Brushing a dog's teeth

Zapperzy

Anyone any tips on getting them used to it. He hates being held and having his mouth examined. Have started off using cheesey paste and just having him lick it off my finger sitting beside me, when he was getting comfortable with that I progressed to holding my other hand near the cheese finger and just touching the side of his face and mouth, he's not comfortable with that but the cheese overcomes him. That's about as far as I'v gotten so far.

I have logic gel toothpaste and both a rubber finger brush and a toothbrush, he hates all of it. The logic gel he will lick a little if it's mixed in with cheese but is highly suspicious of it. He hates the normal toothbrush, the finger toothbrush he will lick cheese off it with some coaxing. Holding him while trying to brush his teeth or rub some gel onto his teeth with a finger results in him completely flipping out.

His teeth aren't bad at all, quite good actually but there's just a few little spots of plaque I'd like to see gone. I use all other types of dental stuff- raw carrots and bones, plaque off in his food and cow ear chews.

Is he a lost cause or is it a case of slowly does it? Should I be letting him lick cheese off my fingers since I want to eventually have him stand still to run by finger or a toothbrush down the side of his teeth? With all this cheese he'l definitely need his teeth brushed!

Cherry Blossom

stagbars - great for teeth cleaning

Zapperzy

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

stagbars - great for teeth cleaning

Got one at the weekend! Must take it off him for a day or two as he's lost interest in it already.

Nollipop

Don't laugh, but we use a child's electric toothbrush on our greyhound. He likes the vibrations. I think that's why he also loves the car so much!

Apparently, the incisors are sensitive on dogs, so don't try to brush them first, go for the front ones instead. I know, its usually the incisors that get the most plaque on them...

Just build it up slowly every day and you will get there in the end.

Oh. and we don't tend to hold his head, we wait until he's laid down and relaxed and then do the side that's upright. When he's laid on the other side, we get that one as well. Lots of cuddles and fuss while we brush and a treat afterwards too.

HTH.

Zapperzy

Nollipop wrote: »

Don't laugh, but we use a child's electric toothbrush on our greyhound. He likes the vibrations. I think that's why he also loves the car so much!

Apparently, the incisors are sensitive on dogs, so don't try to brush them first, go for the front ones instead. I know, its usually the incisors that get the most plaque on them...

Just build it up slowly every day and you will get there in the end.

Oh. and we don't tend to hold his head, we wait until he's laid down and relaxed and then do the side that's upright. When he's laid on the other side, we get that one as well. Lots of cuddles and fuss while we brush and a treat afterwards too.

HTH.

Think mine likes vibrations too, he likes the clippers anyways a bit too much at times!

tk123

+1 For the Stagbars

I took Bailey's nylabone away and rubbed some kong paste/zooplus liver sausage (comes in a tube -€2 compared to €9 for the kong paste) and he really took interest in it. His teeth are SPOTLESS the last few weeks since he took interest it it.
For the brushing he can flip a treat off his nose so has no problems with me holding it so that was half the work already done. When I was teaching him that I started just touching his nose, click and treat and built it up to actually holding it. He wasn't too impressed with the toothbrush at first but after a few days realised there was a rawhide strip (the white ones not the pasta looking ones) after the brushing so he just accepted it. He gets a strip most evenings or a retriever roll one once a week for a treat and these keep them clean too.

Zapperzy

Never thought of using the clicker, must root it out again. That liver paste looks good, I'l get some in the next order along with a nylabone. The expecting a treat afterwards was how I overcome his brushing fear, now that I think of it he used to give the same reaction to his coat being brushed years ago, he still doesn't quite love it but puts up with it and gets all excited for his treat afterwards.

tk123

Just a heads up on the liver paste - you're meant to use it asap or it goes off as I leant the other day!! The STINK off it!! :eek: Of course it smelt delicious to the doggy :rolleyes: