How do you brush your doodle's teeth?

[Willow and J]

I've look through using Search but didn't come up with "how" do you brush your dog's teeth, so I wanted to ask what you do. 

1. Do you make your dog sit? Is there a better position for holding the dog?

2. Is there an order (back to front? side to side?)

3. What do you do with her/his tongue licking the toothpaste?

4. How long do you brush his/her teeth?

I saw one video of someone brushing her dog's teeth, and it was pretty much like what I do except I usually make Willow sit and I position myself at the back of her, and this was easier to keep her sitting the whole time. But, whatever I do, toothbrushing turns into a comic episode - I more or less think of it as Willow's chance to eat the toothpaste. I can hear her saying "Why bother, Mommy? Just squeeze the tube into my mouth!"

It's probably better than nothing, but I can't think this is going to make that much difference. Any tips to make toothbrushing more effective?

BTW, I did find discussions on PetzLife, and I was curious if that can replace brushing teeth?

[F, Calla & Luca]

Please let us know how it goes? I like the no anesthesia part. How much does it cost?

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I don't know much about the anesthetic free dental cleaning but I saw this on YouTube a while back. I am sure this would send Tara over the edge! LOL! And it looks like it is an unregulated field and the quality of care and handling of your animal can really vary.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Good points you make Ricki. I think Calla might have a heart attack. The video talks of 1% of death from anesthesia though, as a low incidence. That doesn't sound so low to me. What's a doodle to do?

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

That sounds high to me too. Especially if it  is MY animal that falls in that category! I wish there was an easy answer to the teeth issue! I showed the PetzLife and the PlaqueOff to Tara's dentist and she basically 'hokumed" me!!  LOL!  Told me there is no research showing that these products work. Is she a relative of yours?

[F, Calla & Luca]

Not my relative. I think the stuff is good. Calla's mouth was awful. I should have taken before pictures but I would have been embarrassed. I do the gel every other night and it is visibly and olfactorily much improved.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I have another friend who uses it and is very happy with it too. One of his dogs hates it so much that my friend gives it to him on a treat and it still works!  I'm not sure that Tara would even take it on a treat! Well, maybe on some bison liver...:)

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Ricki my DH says Hokum too!!! (that's the nice word-he doesn't even know that word LOL!)

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Jennifer your DH is a rascal!!!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I'm still working on my technique, but I think it works pretty well so far!

1. Do you make your dog sit? Is there a better position for holding the dog?

- This depends on your dog - mine is most comfortable sitting.  I find she moves around too much when standing.

2. Is there an order (back to front? side to side?)

- I start with the back teeth, because they're the hardest to get to.  I also "swish" the toothpaste all around the outside of her teeth to start to spread it around to make sure all the teeth get some toothpaste.

To do the back teeth I hold her jowls away with a finger while I madly scrub at her teeth.  Front teeth are pretty easy and those generally stay cleaner anyway because of the way she chews on things.

3. What do you do with her/his tongue licking the toothpaste?

- Try to avoid the tongue, but it's general unavoidable ;)  If you run out of toothpaste reapply a bit!

4. How long do you brush his/her teeth?

- About a minute; 30 seconds each side.  She's very tolerant of me putting my fingers in her mouth though (after training since she was a baby).

 

Good luck!

[Willow and J]

Do you use your finger, a finger brush (the one that you wear on your index finger), or a regular toothbrush for dogs?

I envy that you can "madly scrub" at her teeth! Willow's tongue follows everywhere brush goes, so I get to hear the brushing sound maybe 3 seconds on each side, but that's it. 

Luna sounds like a good hygiene-minded doggy. Good girl! 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I use a regular soft-bristled doggie brush. She likes to bite down on the brush sometimes, and I have a feeling I wouldn't want my finger in there!

The reason I'm madly scrubbing is to try to keep her from figuring out where to put the tongue to lick the brush away!  Good girl for sitting, yes, but she is a brat when it comes to hygiene.  When I'm trimming her nails I sound like a broken record saying "OFF!" to keep her from licking the nail clippers as I'm clipping...

[Willow and J]

hehehe... "broken record"!

Willow tries to eat the comb or slicker brush when I try to brush her.