When we first bring a new puppy home, it has a mouth full of tiny teeth of perfect pearly white colour! The pup’s breath is probably sweet-smelling, and it is full of bounce and fun. At this stage, many pet owners don’t think about how to brush their dog’s teeth.

However, all that is perfect about a baby pup will only stay this way if it is maintained.

This rule of regular care routine goes for the pup’s fun-loving personality, its little nails, and of course, its healthy teeth and gums.

Just like human children who are too young to care for their own oral hygiene, your baby pup isn’t able to look after his perfect little teeth by himself. Consequently, it is down to you, as the responsible and loving pet owner, to make sure that their teeth remain strong, white and healthy.

In this article, we will consider whether we actually need to brush a dog’s teeth. We will also explore how a dog would keep its teeth and gums healthy in the wild.

Additionally, this article will highlight what kind of toothbrush and toothpaste is needed to brush a dog’s teeth. It will also give an insight on what to do if a dog is afraid of having teeth cleaning session.

As well as that, we will learn how to teach an older dog to accept having its teeth cleaned, and discover how often we should clean them.

Finally, we will consider whether we should leave teeth cleaning to the vet and explore alternative methods to keep your dog’s mouth healthy.

Do I Need To Brush My Dog’s Teeth?

First thing to remember,- dogs’ teeth are just like human teeth, and they need to be kept clean. Due to proper oral hygiene, the dog will have healthy gums and can avoid painful dental problems.

Besides, by keeping your pet’s teeth well looked after, you can also avoid expensive vet bills.

If you don’t brush your dog’s teeth regularly, then plaque is very likely to build up. As a result, it will cause a range of unpleasant problems for your dog’s oral health.

It is mostly due to the kinds of commercial diet we feed our pet dogs today. We will look at how a dog’s diet affects their teeth later.

As mentioned earlier, the build-up of plaque can lead to bad breath, gum disease, and tooth decay. Therefore, if you don’t look after your dog’s teeth and clean them regularly, your dog is likely to experience painful infections throughout its life.

In most cases, when a dog is in pain, we often don’t realise it until it’s too late. Any delay will lead to costly vet bills. It is specially true when it comes to any procedure that involves having the dog put to sleep with an anaesthetic.

How Do Animals’ Teeth Stay Healthy In The Wild?

You may think that dogs’ teeth are self-cleaning. Animals that live in the wild don’t have to have their teeth brushed after every meal. In other words, they don’t seem to have problems with their oral health, after all.

Notably, nature, when left to work its way, has its methods of making sure that the life cycle and all the living creatures in it can function optimally for the best chance of survival.

Teeth are essential; therefore, it makes sense that nature wants to give animals the best chance to keep their teeth healthy.

In the wild, a dog’s oral health would have been directly linked to its diet. Ultimately, a wild dog would have to hunt and kill prey to survive. Then, by consuming all of its catch, it would have been able to maintain its oral health.

Chewing and gnawing raw flesh, hide and feathers, and crunching bones all add up to a thorough mouth cleaning.

In fact, raw meat and tendons act very much in the same way as dental floss when an animal is ripping and chewing it away from the bones.

The bones themselves are also consumed, helping to work out the jaws. They also work to scrape away any hard plaque that has built up.

Moreover, meat-eating animals in the wild have digestive systems that are well adapted to processing raw meat. Therefore, their teeth and jaws are well developed and strong enough to handle the bones.

Then again, our pets are also capable of transitioning to a fully raw natural diet. Consequently, their oral health can benefit significantly from it.

Kibble food & Dog Oral Hygiene

Without a doubt, most people feel squeamish about feeding a pet dog the bloody innards of dead animals. Instead, they prefer to opt for commercial pet foods, the most popular being kibble.

Unfortunately, many dog owners make the mistake of thinking that kibble will help to clean their dog’s teeth. As a result, they don’t think they need to brush their pet’s teeth.

How wrong they are! Imagine if you ate biscuits every day and never brushed your teeth – What a disaster that would be!

Despite the fact that kibble doesn’t contribute to the dog’s healthy teeth, it still is a good option for many owners due to its convenience. Also, expensive commercial brands produce pet food of a decent quality. Just remember to pay extra attention to your pet’s teeth while he is on kibble diet!

Do I Need A Special Brush To Clean My Dog’s Teeth?

If you are having a light bulb moment now and suddenly realise that your dog’s teeth desperately need cleaning, your next question might be – What kind of toothbrush do I use? The answer to that question is – Any that will fit into your dog’s mouth.

If you go to a pet store, you will be able to purchase a double-ended toothbrush, especially for dogs. One end has a normal-sized toothbrush, and the other will have a smaller one.

This brush shape is excellent because if you have a small dog, the mini toothbrush will do the job fitting easily into its tiny mouth.

On the other hand, in case you have a larger dog, you have the option of using either one or both ends for different parts of the dog’s mouth.

There are also special toothbrushes that are made of silicone, plastic or rubber. They fit onto your finger so that you can use your hand to get in and massage your dog’s teeth and gums with your finger.

These types of brushes are a great tool to use as an introduction for a young pup or adult dog that is new to having their teeth brushed. On the positive side, your pet won’t have to face the intimidation of a long stick being poked in and out of its mouth.

If you want to use an ordinary human toothbrush, you can. Just make sure that the softness of the bristles is right for your dog. You definetly don’t want to irritate your pup or make their gums sore.

You can even use an electric toothbrush on a low setting for thorough teeth cleaning. However, it may take some time to train your dog so that they are not terrified of the sound, sight, and sensation.

Can I Use Human Toothpaste To Brush My Dog’s Teeth?

The first thing to remember is that you should never use human toothpaste to brush your dog’s teeth! The ingredients in human products can be toxic to dogs and will make them very ill.

Always purchase toothpaste that has been designed specifically for dogs.

The great thing about doggy toothpaste is that it often comes in weird meat or fishy flavours. Hence, it encourages dogs to tolerate having their teeth brushed, or even enjoy it, making the task much easier for you.

You can also get more minty or herbal flavours to help with any bad breath issues that your dog might be having due to their diet or oral health.

What Can I Do If My Dog Is Scared Of The Toothbrush?

In the first place, when you first begin to brush your dog’s teeth, it most probably not going to automatically let you get anywhere near its teeth with the toothbrush.

Most dogs will be scared, or cautious at the least when you thrust the foreign object towards their mouth.

Therefore, you should take your time with this process. Remember to introduce your dog to the activity slowly, and with lots of praise and positive reinforcement. This practice will give your pet more confidence and reassure that the experience can be enjoyable.

Step 1: Introduce the toothpaste

The first step, whether you have a young puppy or an older dog, is to introduce him to some of the toothpaste on the end of your finger.

You will be able to determine whether or not he likes the flavour you have chosen.

If he does, then offering it to your pet is exactly like offering a treat as a reward. You can gradually work up to massaging the teeth and gums inside your dog’s mouth with your finger.

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Step 2: Introduce the toothbrush

The next step is to offer you pet the “treat” or the toothpaste on the end of the toothbrush.

Given that your dog already knows what the toothpaste is, it shouldn’t take him long to lick it off the end of the toothbrush.

You can then start to introduce your dog to more movement and have the toothbrush gently massage his teeth and gums. Your pet should already be used to this if you have been using your finger to do so previously.

Just remember to keep sessions short! Also, give your dog lots of praise, and then reward him with a fun game and lots of fuss and cuddles afterward.

Over time, your pet will come to look forward to having the teeth cleaned. It basically means for him that he gets to lick yummy toothpaste and get lots of attention.

How Often Should I Brush My Dog’s Teeth?

In the initial stages of teaching your dog how to have his teeth brushed, you won’t be able to clean your pet’s whole mouth straight away in one sitting.

A much more efficient way of making sure that your dog’s teeth are being cleaned well in the beginning is to split your brushing sessions into shorter ones and repeat them throughout the day.

When you keep each session short, your dog is less likely to get irritable or bored. Besides, he will remember the experience as a positive one each time. It means that your pet is more likely to look forward to the teeth brushing session.

Spreading brushing sessions out throughout the day also means that each time you sit down to clean your dog’s teeth, you can focus on a different part of the mouth. This way, by the end of the day, all of your dog’s teeth will have been cleaned thoroughly.

Increasing the number of times you sit down with your dog to clean its teeth, also increases the number of positive experiences he is going to have while having his teeth brushing session.

This repeated positive reinforcement throughout the day means that your dog learns faster, and the job will become more comfortable for you sooner. You will then be able to reduce the number of times you are cleaning his teeth throughout the day.

You should aim to brush your dog’s teeth once a day. However, even three times a week is going to make a massive difference to your dog’s oral health.

Can I Teach An Older Dog To Accept Having Their Teeth Cleaned?

You can always teach older dogs new tricks, and that includes brushing his teeth. Ultimately, the younger the dog, the easier it will be, especially if you have a very young puppy.

Puppies are tiny and easy to control, and they have smaller mouths. It means their teeth are little, and their jaws are weaker. Consequently, they are less likely to hurt you if they decide they hate what you are doing or they get spooked.

However, it is still possible to teach an older dog to accept and even enjoy having his teeth cleaned at home. You have to use the same method you would with a puppy. Just remember, – go slowly and keep it positive.

Firstly, when teaching an older dog to accept a teeth brushing session at home, you should make sure that he doesn’t have anything already wrong with the teeth or gums.

If your dog is in pain, you are at risk of getting bitten. Besides, your pet will learn that the experience of having his teeth cleaned is a painful one.

You should also ensure that your dog fully trusts you, enjoys taking treats from your hand, and doesn’t mind having his muzzle handled.

How Can I Control My Dog’s Bad Breath?

If you have not previously been looking after your dog’s oral health, then your pet probably doesn’t have the sweetest breath.

Brushing your dog’s teeth is an excellent step towards controlling bad breath. However, there are also other methods of managing a dog’s mouth hygiene.

Firstly you should determine if decaying teeth is the cause of your dog’s bad breath. The best way to do this is to book an appointment with your vet for a check-up.

Only a professional will be able to tell you for sure if any dental issues need to be addressed.

Then again, often the cause of bad breath is old food that is stuck between your dog’s teeth. It is the rotting food that is causing the awful smell.

In that case, brushing your dog’s teeth regularly will help to solve this problem.

Additionally, giving your dog something to chew on can also help to dislodge food particles. It will also help to produce more saliva to break down and wash away plaque.

Alternatively, you can add certain herbs and ingredients to your dog’s food to help control odour.

For example, chopped parsley is a great natural ingredient to add to a dog’s diet. It will help to neutralise odours, and your pet will enjoy the added flavour to his meal.

Finally, make sure that your dog also always has plenty of fresh water to drink. Water will help to wash away the bacteria that causes odour in your dog’s mouth and on his tongue. Consequently, you will keep your pup’s unpleasant breath under control.

Why Shouldn’t I Rely On My Vet To Brush My Dog’s Teeth?

Apparently, many dog owners think that they don’t need to brush their dog’s teeth. It is because they can simply have their pet’s teeth cleaned professionally by the vet a few times a year.

There are several reasons as to why it is not a good idea to wait and rely on your vet to brush your dog’s teeth.

The apparent reason is that it is expensive to take your dog to see the vet. If you have waited months in between having your dog’s teeth cleaned, new dental issues are likely to have developed, and this may increase your vet bill.

It will also have been causing your dog discomfort, not to mention increasing the risk that your dog may end up losing precious teeth or develop gum disease.

The other and perhaps more important reason as to why it is irresponsible to wait and rely on your vet to clean your dog’s teeth is that the procedure requires your dog to be put to sleep with an anaesthetic.

This procedure is a risk to your dog’s life every single time they have their teeth cleaned by a vet. I don’t know about you, but I certainly wouldn’t want to risk my own life just to have my teeth cleaned.

Why would we want to put our beloved pets through such a stressful ordeal? Instead of going to the vet, we could simply teach our dogs to accept having their teeth brushed at home regularly.

What Are The Alternative Ways To Keep My Dog’s Mouth Healthy?

In some cases, for whatever reason, you won’t be able to brush your dog’s teeth regularly. On the positive side, there are still ways that you can help to keep their mouth healthy.

Firstly, you can switch to a fully raw natural diet for your dog. It should include foods such as raw meat, raw meaty bones, organs, offal, and some veggies.

However, make sure that you research this properly though to ensure that your dog gets a complete balanced diet.

Additionally, offer your dog recreational meaty bones and chews once or twice a week.

Also, invest in durable dental toys that are textured. They will help to massage the teeth and gums when the dog chews on them.

Try not to feed your dog a kibble diet! Bits of kibble are more likely to get stuck in between your dog’s teeth if he is a cruncher.

On the contrary, home-cooked and blended food or soft tinned dog food is more likely to dissolve and not remain in the mouth long enough to cause problems.

Finally, avoid offering your dog a lot of treats and unhealthy dog biscuits.