Part of your responsibilities in owning a domesticated pet dog is to know how to brush dog’s teeth. It can be a tough ordeal in the beginning, but if you include this in your dog’s personal hygiene regiment when it was still a puppy, this will soon become part of its daily living habits as it grows into an adult dog. The brushing process goes something like this:

1. Condition yourself to be more enthusiastic so that your dog can feel that you’re going to have a fun bonding moment. Shower it with a lot of praises while being firm in holding it in place.

2. Make some positive associations when putting your fingers into your dog’s mouth. Put some traces of beef stew on your fingers and fondly play with your dog’s mouth. Find an opportunity to gently insert your fingers into its mouth and rub its teeth and gums gently. Allow your dog to savor the flavor of the stew by letting it lick your fingers. Do this as if you’re giving the dog a treat.

3. Tie a string of soft fabric around the finger that you used in rubbing the teeth and gums of your dog. Add some beef stew flavor as well, like you did initially with your fingers. Follow the same procedure, but emphasize the rubbing with the gauzed finger a bit so that it can feel its texture. Do not forget to do this when you are in a good mood. Remember that your dog can feel how you feel.

4. When the dog seems to be comfortable with what you’re doing with its mouth, substitute the gauze with a toothbrush or other alternative brushing tools with the same texture as the gauze you used. Introduce the new toothbrush with the old flavor that it is used to. Familiarity can prevent your dog from feeling uncomfortable during the process.

5. Add a flavored toothpaste to the chosen toothbrush that is loved by your dog. Anything that resembles its favorite treat or dog food will be good. Place some traces of the selected flavor on your finger and let the dog lick it from there. When it shows approval, apply the toothpaste directly to its gums and return to the brushing strokes you practiced earlier. Praise your dog vocally for the good behavior.

6. Go deeper to the challenging teeth when your dog shows no resistance at all. Never force your dog to complete the brushing of the whole crown and gums just for the sake of cleaning them. The most important thing is that you are able to clean the teeth and gums gradually without giving your dog a hard time. If done this way, brushing your dog’s teeth will never be as difficult as you imagined.

Never rush on how to brush dogs’ teeth. You’ll eventually achieve your goal in time if you are patient enough to go through it step by step – without taking a short cut. Cheating in the process will not get you anywhere because dogs have to develop trust and familiarity before you can get them to comply with your wishes. That’s what obedience training is all about.