Tips for a no-groggy-doggy

We’re often asked about our process from start to finish. The key points when it comes to brushing your dog’s teeth are as follows:

  • Make it fun when you brush
  • The tooth and gum area is very important to brush
  • Focus on the very back, upper molars
  • Begin with short sessions (5-10 seconds), and gradually work up to 2 minute sessions per day
  • Afterwards, reward your pet with a treat to make a good imprint

The K-9 Brite Bark way of brushing dogs teeth:

  • To make it fun, let your dog lick the tooth paste from the tooth brush. Do this for a couple days
  • Have your dog sit. It’s wise to have them in the corner of a couch or floor. This way your dog can not back up and get away
  • Start with the upper lip by gently lifting up and brushing the larger canine first, just to get the dog used to the feel
  • Next, gently lift and pull back the lower lip like he or she is smiling. Brush gently from bottom of gum line and up and do this for about ten seconds
  • Over a course of a few days, gradually increase brushing time to one minute on the upper teeth and one minute on the lower teeth

Tooth brushes and tooth paste for dogs:

So many of our clients ask us if they can use human tooth paste on their dogs. The answer is NO! Some of the reasons being:

  • A dog can’t spit, and it will swallow the tooth paste – human tooth paste is meant to be spit-out
  • Dogs should not have Fluoride
  • Human tooth paste contains Sodium Lauryl Sulphate which makes tooth paste foam. Many dogs do not like the foaming

Dog tooth paste should contain enzymes that dissolve material on the teeth, such as Glucose Oxidase and Lactoperokidease. We have told our clients to please check the tooth paste for sugars, because this can make more plaque with continued use.

We would be happy to speak to you about booking a
K-9 Oral Hygiene appointment for your pet today.

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