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| By Austin Wilson |
Brushing your dogs teeth sounds like an easy chore, right? Those who’ve tried would tell you a very different story.
This is most likely the first method you tried with the least successful result. When I ask my students how they try brushing their dogs teeth, the average response I get is that they just go for it. They put the dog toothpaste on the brush and try to force the tooth brush into the dogs mouth. As you probably guessed, that never works. So here’s the best method I’ve found for brushing your dogs teeth.
The first thing you should is desensitize your dog. The best time to do this is when they’re puppies. You can try desensitizing them when they’re older, but it’ll take a little longer. Start by flipping their gum several times a day and, using a finger, gently brush their teeth. The best time to do this is when your dog is tired or sleepy, but not asleep. If you try while your dog is sleeping, you may spook them which will likely result in them biting at you. Do this until your dog is used to you playing with their mouth and won’t resist when you raise their gum.
Next we should introduce them to toothpaste. The first thing to note is that you should never use human toothpaste. It’s toxic for dogs. We have to assume that our dog will want to swallow whatever we put in their mouth so always use dog toothpaste, which is edible for dogs. Cover half your finger nail with dog toothpaste and let your dog lick it off. Add a little more each day until your dog is used to the taste.
Next is finding the right toothbrush. Different size dogs need different size toothbrushes. Arm & Hammer sells kits with toothbrushes with a large head on one side and a smaller head on the other, along with a finger brush and toothpaste. You can pick these up at PetSmart or order online at chewy.com. You can also use a baby toothbrush. Baby toothbrushes are small enough to reach the back of the dogs mouth. You can get these for free at most dental offices but it will probably be more convenient just to pick one up at the store.
Now it's time to brush your dogs teeth. Lift your dogs gum and gently proceed to brush their teeth. Make small circular motions starting at the back of your dogs mouth and make your way to the other side. Make sure you also get their back teeth because their especially vulnerable to tartar and plague. Your dog probably won’t let you clean the interior of their mouth so just stick to the outside facing side of their teeth. The dog will lick the toothpaste and bring it inside their mouth. After the teeth cleaning, make sure to praise and reward your dog so they don't become resistant the next time you try to brush their teeth.
Ideally, you should brush your dogs teeth every day, but once every 3 days to once a week will do the job just fine. The best time to do it is right before they go to bed. That way the toothpaste is cleaning their mouth overnight and your dog isn’t washing it out by eating food or drinking water.
If you’re not comfortable brushing your dogs teeth, you can leave it to a professional. Your vet or pet grooming salon will likely provide teeth cleaning services so you have one less thing to worry about.
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