Ideally, dog teeth cleaning should be a routine part of your pet’s regular care and their teeth should be brushed on a daily basis, or at least every other day or so. Because dog teeth are just as susceptible to disease and decay as are human teeth, it’s extremely important keep tartar and plaque at bay to protect your dog’s precious health.

Dental Health and Your Dog

Dogs can get many of the same tooth, gum and mouth diseases as we can – and since your dog can’t tell you if they have a toothache, pet owners have to make sure to take care of their dog’s teeth. Left alone, a tooth infection can lead to more serious problems with their vital organs.

The diet your dog eats makes a big difference to the health of their teeth. Fortified dog food and treats which are designed to maintain dental health are one good way to protect your pets’ health. You can have your dogs’ teeth professionally cleaned by your vet, but this is not needed except in extreme cases; your dog has to be anesthetized and can be expensive and risky for your pet.

Cleaning Your Dog’s Teeth

With patience and perseverance, you can get your dog to become comfortable with tooth brushing. You adult dog or puppy can learn to have their teeth brushed by using your finger and a canine favorite; peanut butter!

Your pet will lick your finger (and the peanut butter). You can start rubbing their teeth and gums while praising your dog. After a few days you r dog will become accustomed to this and you can start trying it with a piece of gauze wrapped around your finger. Rub the teeth and gums with your finger just as you would with a toothbrush. When your dog gets used to this procedure, you can start using a real toothbrush.

Never use toothpaste intended for humans on your dog as ingredients such as baking soda will upset their stomach. Also, dog toothpaste is specially formulated for their teeth and will have an appealing smell and taste to help make the process a bit easier. Start out by letting your dog lick a dollop of toothpaste off of the brush first, then use more to finally start brushing.

Lift the sides of your dog’s gums so you can access their upper teeth, aptly called the canines, and hold the toothbrush at a 45 degree angle for the best results. This allows you to clean the gum line as well as the teeth to keep the gums equally as healthy. Brushing two to three teeth at a time, brush in a circular motion anywhere from eight to ten times or so in order to get each area clean. A dog’s upper back teeth tend to be the most susceptible to decay and periodontal disease, so if anything, focus your efforts there first.

Dog teeth cleaning should always be a happy, positive event. However, you will want to remain upbeat, but also low-key to keep your dog on the same wavelength and from becoming overly excited. Usually no more than one minute or so is long enough before your dog loses interest, but after practicing for a bit, you’ll find that that’s all it takes to keep your dog’s teeth clean, keeping them happy and healthy.

Canine teeth cleaning is important to overall dog health, and dog teeth cleaning can be effected in a number of ways. You can keep your dog’s teeth clean by brushing your dog’s teeth, by a healthy diet, and by adding a dog teeth cleaning agent to your dog’s drinking water. There is no excuse for dirty or unhealthy teeth.

Related Articles:


Get the Free “Secrets to Dog Training 6 Day Mini Course”!

This course covers selected training methods that are used in “Secrets to Dog Training” and it is yours free with absolutely no obligation whatsoever…

YES! I want to claim my free instant access to the Secrets to Dog Training 6 Day Dog Behavior and Training course ($27 value).

Your Name:  Secrets to Dog Training Free 6 Day Course
Your email Address:
(This is a private and fully protected mailing list. You can unsubscribe at any time).

TrackBack URI | RSS feed for comments on this post


Leave a reply