How to clean your dog’s teeth in 6 easy steps

Did you know that if you don’t brush your dog’s teeth they could get gum disease that not only causes pain but can lead to your dog being at higher risk for heart, kidney and liver disease! Pretty scary huh!!!

Why you should clean your dog’s teeth

Daily brushing keeps your dog’s teeth and gums healthy.

Regular brushing can prevent or reduce the accumulation of plaque, which will mean your dog’s teeth are healthier over their lifetime. 

It reduces the risk of inflamed gums, destroyed tissue and tooth loss.

And it reduces the risk of heart, kidney and liver disease.

You’ll need to teach your dog that having your hands around and inside their mouth is a good thing. 

This enables you to keep track of what’s normal, which will help when you take your pup to the vet. 

It’s always easier to start when your puppy is little but you can teach an old dog new tricks so no matter what age your dog is, start now!

Being able to open their mouths without fear of being bitten means you can remove anything they’ve just snagged off the ground, or a stick that’s become jammed, plus it’s good to regularly make sure there aren’t any of the following inside your pup’s mouth:

• Missing teeth (unless their puppy teeth have come out and their adult teeth aren’t through yet)

• Misaligned teeth

• Swollen or bleeding gums

• Broken or discoloured teeth

• Yellow-brown tartar

• Bumps within the mouth

How to clean puppy teeth at home

Make sure you and your pup are relaxed. 

Teeth cleaning is a good activity to do at the end of the day when you’re chilling out with pup, but still trying to keep them awake (so you can do one last potty break before collapsing into bed).

Here are the supplies you’ll need

• Use a dog toothbrush or a child’s toothbrush. You can also get one that’s designed to fit on the end of your finger.

• Use a dog specific toothpaste - never use human toothpaste. Dog toothpastes come in a variety of flavours so you may need to experiment to see which flavour your dog loves the most. 

• A towel or some paper towels to clean up drool (because the toothpaste will cause them to salivate)

The teeth brushing training method

As with all puppy training, you start out slowly and always make it a positive experience. 

It might take weeks to work your way up to brushing all your pup’s teeth with a toothbrush and that’s ok!

Don’t push them too far too fast or you risk causing your pup discomfort or fear and will undo all your work. 

Step 1

Start by putting a bit of your pup’s toothpaste onto your finger, opening up their mouth and rubbing the toothpaste gently onto their canine teeth (the long fangs).

Step 2

Repeat step one and then rub the toothpaste onto their incisors (the small teeth at the front between the long fangs) and then back along the side of their mouth so you’re getting toothpaste onto their molars as well. 

Step 3

Add toothpaste to your pup’s toothbrush and let them lick some off as a treat.

Step 4

Use the toothbrush to gently apply toothpaste to your pup’s fangs.

Step 5

Using the brush and toothpaste combo, gently brush the fangs and then all their teeth.

Step 6

Repeat daily for the best results but if you can’t add daily brushing to your busy schedule, give your dog dental cleaning toys and treats in between brushing sessions. 

Ask your vet to recommend which product will suit your pup specifically because every dog is unique.

For more puppy raising tactics, save your seat in my free masterclass

“3 Simple Tactics for Raising a Well-Behaved Dog”