# advice on teeth brushing?



## UrsaMinor (Jul 4, 2021)

Hi all,

My adorable Ursa is very wilful and might as I try to get her used to being handled, I have not been able to brush her teeth yet. She's 14 weeks old (with me for 5) and does now patiently (and adorably) accept that I wash her face and clean her eyes. But we have made no progress with tooth brushing.

_(I know it's not a big deal to not brush the deciduous teeth but also know this is the time to create the habit and make her comfortable with it.)_

So, she's comfortable with me. She accepts food from my hand. She accepts my finger inside her mouth when she's playing/chewing on a toy. But she doesn't like when I try to open her mouth. She hasn't accepted any of the three different kinds of toothpaste I tried.

I would love advice on how to start making *any* progress.
Thank you all!


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## LWalks (Feb 7, 2021)

Which kind of toothbrush are you using? I found that Charlie accepted the soft silicone ones that go over the finger much better at first. And we introduced VERY slowly. First, just looking at the toothbrush. Then, putting a little toothpaste (which he thinks is delicious) on the toothbrush and letting him lick it off. Then bringing up to his mouth, etc. I don’t think we got to the stage of opening his mouth to get inside the back teeth for a while, and he honestly still doesn’t love that part. But if you can get her comfortable with having the outer teeth brushed (just by lifting up one lip at a time, and even starting with just one tooth), it helps get the process started. He always liked the toothpaste (chicken flavored or something like that) but I wonder, if she’s not into it, if you could try putting something she really does like on the toothbrush to start off, and then add the toothpaste later? I haven’t tried that but ultimately I think it would help get to the goal of desensitizing her to the process even if it’s not really doing a thing for her teeth (as you said, not important w baby teeth)


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Besides what Lisa posted, my vet has told me that the MOST important thing is to get the enzymatic toothpaste into their mouth period. That, all by itself, is helpful. The other thing is that although, ideally, the dog would let you brush all surfaces, the tounge keeps the inner surfaces cleaner. It is the outside that need more of our attention anyway. So if you can’t get your dog to “open wide”, it is not the end of tge world!


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

I don't know which position you're using, but I've found with Perry that he fights me a lot more when I have him on my lap and try to brush them from the side than when I set him in front of me and go in from the front (which I didn't expect - I thought I had more control holding him)


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

You are so smart to work on it now! I did brush Sundance’s teeth when he was a puppy but then he had a sore on his mouth when he was a little older. He wouldn’t cooperate for a while and I stopped brushIng at just the wrong time. I probably should have kept the routine but did it for less time or just the other side of his mouth. Other grooming and training mistakes I made have been pretty easy to improve slowly over time, but teeth brushing is really hard to ease into with an adult dog, and I’m not assertive enough to just get in there and do it. .

the silicone finger brush worked well for teaching him about mouth handling. One mistake I made when I switched to regular toothbrushes is I would put it in his mouth and rub it around quickly and then let him chew on it for a second. When he was a small puppy that was fine but when he was closer to 6 months old he would tear apart those toothbrushes in only a minute! I do think it helped though, so with my next puppy I might try brushing for a second and then give him a chew with a dab of toothpaste, then gradually increase the brushing while decreasing the chew. But, it really might not be necessary because starting earlier makes such a difference. Teeth brushing is one of the last things I started doing regularly, when he first came home I did it once a week and didn’t start doing it daily until he was home for a month or more.


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

I started brushing Scout and Truffles teeth daily when they were puppies. I started rubbing the toothpaste on their gums. I now use the smallest child toothbrush. Scout loves the CET vanilla mint toothpaste. I follow the same technique as Melissa with Scout. I sit on my knees on the floor and place him in front of me. I can then reach in from the front and sides. He loves having his teeth brush, but Truffles not so much. When she sees me coming toward her at bedtime she starts growling. I put her on the BR floor and she always falls flat and turns her head to the side. When I finish brushing one side she knows to turn her head. Then I sit her up to brush the front. If you find a toothpaste Ursa likes it will make it much easier to brush.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

Heather's said:


> I started brushing Scout and Truffles teeth daily when they were puppies. I started rubbing the toothpaste on their gums. I now use the smallest child toothbrush. Scout loves the CET vanilla mint toothpaste. I follow the same technique as Melissa with Scout. I sit on my knees on the floor and place him in front of me. I can then reach in from the front and sides. He loves having his teeth brush, but Truffles not so much. When she sees me coming toward her at bedtime she starts growling. I put her on the BR floor and she always falls flat and turns her head to the side. When I finish brushing one side she knows to turn her head. Then I sit her up to brush the front. If you find a toothpaste Ursa likes it will make it much easier to brush.


We use the same toothpaste and Perry loves it (he starts licking his lips as soon as I pick up the tube)... the brushing - not so much. HE has a kids size spiderman toothbrush


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Heather's said:


> I started brushing Scout and Truffles teeth daily when they were puppies. I started rubbing the toothpaste on their gums. I now use the smallest child toothbrush. Scout loves the CET vanilla mint toothpaste. I follow the same technique as Melissa with Scout. I sit on my knees on the floor and place him in front of me. I can then reach in from the front and sides. He loves having his teeth brush, but Truffles not so much. When she sees me coming toward her at bedtime she starts growling. I put her on the BR floor and she always falls flat and turns her head to the side. When I finish brushing one side she knows to turn her head. Then I sit her up to brush the front. If you find a toothpaste Ursa likes it will make it much easier to brush.


My guys like the CET Vanilla Mint too!


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## Mando's Mommy (Dec 8, 2020)

I don’t know if I’m brushing Mando’s teeth properly but can say that he loves getting his teeth brushed. We tried a couple of toothbrushes and he only liked Totz toothbrushes (made for human toddlers) and Oratene toothpaste:



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ORATENE Brushless Oral Care Dog & Cat Dental Gel, 2.5-oz tube - Chewy.com


Buy Oratene Brushless Oral Care Dog & Cat Dental Gel, 2.5-oz tube at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!




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His breeder also suggested using coconut oil instead of toothpaste but Mando surprisingly didn’t like it.

The challenge with brushing Mando’s teeth is that he gets so excited and licks the toothpaste before I can fully get into his mouth to brush around. I just stick the toothbrush in his mouth and brush as fast as I can between his licking and chewing the toothbrush. 🙂


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## UrsaMinor (Jul 4, 2021)

Thank you all so much for your wise replies!
Sorry for being late to reply, I was out of town for a few days.




Lisa Walker said:


> Which kind of toothbrush are you using? I found that Charlie accepted the soft silicone ones that go over the finger much better at first. And we introduced VERY slowly. First, just looking at the toothbrush. Then, putting a little toothpaste (which he thinks is delicious) on the toothbrush and letting him lick it off. Then bringing up to his mouth, etc. I don’t think we got to the stage of opening his mouth to get inside the back teeth for a while, and he honestly still doesn’t love that part. But if you can get her comfortable with having the outer teeth brushed (just by lifting up one lip at a time, and even starting with just one tooth), it helps get the process started. He always liked the toothpaste (chicken flavored or something like that) but I wonder, if she’s not into it, if you could try putting something she really does like on the toothbrush to start off, and then add the toothpaste later? I haven’t tried that but ultimately I think it would help get to the goal of desensitizing her to the process even if it’s not really doing a thing for her teeth (as you said, not important w baby teeth)


Thank you, Lisa! She hasn't accepted the silicone toothbrush, so I've been trying the regular one with two heads. She likes that one when I give it to her without toothpaste. I have also begun trying to simply rub my fingers back and forth after I wash her face (she normally settles on my arms). After dinner, I try to put a tinny bit of toothpaste on my fingers and rub it, she has allowed it a couple of times so far, most of the time she'll nest her head under my neck to hide her mouth from me.

Reading all of your answers, I think gives me more peace of mind, thinking that sometimes it can be challenging and that I have to, at least, try it every day.


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## NotAMuggle (Dec 4, 2020)

Mando's Mommy said:


> I don’t know if I’m brushing Mando’s teeth properly but can say that he loves getting his teeth brushed. We tried a couple of toothbrushes and he only liked Totz toothbrushes (made for human toddlers) and Oratene toothpaste:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Piper instantly tries to lick the toothepaste off as well, so it's definitely a race! The other thing she would try to do is take the toothbrush from me, waddle away and lay down and chew it like a bully stick or something


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## UrsaMinor (Jul 4, 2021)

krandall said:


> Besides what Lisa posted, my vet has told me that the MOST important thing is to get the enzymatic toothpaste into their mouth period. That, all by itself, is helpful. The other thing is that although, ideally, the dog would let you brush all surfaces, the tounge keeps the inner surfaces cleaner. It is the outside that need more of our attention anyway. So if you can’t get your dog to “open wide”, it is not the end of tge world!


Thank you Karen! This is great to know! 
She's my first dog and sometimes I feel like I might be failing her. I'm so afraid of doing her harm by insisting on something she doesn't want, but also afraid of failing her by giving in and not teaching her to accept some things that are will keep her healthy. 

It's great to know that the most important thing is to get the enzymatic toothpaste in her mouth, and also that brushing the outer surfaces is more important than the inner.


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## UrsaMinor (Jul 4, 2021)

Melissa Brill said:


> I don't know which position you're using, but I've found with Perry that he fights me a lot more when I have him on my lap and try to brush them from the side than when I set him in front of me and go in from the front (which I didn't expect - I thought I had more control holding him)


I've tried holding her and I tried placing her on the sofa by my side. I will definitely try your suggestion! Thank you!!


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## UrsaMinor (Jul 4, 2021)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> You are so smart to work on it now! I did brush Sundance’s teeth when he was a puppy but then he had a sore on his mouth when he was a little older. He wouldn’t cooperate for a while and I stopped brushIng at just the wrong time. I probably should have kept the routine but did it for less time or just the other side of his mouth. Other grooming and training mistakes I made have been pretty easy to improve slowly over time, but teeth brushing is really hard to ease into with an adult dog, and I’m not assertive enough to just get in there and do it. .
> 
> the silicone finger brush worked well for teaching him about mouth handling. One mistake I made when I switched to regular toothbrushes is I would put it in his mouth and rub it around quickly and then let him chew on it for a second. When he was a small puppy that was fine but when he was closer to 6 months old he would tear apart those toothbrushes in only a minute! I do think it helped though, so with my next puppy I might try brushing for a second and then give him a chew with a dab of toothpaste, then gradually increase the brushing while decreasing the chew. But, it really might not be necessary because starting earlier makes such a difference. Teeth brushing is one of the last things I started doing regularly, when he first came home I did it once a week and didn’t start doing it daily until he was home for a month or more.


Oh-oh... Thanks for mentioning the chewing. I was letting her chew on the toothbrush as well (she likes it without the toothpaste), and I thought it was good that she was rubbing her teeth on the bristles (sort of brushing them herself?). But I hadn't thought about forming a habit that will be more damaging when she gets her new teeth. 

Ursa brings me so much joy, but I think one of the strongest ways I feel our growing connection is when she trusts me. Every now and then I have to open her mouth to see what she's chewing on (leaves, the occasional pebble she finds in our fenced patio), and lately, sometimes, she will just let me open her mouth--no resistance-and it makes me so happy. 

Thank you so much!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

UrsaMinor said:


> Thank you Karen! This is great to know!
> She's my first dog and sometimes I feel like I might be failing her. I'm so afraid of doing her harm by insisting on something she doesn't want, but also afraid of failing her by giving in and not teaching her to accept some things that are will keep her healthy.
> 
> It's great to know that the most important thing is to get the enzymatic toothpaste in her mouth, and also that brushing the outer surfaces is more important than the inner.


Just keep working at it… slowly, gently, firmly and persistently!


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## UrsaMinor (Jul 4, 2021)

Heather's said:


> I started brushing Scout and Truffles teeth daily when they were puppies. I started rubbing the toothpaste on their gums. I now use the smallest child toothbrush. Scout loves the CET vanilla mint toothpaste. I follow the same technique as Melissa with Scout. I sit on my knees on the floor and place him in front of me. I can then reach in from the front and sides. He loves having his teeth brush, but Truffles not so much. When she sees me coming toward her at bedtime she starts growling. I put her on the BR floor and she always falls flat and turns her head to the side. When I finish brushing one side she knows to turn her head. Then I sit her up to brush the front. If you find a toothpaste Ursa likes it will make it much easier to brush.


Thank you so much, Heather! It sounds like this is a popular toothpaste. I will give it a try 🤞.
I'm happy to hear that some dogs love toothpaste. I hope I can find one Ursa likes and that that makes it a better experience for her--and for me


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