Schnauzer with slow beard growth

Question
I was wondering since you raise Schnauzers if you might have any suggestions on how to get our toy schnauzer's beard to be more full. She is 15 months old, excellent health, from a legitimate breeder. It seems her beard is not as full as it was and her coat color has faded. I realize the color change can happen as she gets older, but the beard growth puzzles us. She is on no grain, high protein, high quality food. Arcana Pacifica blend and she gets digestive enzymes. She has not had her beard cut, other then the edges to shape it, but it definitely is not as full. Any thoughts?

Answer
At 15 months, your dog may have lost some puppy coat and is now growing in more adult coat, or she may have chewed some of it off by gnawing on chew toys or just in playing with her toys. If she has a friend she plays with on a regular basis, that dog may have chewed it off in play. If you are not her groomer, the groomer may have thinned some of it out in order to get a proper rectangular look to her head. Without knowing the exact cause for the thinning, one cannot find a proper solution.

The fading of color can be due to the food being fed, but is more likely due to her being clipped, which I assume is how her coat is being handled. Most hairs are finer down at the base of the hair shaft, and when that is clipped short, the texture is gone. The only way to get texture and color back is to strip (pull) out the coat or to rake it once a week with something like the FurGOPet Deshedder.