Thursday, 5 February 2015

3 tips to make brushing your dogs teeth easier

February is Pet Dental Health Month.

Today, I will share some of my own personal tips on brushing your dogs teeth.
After all, a nice pearly white smile is what we like to see with our beloved pets!


Brushing your dogs teeth doesn't have to be a chore, and for some, it does seem more like a chore than anything else. I am not going to claim that I brush my dogs teeth daily, I can honestly say I could use some work in that area. BUT I do brush them, and I believe in dental health for our pets.

Does your dog HATE having their teeth brushed?
Do you find that it becomes a fight every time you try?
Perk up your ears while I share 3 of my best tips with you!


  • Sniff
  • Taste
  • brush
Those are my 3 rules of teeth brushing.

Sniff.


Always allow your dog to smell the toothpaste. (toothpaste for dogs only, not human)
A dog will not want something in their mouth before they have a chance to sniff it, and quite frankly, neither would I!

Taste.


For about a week or two, don't even attempt to brush your dogs teeth.
Put some dog toothpaste on the toothbrush, let them sniff, then let them taste.
Do this every day. This will get them used to the taste, and used to having a toothbrush near their teeth.

Brush.


After your dog is used to the idea of toothpaste and a toothbrush, now you can start brushing.
Don't push it on your dog. If you do, the results will not be what your looking for.
Start slow. For about a week, just brush the front teeth. Make it as quick as you can, and be gentle.
The following week, try out the back teeth only. Just little bits at a time.
The week after that, try and get a whole session in. Front and back teeth.
If your dog is not ready, then he's not ready. Continue to just brush a few teeth at a time until your dog feels more comfortable with it.
You can also use different dental chews to help with teeth, such as Whimzees or Greenies.

Make sure you always create a positive moment for your dog when attempting to brush.
Anything negative will only make your dog fearful of the situation.
Remember to give lots of praise, and take baby steps towards your goal.
Using the 3 steps ; sniff, taste and brush, you will be well on your way to a dog who looks forward to having his teeth brushed!

Do you find it challenging to brush your pets teeth?
How often do you brush them?

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38 comments:

  1. Great post!! The girls really like having their teeth brushed! We do it all the time!

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    1. Thanks :) I bet your girls do love it!

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  2. Good post. We don't brush but have crunchy dry food instead. Have a tremendous Thursday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  3. Very good post and right on point for #dogdentalhealth month! We go with the dental chew method!
    xo Chloe and LadyBug

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    1. Nice :) Dental chews are a big help for sure, but I like to get some brushing in there as well.

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  4. I can honestly say that I don't think we have ever brushed Ava or Veruca's teeth. We go with the hard crunching food, dental chews, and regular check-ups to check the teeth. It might be fun to try and get them to brush!

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    1. For sure! As long as the proper steps are taken to make it fun, it can definitely work out!

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  5. Those are great tips. I think taking it slow is the best tip. :)

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    1. I agree. Taking it slow is definitely important!

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  6. You gotta keep those chompers clean no matter what! We sometimes use the toothbrush and of course, you know I love WHIMZEES!
    Oz

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    1. I know you do! haha! We love Whimzees too! Always have some here in the house!!

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  7. Good instructions - that slow approach is the best.

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    1. I agree. When people try and rush their dogs into teeth brushing, it never has good results.

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  8. I like this approach. I need to brush the dogs teeth. Delilah is the only one who ever gets her teeth brushed and that is usually after she ate something nasty. :-)

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    1. Slow baby steps is definitely the way to go!

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  9. Always best to take the time to do something new slowly if there is to be success. Great tips.

    Woos - Phantom, Ciara, and Lightning

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  10. I wish I'd been this patient with it. What helped a lot was getting a normal human soft toothbrush and using Sugar the Golden Retriever's recipe for homemade toothpaste, which Toby loved. Then last month the vet said she saw "staining" on his teeth and recommended their vanilla mint enzyme toothpaste. Lots of $ so I'm trying to use it but Toby doesn't like it and doesn't want to cooperate much now. So I'd add making sure the dog likes the flavor of the toothpaste!

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    1. Very good point!!! If the dog doesn't like the flavor, I can imagine how hard it would be to get it in their mouths!! Ours is a vanilla. It smells like cake icing! haha!

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  11. Great advice! This is just like my training advice for nails....take it slowly, one step at a time! I really need to start working on this, Especially with Luke while his teeth are still nice and white. I definitely want to keep them that way, and now is the time to start!
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

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    1. Yea for sure! It is so much easier to start when they are at a younger age, while the teeth are still white. Too much staining and tartar will often require a vet visit to have the teeth professionally cleaned.

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  12. Great tips. Slow with positive reinforcement is definitely the way to go!

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  13. Nice post, Jenna! Taking it slow and allowing your dog to get used to toothbrushing is definitely a good idea.

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  14. The mom tried to brush our teefs...she lived to regret it. ;)

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  15. These are great tips! I love the smile picture! ♥

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    1. Thanks Melissa! I thought the little sparkle on her teeth was a great touch haha!

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  16. Replies
    1. I'm not sure what you mean but thanks for coming by! haha! lmao!

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  17. Great tips! Brushing is great, I need to do it more with my gang.

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    1. I do too. I don't do it every day which we all should, but I resolve to be more consistent with brushing.

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  18. Buddy seems to like getting his teeth brushed. I have a little brush that fits over my finger and I do brush his teeth every other day. He also gets a Dentastix daily. Now if he would stop eating horse poo, his breath would be awesome!

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