How to Brush your Dogs Teeth By Bonnie Kemp, H.Bsc

Tools:

  • A toothbrush or finger brush
  • Pet friendly toothpaste
  • Patience!

Steps:

1 . Before using any of the above mentioned tools, get your dog used to you touching their face, opening their mouths, lifting their lips, and maneuvering their heads.

2. After they are comfortable with this, it is important to get them accustomed to you touching and rubbing their teeth. Consider dipping your finger in something yummy, like low sodium chicken broth. Let them lick it off your finger first, and then lift their lip and rub your finger on their teeth along the gum line.

3. Once they are used to this process you can add a small amount of toothpaste to your finger and use this to rub their teeth and gums. It comes in many flavours so find one that both you and your dog enjoy!

4. After some time you will be able to easily transition over to a toothbrush for more effective brushing.

Try and brush all of your pets teeth as best as possible, including the incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. It is often too difficult to brush the inside walls of the teeth, but if your dog will let you than go for it! Otherwise, focus mostly on the parts of the teeth you can see.

If you would like an in-person tutorial for brushing your dog’s teeth, book your no-charge pet dental exam before the end of March 2015. Our technicians examine your pet’s month and do a full step-by-step demonstration.