Shitzu beard

Question
I have a 4 mo old shitzu and his beard is always brown.  I clean it all the time with a wet wash cloth, but it doesnt come off.  It gets under his eyes too, but his beard is worse.   I heard that if you dilute listerine (the original one) with water it will take the stains away...have you heard of this?

Answer
Hello Joy, First let's see if we can determine the cause of the brown on the beard.  Is your puppy licking an area in excess?  If so mixing saliva and your puppies body chemistry will turn the beard brown and also the area your puppy is licking will turn brown, usually problem areas are pads of the feet, the belly area and sometimes the tail.  If you see the symptoms then take her to the vet for the cure.  As far as under the eyes, dogs tear, some tear brown and some are clear.  This is due to their PH balance.  There is one product on the market that I can back and that is Angel Glow.  This is a product that is powder and you put it on your dogs food, it will alter the PH and even though your puppy/dog will still tear it will be clear.  Check out their website - www.angelsglow.com - I use it for my poodle and it WORKS.  I have not heard of the listerine solution.  I have heard of wetting the beard area with lemon juice (a natural bleacher) then scrubing the area with baking soda (a natural whitener)  Once the area is stained it is hard to remove, solve the problem causing the stain and once the hair has grown out, cut it off.  I hope this helps, Thanks for asking, Cindy Lou :)