Canine dental hygiene is very important in the health of your dog and proper dental care for a dog can combat bad breath, plaque and gum disease which affects your dogs’ overall health. In order to keep a healthy mouth you must brush your dogs’ teeth once a day but sometimes we may not have the time to sit and scrub every tooth or as new owners might not even know where to begin.

All the items you need to keep your pup’s teeth healthy.

When brushing your dogs’ teeth it is important to have the proper tools for the job. Start off with the best toothpaste, for us there are many formulas to choose from but in the dog world having pet specific toothpaste with a nice flavor will do the trick. Do not use human toothpaste because dogs tend to swallow a lot of the paste during brushing and human toothpaste will upset their stomach. After choosing the toothpaste it is time to find the perfect toothbrush and there are a few that are best for certain breeds. In our video we go over the benefits of the different toothbrushes and how they work for dogs.

Once you have the tools for cleaning it is important to have your dog comfortable with fingers in the mouth so they don’t get startled and bite on your hand. For beginners, it is best to first rub their teeth with peanut butter or something sweet so they associate brushing as a positive thing. You want to do this several days in a row and follow up with treats. When your dog is comfortable with fingers entering the mouth now introduce the brush with toothpaste by first letting your dog lick the brush to get use to the texture and gently rub the teeth and gums. Again do this several days in a row with treats and praise.

When your dog is comfortable with the toothbrush against the tooth, you can start brushing regularly. First gently hold back your dogs’ lip and start brushing at a slight angle to the gumline, brushing a few teeth at a time. Brush the outside of the teeth, gently moving back and forth, be sure to speak to your dog in a soothing tone and always follow up with a treat. Over time you can lengthen the session to gradually be able to clean all teeth in one sitting. Be sure to watch our video for a live demonstration of how to clean your dogs’ teeth and more detail over all the products available to you.