Marj,
Her beard is actually a little yellow. It tends to fade after bath day but by the end of the week it's yellow again. I really don't do anything with it except comb it and wash her every 1-2 weeks.
ButterCloudandNoriko,
Yes she does get mats in that area. I just comb them out every once in a while.
I really don't groom as well as some of the people on this forum and I defiantly don't groom as often. Fantasia gets brushed once every 2-3 days and then it's not her entire body. I do a little at a time because she gets fussy if I brush her all in one day. She tends to not get too bad though so I can get away with it. The base of her tail is the worst and that's mostly because that's where she gets cottony. The cleaner she is the less she mats.
When we were at the vets the other day, the assistant (the one holding Fantasia down) kept commenting on Fantasia. She also kept asking about her tear staining and how I kept the stains away. I told her I didn't know, she just doesn't get that bad. I only wash around her eyes every couple of days. I told her it must have been in the breeding even though she was a puppy mill dog.
I like having a low maintenance dog lol.