Anyone have any tips on brushing a dog's teeth?
 

I went out and bought some toothpaste for my dog, but I'm a little unsure of how to actually go about brushing his teeth. He's been having them cleaned at the groomer's but the last couple of months I have been bathing him at home to save money ('cept for his recent visit, of course). His teeth are not in terrible condition, but he does have some minor caries around the gum line and I want to try and keep that under control for obvious reasons.

Does anyone else here brush their dog's teeth? Got any tips for me? He's a pretty good dog about these things, he doesn't fight, rather he tries to skulk away from baths, undercoat brushing, etc. But the thought of trying to keep him still and hold his mouth open while brushing his teeth seems, well, nigh on impossible for me to imagine.

Help. :)

Don't get bit.

What flavor is the toothpaste? My vet once gave me a sample of chicken flavored toothpaste. Don't quite know how that works, but there it is, such things exist.

...you can buy a special toothbrush made for dogs. It slips over your finger and is made of rubber so it's easy to use. There are also special treats, mouthwashes, and additives for their water you can buy just for the purpose of cleaning a dogs teeth.

...be sure not to ever give your dog any sweets...like cookies

...chewing on bones and dry dogfood is a natural cleaner

He would never bite me. :) Not intentionally anyway.
The toothpaste just says 'fresh flavor,' eh heh.


That's a good idea about the finger brush. I am going to look for one of those.

I never give Simba people food. He has a really sensitive stomach, which I found out the messy way.

We do give him dogbones regularly and I'm sure that helps.

Thanks, guys!

Seconded for the finger brush. They're often included in teeth cleaning kits that include the paste, "regular" toothbrush, and the finger brush as an introduction.

Nothing to add besides a question as well, does the toothpaste have the same effect on dogs as they do on humans? i.e. give you a stomach ache if you swallow the paste?

I have no idea...I would think it would be less toxic because it's likely that the dog will swallow some.

Teeth cleaning chews. Owned dogs most of my life. Never brushed a dogs teeth, never had a problem.

Dogs are not people , don't over think (or spend) this it's not rocket surgery.

Right, I thought of that, but he doesn't like chew toys. I've tried many different kinds. Just not into them.

If he didn't have a little tooth decay already, I probably wouldn't be worried about it...

I give my small dogs Greenies, which help their teeth. But hands down the BEST thing I have found is from PetzLife Products Inc - "Dedicated to Improving Pets Lives.

I began using the spray every night1 1/2 years ago and the gell with just my finger 2-3 times a week at the same time. They had their teeth cleaned a few weeks ago and the vet was amazed and the improvement in my oldest's gums and teeth. She wanted to know what we were doing different.

Check out the site. It explains things much better than I could.

Thank you! I will.

There's a muzzle for dogs that is more or less just a little strap that goes over their mouth, try putting on one those and lifting the lips. It will be uncomfortable for the dog at first so make sure you reward the dog with a treat or praise after so it knows its not being punished.

My last dog loved liver flavored toothpaste, I also have heard it works well on cats. Often toothpaste for pets will not have fluoride which is a good thing because it's much easier to brush their teeth when they enjoy the taste of the toothpaste. I think we always go the toothpaste from a vet otherwise I really don't know where to begin looking for it.

Also you pretty much have to hold back the dog's lips, which means it's way easier if you can get someone else to help you.

Third on the little rubber toothbrush that fits on your finger, it's much easier to use than a normal toothbrush.

I don't know about dogs, but I can share some tips about how I brush my cat's teeth:

I sit crosslegged and put him in my lap. Then I sort of "wrap" myself around him to keep him from slipping away. I use one hand to hold his mouth open and the other to brush his teeth. The trick is to hold him tight to my body so he can't squirm away.

Also, I use greenies, like someone else had mentioned previously.

You brush your cat's teeth? You immediately have my respect. Any tips on nail clipping as well?