My Dog
A few gentle minutes, a few times a week, and your dog's mouth stays a lot more comfortable.
Most dogs have some sort of dental trouble by the time they're a few years old, and it's easy to miss because dogs rarely make a fuss about it.
The good news: brushing is the single most useful thing you can do at home, and almost every dog can learn to enjoy it if you take it slowly.
Step 1
Put the toothbrush on the floor and let your dog sniff it. Nothing else happens. This part matters more than it sounds.
Step 2
Lift a lip for a second, praise, let go. Then a finger along the outside of the teeth. Keep it short and cheerful.
Step 3
Let them lick a little off your finger — most are meat or poultry flavoured, and dogs generally like them. Never use human toothpaste; it isn't made to be swallowed.
Step 4
Small circles along the outside surfaces, where plaque builds up most. The big teeth at the back and the canines matter most. The inside surfaces can wait — they get less build-up and most dogs dislike it.
Step 5
Thirty seconds is a good session at first. Stop while your dog still thinks this is fine, and build up from there.
Slow is faster here. Each day is a minute at most.
Brushing is the thing with the strongest evidence behind it. Everything else is a useful extra, not a replacement.
Hard chewing does not reliably clean teeth, and very hard objects are a common cause of fractured teeth — antlers, hooves, hard nylon, cooked bones, ice cubes.
Some build-up can only be removed under anaesthetic, with x-rays to see what's happening below the gumline. It isn't a failure on your part — it's part of normal care for a lot of dogs.
Based on guidance from
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