage to the beard growth.
1. Make sure you’re feeding your schnauzer good food
Good hair growth starts with good nutrition.
The first thing to do is check what you are feeding your schnauzer. A high-quality dog food with the right vitamins, oils and nutrients is vital for a dog’s coat and beard. Giving your dog the right food is essentially feeding the hair growth from the inside, so the hair can develop properly to grow strong and healthy.
Be sure to feed your schnauzer food that is made for its breed and age. If you don’t know what to feed your schnauzer, ask your vet to recommend some good brands and products. There will be feeding instructions on the bag for you to follow.
2. Keep the dog’s skin healthy and avoid dry skin
Next, you can add supplements to your schnauzer’s diet.
There are some wonderful dog-specific supplements that can be given to your dog and many schnauzer owners swear by salmon oil and vitamin E to prevent dry skin and dandruff. Please speak to your vet or a trained professional for advice on this if you aren’t sure what to give or how much. You can also add 1-2 teaspoons of coconut oil to your dog’s food every morning to keep their skin moisturized.
The oil and supplements should help to nourish the skin and prevent it from getting dry.
If your dog spends time in the house and you live in a dry climate or your schnauzer suffers from dry skin, a great option is to get a humidifier. Humidifiers add moisture to the air and can help to prevent dry skin:
Using a humidifier to add moisture to the indoor air may help to reduce the occurrence of dry, cracked skin.
Source: Medical News Today
3. Avoid damage to the beard
There are a few things that can damage a schnauzer’s beard, causing it to break or the hair to fall out.
One of the most common problems is using a halter harness, which goes over the dog’s head. These harnesses work great for walks, but every time you pull it over the face it can damage or break a schnauzer’s beard.
It’s better to use a step-in harness that doesn’t go over your dog’s head if you’re trying to protect or regrow the beard.
Also, be very gentle with the beard when brushing and washing it, as the hair can break off if it’s fragile.
Is it painful for a schnauzer to get their beard cut?
No, it doesn’t hurt the dog when a schnauzer’s beard is cut or trimmed, unless the skin gets caught. Just remember that trimming a schnauzer’s beard will also trim their whiskers.
How short should you trim a schnauzer’s beard?
The length of your schnauzer’s beard is purely up to you. Some dog owners love a long beard on their schnauzer, others like it shorter and fluffier, while others trim the beard right down as it’s much easier to keep clean and maintain. If not brushed daily, mats and knots can form in the beard and these have to be cut out.
If your schnauzer competes in dog shows, the beard should be long, full, and professionally groomed.
If you do decide to let the beard stay long, it’s a good idea to tidy up the bottom of the beard every 6-8 weeks. Simply follow the curved line at the bottom of the beard and trim off any straggly hairs or dead ends to neaten it up. Never cut the beard straight across as it will end up looking very strange.
Cutting layers into the beard may cause it stand up more, making it wider around the face. Remember that longer, heavier hair will lie flatter on and around the face.
Many people take their dogs to be groomed and are very upset with how the groomer cuts the beard. Never assume a groomer knows what you want them to do. Take photos with to show the groomer how you want the fur cut and the beard shaped or sit there with the groomer while they groom your dog.
Why do schnauzers have beards?
No one can say for sure why mother nature gave schnauzers beards, but it’s thought that their beards are a protection mechanism.
Schnauzers were bred to catch vermin on farms. Vermin is any small wild animal that eats crops, harms animals, or carries disease, such as mice and rats. But these rodents will defend themselves when under attack, and they may scratch or bite a schnauzer’s face and mouth.
It’s thought that the beard is there to protect the schnauzer from such attacks.
When is a schnauzer’s beard fully grown?
Every dog is different and, just like humans, so are their beards. Some schnauzers have longer beards, others shorter beards, and others hardly have any beard at all. Even a beard’s texture will differ: Some beards are long and silky, while other beards are fuzzy and short.
Most owners say that their schnauzers’ beards were fully grown between 10 and 18 months old. Beards often reach their full length by this age but can fill out more between 10 and 36 months of age. Other schnauzers have beards that grow throughout their lifetime.
Schnauzer beards are a lot like human hair – they tend to reach a certain length and then break off naturally. So there’s really no one-length-fits-all rule for schnauzer beards.
A schnauzer’s beard tends to grow faster when the dog is still young and growing. Beard growth may slow down as the dog matures into adulthood, from about 2 years of age.
Do female schnauzers have beards?
Yes, female schnauzers have beards. Their beards also vary in length, texture, and thickness, just as they do with male schnauzers.
How to look after a schnauzer’s beard
If the beard isn’t brushed and washed regularly, it will become knotted and matted. Once the hair has knots and mats in it, the easiest and most pain-free way to fix this is to cut them out of the beard.
To prevent knots and mats from forming in your schnauzer’s beard, comb it twice a day. You also need to wash it at least once a week using a suitable shampoo or a dry shampoo, then condition the hair.
When drying your schnauzer’s beard, gently squeeze it dry with a towel. Don’t ever rub the hair roughly with a towel as this could break off the hair or cause mats and knots.
How to keep a schnauzer’s beard white
There are a few things that can stain and discolor your schnauzer’s beautiful white beard, such as the food they eat, and even their own tears and saliva. This discoloration doesn’t affect the beard or bother the dog, and if you are brushing daily and washing weekly then the beard should stay relatively clean. But this discoloration might bother you.
Here’s a list of simple things you can do to whiten or keep your schnauzer’s beard white if it becomes brown and stained:
- Gently tie the dog’s beard with a hair tie or scrunchie before mealtimes, to prevent the food from staining the beard.
- Try a different dog food that doesn’t have grains or cereals in it.
- Use pet wipes or fragrance-free baby wipes to clean the beard and eye area daily.
- Put a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in the schnauzer’s water every day to increase the dog’s acidity level, which fights bacteria and prevents tear stains.
- Try a dog whitening shampoo, which is made to whiten fur and is gentle enough for your dog’s skin.
- If you want a natural alternative to whitening shampoo, make a paste from warm water and baking soda. Rub this into your dog’s beard and let it sit for a few minutes before washing it out with clean warm water.
- Run a fine stripping knife through the beard once a week to remove stained fur.
- Give your dog a tums antacid once a day. Just don’t choose the peppermint flavor as your dog probably won’t like it.
If all else fails and the beard remains stained and dirty, it might be best to give it a good trim and let it grow out over the next few weeks.
