For my readers who may be learning about their pet’s oral care for the first time, you should know you’re not alone. Many of us, myself included, have thought there’s no reason to brush my dogs/cats teeth at one point or another. That could not be farther from the truth! If you don’t know the reasons oral hygiene is so important for our pets, consider reading our previous article, “Bad Breath” to learn more.
For my readers who know how important this is- you may be thinking, “I get it, but there’s no way my pet will let me brush their teeth.”, and I look forward to you joining the “That wasn’t as hard as I thought it’d be!” club very soon. The key to success is baby steps, as with all training. Dog parents, think back to when your puppy was potty training- the goal on day one wasn’t perfection, it was progress. Try to keep that same perspective for tooth brush training.
Alright let’s dive into the real deal- here are the supplies you will need to set your pet up for success:
1)A soft bristle tooth brush
2)A pet friendly tooth paste (here’s my dog’s favorite- CET Pet Tooth Paste)
3)A high value treat (this means something special that your pet loves & doesn’t get very often)
The first step is going to be desensitizing your pet to having their mouth touched. Start by touching your pets mouth without lifting their lips for a short amount of time & immediately give them their treat while stating they did a good job. Utilize a short term each time they do the “correct” action, ie. allow you to touch their face, such as “Good!” or “Yes”, while giving them their treat so they learn the behavior will be rewarded. This is called positive reinforcement, a.k.a., the key to your success. It is imperative that you do not reward/punish when they do the “incorrect” action, ie. not allow you to touch their face as this may encourage the behavior you don’t want. Continue touching their mouth for longer intervals until you feel they are no longer concerned with you doing so. Repeat this process and introduce lifting their lip, one side at a time, increasing the time doing so as you go. This may take a couple training sessions, so don’t panic if your pet isn’t immediately picking it up. Remember, progress is the goal!
The next step is utilizing the same positive reinforcement process but utilizing the tooth brush instead of your finger. Start by just touching their mouth, then lift their lip & touch their teeth, then a very quick brush, and slowly increase the duration until your pet feels comfortable with the feeling. Finally repeat the process with tooth paste on the tooth brush. Pet tooth paste is slightly different from ours, it doesn’t need to be wet because it doesn’t foam, and our pets don’t need to spit it out. My dog personally loves his tooth paste so this was the easiest part of his training. My cats took a couple of flavor changes before they felt the same (as expected from our kitties).
Once your pet is comfortable with the feeling of having their teeth brushed & the texture of the tooth paste, treat their teeth like yours- small circular motions with light to medium pressure on the brush. Research has shown that, while daily brushing is ideal, brushing every other day can still help over time.
Let me finish by saying congratulations on taking your pet’s oral hygiene to the next level! Give yourself a pat on the back for ensuring your pet has a healthy mouth, and therefore, a healthier life! Our pets may not understand why you’re brushing their teeth, but you are giving them less visits to the vet & more time with you by doing this. Keep up the great pet parenting!