How to Prepare Your Dog For Teeth Brushing
First, don’t expect your dog to immediately get on board with teeth cleaning. It can take plenty of time for your dog to adjust to having his teeth brushed. “Take it slow,” Dimock says. “Dont expect to be brushing the dogs teeth after the second day. Some people expect that, and then they give up pretty quickly.”
Before you even put any toothpaste on your dog’s toothbrush, let him sniff the toothbrush and get used to it. Do that two to three times per day for a few days. Next, put some dog-specific toothpaste on the brush and let him lick it off. Then, you can put the toothbrush with toothpaste on it in your dog’s mouth, Dimock says. After seven to 10 days, you might be able to start brushing your dog’s teeth. Try to not get discouraged. It can take time to make real progress.
“Even if you just get a few teeth initially. Thats better than nothing,” Dimock says. “You might not be getting all the teeth, but just slowly work into it.”
Start with the front teeth, and then work your way back. Try a few teeth at a time. Eventually, you’ll want to do the entire mouth.
If possible, try to start toothbrushing when your dog is a puppy. Puppies pick up new things faster, and it’s a good habit to get into early.
Make Teeth Brushing Fun for the Dog
If you want to increase the chances your dog will actually like having her teeth brushed, try to make it an enjoyable experience. As with most dog training, positive reinforcement is the key—especially if you have a dog who hates having his teeth brushed.
“The big thing is just making it a fun thing for the dog,” Dimock says. “Make him sit down, and then give him treats. And then do a little brushing, and then give him treats, and then go for a walk or play ball, whatever is super fun for that dog. Make it so that they have to get the teeth brushing before they do something fun. So they know it takes a few minutes out of my day, but then I get to go play ball.”
Be sure to purchase pet-specific toothpaste for your dog. This is critical for one key reason: “The pH in a dog’s mouth is different than the pH of a human’s mouth,” Ashely Rossman, DVM, of Glen Oak Dog & Cat Hospital in Glenview, Illinois, says. Human toothpaste also can contain ingredients like fluoride that could harm your dog if they’re swallowed.
Dog toothpaste can also be flavored to taste like poultry or other foods a dog might like. If you’re searching for high-quality products, look for those approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council, a group of veterinary professionals who review products for effectiveness.
Both vets we spoke with preferred using finger brushes to remove plaque from dogs’ teeth, rather than a regular toothbrush. For starters, the finger brushes are inexpensive. They also tend to be easier to use than a long toothbrush.
“I prefer the thimble ones because I feel like you just have better control, especially with small dogs,” Dimock says.
You may have heard about brushing a dog’s teeth with coconut oil or see some people recommend brushing a dog’s teeth with baking soda. But both vets we spoke with said nothing is better than real dog-specific toothpaste.
“You could use baking soda,” Rossman says. “Its not going to do as good of a job as the enzymatic toothpaste for dogs.”
To remove plaque and tartar from teeth, you can either use a circular or up-and-down motion to brush the teeth. “I do circular and side by side, depending on where youre at and how your hand is situated,” Dimock says. “And the big thing is just to avoid getting all the gum. You want to get kind of close to the gum line, but not on the gums because you can make them bleed. So kind of focusing more on the actual crown of the tooth.”
Focusing on the crown or exterior part of the tooth is important because that’s where most of the tartar you’re trying to eliminate is located.
Brushing your dog’s teeth daily would be ideal. But brushing your dog’s teeth on any kind of regular schedule is a good idea. “If you can brush your dogs teeth once a day that would be a gold star. But most people are not going to be able to do that,” Rossman says. Make your goal something that as a pet owner you can actually follow through with. Even if thats once a week or once every two weeks, “Try to put it on the calendar and make it [happen] because that is truly the best thing that you can do to keep your dogs teeth as healthy as possible,” Rossman says.
Is Human Toothpaste Safe For Dogs?
Never use human toothpaste for your dog!
Many human toothpastes contain xylitol, an artificial sweetener that is toxic to dogs. Xylitol can cause blood sugar drops in dogs, as well as potential liver damage and even death.
Human toothpastes also usually contain fluoride … another dangerous ingredient for your dog. Fluoride is a neurotoxicant that can affect brain and behavioral development. Ironically, it can also damage teeth, weaken bones and has even been linked to deadly osteosarcoma.
Other undesirable ingredients in human toothpastes include detergents like sodium lauryl sulfate, which is linked to mouth sores. There are humectants like propylene glycol, which is also in antifreeze. And of course, those bold stripes and bright colors mean toothpaste contains artificial colors and flavors you don’t want in your dog’s mouth.
Easy way to brush a dog’s teeth
Baking soda is a great product to use to eliminate bacteria and clean problem areas on your dog’s teeth. Making a baking soda toothpaste for your small dog is very simple and easy to do.
Brushing your dogs teeth is important for his overall health. Small dogs have small faces, which may cause dental problems to begin with. Your small dog’s oral health is going to be closely tied to his overall health. Be sure youre brushing your dogs teeth and maintaining his overall health so he does not develop periodontal disease, causing harm in his tiny mouth and throughout his little body. Baking soda is a natural cleaner that is used to whiten, clean, and deodorize your dogs mouth, teeth, and gums. Baking soda is also great for killing bacteria along the gumline and between the teeth. Brushing with baking soda helps prevent oral health troubles.
Baking soda does not taste all that great. So your little guy might be a bit apprehensive about having his teeth brushed with baking soda. If your dog is used to having his teeth brushed already, you might begin adding baking soda to his toothpaste a little at a time. Over time, you can decrease the amount of toothpaste and increase the amount of baking soda until you are using baking soda every time. For the first few sessions make them short and simple, and always reward your little guy for tolerance and patience.
Give your small dog a big healthy smile with the power of water and baking soda together. His big pearly whites will be healthy and clean, and brushing will support his overall health and give him a barking good smile.