Dog Training: Why care about your dog's dental hygiene - Part 3

Dog training

There are simple steps you can take as a responsible dog owner to keep his teeth healthy.

There are various toothpastes and toothbrushes designed specially for dogs...


Hey Dog Loving Friend,

The finger brush is similar to that for the human infant - it is a simple rubber hood worn over your finger.

The finger brush has soft rubber bristles on one side and is used to clean the teeth and also massage the gums.

The finger brush can later on be replaced by a regular dog toothbrush after he becomes comfortable to the cleaning process.

Brushing a dog's teeth!

The best angle is an approach of about forty-five degrees, at the junction where they meet the gums.

You should apply gentle pressure with small circular motions...

Ideally for the best results, apply gentle pressure using a vertical downward stroke starting at the gum line movingtowards the tip of the teeth, lifting the brush off the tooth on the upstroke.

This two-step process will help stimulate healthy gums, plus dislodge and discourage the formation of plaque without damaging the gum line which can lead to gum shrinkage.

Get into the habit of brushing your dog's teeth several times a week...

Make sure that all teeth are well covered and you might want to consider the expertise of a veterinarian for scaling and polishing every two or three years.

Since the goal is to make these check-ups regular, you're helping your dog to adjust and get used to being handled as early as possible...

This will make it less of a drama even when his mouth is being held open, and prevent him from becoming angry or biting.

You should be aware of anything your dog eats and plays with:

• Rawhide chews
• Knobby plastic toys
• Other items

These are also part of dental hygiene, as they are not hard enough to damage teeth and help in the cleaning process.

Just a word of warning - be careful of small toys and real bones, as they could pose a problem if they break into splinters or smaller pieces and are swallowed.

Well, I hope this has been really helpful and you've picked up valuable insights you can apply right now.

Thanks for reading, I appreciate you.

Dog training....success made easy and fun!