How long to train for toothbrushing

[Jaada]

Hi All-

I am trying to train Toto to take a small toothbrush, but it is proving very difficult!


I read the technique in a couple of places of trying to get him to let me put my finger in his mouth, then add toothpaste and repeat until we progress to brushing).

I cannot seem to get him to the finger in the mouth stage... and I have been trying for a couple of weeks so getting a little disheartened that I am going to have to deal with dead fish breath forever. *gag* (licking the enzymatic toothpaste is doing absolutely nothing.

For those of you who do brush regularly how long did it take you to make progress? Should I wait until after his last couple of teeth come out and hope he'll feel more comfortable?

Toto is 6 months and unfortunately the vet told me I didn't have to worry about brushing until now. I'm slightly regretting not doing this training before like I did with his grooming because I am nearly ready to give up... except I don't want to have to put his tiny body under for teeth cleaning in future.

[Lovetodream88]

If you are using an enzymatic tooth paste like CET then you just have to get the toothpaste on the teeth. I let mine when I first start chew on the old tooth brush a little then after a few times of that put some tooth paste on it nd let them chew on it. In my classes I was interested in the fact that if you brush any less then every other day it’s not enough to do anything but that you don’t have to brush any more then every other day. I would get in the routine of it and keep the routine and eventually they will get that it’s going to happen. I would also give a treat after.

[airplane]

The brushing can be difficult. As you know yorkies are known for bad teeth. I did the brushing as well. It can take a long time for a dog to learn to accept it. Chewing on appropriate chew products is also known to help. There’s also a water additive called happymouth that you can buy at a vet clinic that is approved by whatever vet association and has research behind it that shows that it is helpful. I did all these things with Maezie, but even many of the teeth that appeared nice and clean and white, many of those teeth needed to be extracted cause of bone loss under the gum line that x rays showed. I think it’s really important to look at the health of the gums when being concerned with the teeth. My old boy Bijou, before he passed away, there were a couple times where I was concerned with how dirty his teeth were, but the vet just brushed it off as dirty teeth that weren’t a big concern because his gums were still healthy and pink looking with no gum recession or anything like that. Where with Maezie her gums were always red and inflamed with gum recession and some mobile teeth, etc. I certainly would never have one of my dogs under anesthesia just for a simple cleaning, but rather if there was a number of teeth needing to be removed or some type of serious mouth issues going on.

I say just keep working on it and be consistent. Eventually progress is going to be made. And to be mindful of the health of the gums. And also just remember too that there is a genetic component related to susceptibility of having bad teeth, gingivitis, gum disease, etc. Even if you’re incredibly consistent and do it all the time and the water additive and everything else, Toto may still end up needing a dental procedure done in the future. Some dogs can lose all their teeth at a young age. But it depends a lot on the dog and so many factors. Just don’t beat yourself up if Toto is one of those dogs that is prone to bad teeth. I got lucky with Théo having great teeth and strong healthy gums. He’s 3.5 years old and has never needed a dental and probably won’t for years. He’s got amazing teeth. With Maezie she had a shark mouth when her adult teeth came in, some teeth came in crooked and were basically pockets for plaque, and I was always dealing with inflamed gums and gum recession and loose teeth, etc.

I think it’s unfortunate that yorkies are known for bad teeth, and I think part of the responsibility to fix that lies with the breeders. And there are other factors as well. They are tiny dogs with lots of teeth in a tiny mouth. But there’s no doubt a genetic component related to it.

[airplane]

Sorry the water additive is called healthymouth not happymouth. It’s just another tool to possibly add in addition to the brushing to help keep the teeth the best that they can be.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by airplane

The brushing can be difficult. As you know yorkies are known for bad teeth. I did the brushing as well. It can take a long time for a dog to learn to accept it. Chewing on appropriate chew products is also known to help. There’s also a water additive called happymouth that you can buy at a vet clinic that is approved by whatever vet association and has research behind it that shows that it is helpful. I did all these things with Maezie, but even many of the teeth that appeared nice and clean and white, many of those teeth needed to be extracted cause of bone loss under the gum line that x rays showed. I think it’s really important to look at the health of the gums when being concerned with the teeth. My old boy Bijou, before he passed away, there were a couple times where I was concerned with how dirty his teeth were, but the vet just brushed it off as dirty teeth that weren’t a big concern because his gums were still healthy and pink looking with no gum recession or anything like that. Where with Maezie her gums were always red and inflamed with gum recession and some mobile teeth, etc. I certainly would never have one of my dogs under anesthesia just for a simple cleaning, but rather if there was a number of teeth needing to be removed or some type of serious mouth issues going on.

I say just keep working on it and be consistent. Eventually progress is going to be made. And to be mindful of the health of the gums. And also just remember too that there is a genetic component related to susceptibility of having bad teeth, gingivitis, gum disease, etc. Even if you’re incredibly consistent and do it all the time and the water additive and everything else, Toto may still end up needing a dental procedure done in the future. Some dogs can lose all their teeth at a young age. But it depends a lot on the dog and so many factors. Just don’t beat yourself up if Toto is one of those dogs that is prone to bad teeth. I got lucky with Théo having great teeth and strong healthy gums. He’s 3.5 years old and has never needed a dental and probably won’t for years. He’s got amazing teeth. With Maezie she had a shark mouth when her adult teeth came in, some teeth came in crooked and were basically pockets for plaque, and I was always dealing with inflamed gums and gum recession and loose teeth, etc.

I think it’s unfortunate that yorkies are known for bad teeth, and I think part of the responsibility to fix that lies with the breeders. And there are other factors as well. They are tiny dogs with lots of teeth in a tiny mouth. But there’s no doubt a genetic component related to it.

A “simple” cleaning could be very inmportant to your dogs health. The point of dentals when the teeth start looking bad is to do it soon enough to save teeth. Callie. Is at the point of needing yearly dentals but this last one she did not have to lose any teeth. If you only wait until teeth start needing to be pulled you risk them causing other health issues.

[airplane]

Originally Posted by Lovetodream88

A “simple” cleaning could be very inmportant to your dogs health. The point of dentals when the teeth start looking bad is to do it soon enough to save teeth. Callie. Is at the point of needing yearly dentals but this last one she did not have to lose any teeth. If you only wait until teeth start needing to be pulled you risk them causing other health issues.

My vet must be giving me incorrect information then. Actually multiple vets I’ve consulted with. Their reluctance to have Bijou under anesthesia for a cleaning because his gums were so healthy even with considerable plaque buildup on the teeth, and simply said his teeth were very dirty but no concern and no need for a dental. And he was a dog who was a fine candidate for anesthesia. There was no concerns regarding that. I guess they must be missing part of the picture. But with all the conversations I’ve had with vets throughout the years regarding the health of the mouths of my dogs, it seems to me that most of the weight when making decisions about a dog going under anesthesia for a dental lies with the health of the gums. At least that’s my understanding. But like I say perhaps these vets I speak to are just out to lunch and don’t know what they’re talking about. It makes me wonder though, if the gums are great and it’s just dirty teeth and nothing more, is it worth it to put a dog under anesthesia? I guess some vets say yes and some say no.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by airplane

My vet must be giving me incorrect information then. Actually multiple vets I’ve consulted with. Their reluctance to have Bijou under anesthesia for a cleaning because his gums were so healthy even with considerable plaque buildup on the teeth, and simply said his teeth were very dirty but no concern and no need for a dental. And he was a dog who was a fine candidate for anesthesia. There was no concerns regarding that. I guess they must be missing part of the picture. But with all the conversations I’ve had with vets throughout the years regarding the health of the mouths of my dogs, it seems to me that most of the weight when making decisions about a dog going under anesthesia for a dental lies with the health of the gums. At least that’s my understanding. But like I say perhaps these vets I speak to are just out to lunch and don’t know what they’re talking about. It makes me wonder though, if the gums are great and it’s just dirty teeth and nothing more, is it worth it to put a dog under anesthesia? I guess some vets say yes and some say no.

You had made the statement that you would not put a dog under unless they were going to be losing teeth which was what I was mostly referring to. The plaque on the teeth builds up and starts to slide up under the gums. Even when a human goes to get a dental cleaning they clean under the gum line no mater how the gums look so it’s generally necessary even with good looking gums. Dogs gums can look fine but still have a lot of bacteria under the gum line or could have big pockets of gum separation. Plaque holds a lot of nasty bacteria so if the teeth are gross that bacteria is just sitting the mouth and can grow and end up in the blood stream.

[yorkiemini]

We started slowly by finding a VOHC tooth paste Cali liked. First is just let her lick it off my finger then moved to rubbing it on her teeth combined with the licking. From there you can may put e move to a small brush.

We really like Petsmile and Healthy Mouth to put in the water.

Just take I slow when you find a good tooth paste. The VOHC website will show which are approved.

[airplane]

This might be slightly unrelated but I just had a thought. Y’know how for yorkies in Europe the teeth are a big deal at dog shows and often only show a yorkie with solid teeth because it’s penalized so harshly, but here in North America it’s not, maybe the standard here needs to be changed to be more penal on the teeth. For many breeds missing teeth or whatever else is a DQ in the ring. And those dogs won’t be shown or bred. Maybe they should change the standard to make it that way here in Canada and the US. Maezie took after her dad. A champion yorkie whose tongue hangs out of his mouth cause he’s probably got no teeth left. I heard he’s got bad teeth. Maezie did too. I’m just speculating a little bit about the genetic aspect of it and how it could maybe be combated in a way.

[Jaada]

Originally Posted by airplane

This might be slightly unrelated but I just had a thought. Y’know how for yorkies in Europe the teeth are a big deal at dog shows and often only show a yorkie with solid teeth because it’s penalized so harshly, but here in North America it’s not, maybe the standard here needs to be changed to be more penal on the teeth. For many breeds missing teeth or whatever else is a DQ in the ring. And those dogs won’t be shown or bred. Maybe they should change the standard to make it that way here in Canada and the US. Maezie took after her dad. A champion yorkie whose tongue hangs out of his mouth cause he’s probably got no teeth left. I heard he’s got bad teeth. Maezie did too. I’m just speculating a little bit about the genetic aspect of it and how it could maybe be combated in a way.

Thanks everyone for your replies!

On the above, it is true that teeth are very important here. My Toto was bred from two champion dogs and his breeder was at pains to explain to me that all her dogs have ‘good mouths’. Toto is only 6 months but so far his teeth seems well spaced and are falling out at a clip, so I am hoping he won’t need amny if any pulled.

His breath is absolutely lethal though, so I will try the tips above and see if they work. He will chew on a baby toothbrush if I give it to him on his own, but I am not sure how much of the paste I have hidden in it actual reaches his teeth.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by airplane

This might be slightly unrelated but I just had a thought. Y’know how for yorkies in Europe the teeth are a big deal at dog shows and often only show a yorkie with solid teeth because it’s penalized so harshly, but here in North America it’s not, maybe the standard here needs to be changed to be more penal on the teeth. For many breeds missing teeth or whatever else is a DQ in the ring. And those dogs won’t be shown or bred. Maybe they should change the standard to make it that way here in Canada and the US. Maezie took after her dad. A champion yorkie whose tongue hangs out of his mouth cause he’s probably got no teeth left. I heard he’s got bad teeth. Maezie did too. I’m just speculating a little bit about the genetic aspect of it and how it could maybe be combated in a way.

I’m not a fan of show breeding or shows because I feel like the standard has destroyed many many breeds. I feel like breeders for shows breed to get a winning dog not necessarily a healthy dog. I have heard of show breeders breeding dogs with LP. It’s all about winning to most not the healthiest dog in my opinion.

[Lovetodream88]

Originally Posted by Jaada

Thanks everyone for your replies!

On the above, it is true that teeth are very important here. My Toto was bred from two champion dogs and his breeder was at pains to explain to me that all her dogs have ‘good mouths’. Toto is only 6 months but so far his teeth seems well spaced and are falling out at a clip, so I am hoping he won’t need amny if any pulled.

His breath is absolutely lethal though, so I will try the tips above and see if they work. He will chew on a baby toothbrush if I give it to him on his own, but I am not sure how much of the paste I have hidden in it actual reaches his teeth.

Sometimes there is a smell when they are losing teeth. Sometimes also food can get stuck if there is a baby tooth and an adult tooth very close together. Over here we generally pull baby teeth when the dog is under for neutering. It’s very common in Yorkies even with good teeth genetics to have to have baby teeth pulled.

[BadStanley]

It was really difficult to teach Astra to remain still while brushing her teeth... But the main problem was that she could scrunch a toothbrush. Those plastic pieces are very harmful to animals so we started using a bamboo toothbrush instead of the plastic one.

[zlumanglas]

It took me months to get my pup to be OK with brushing her teeth. The problem for me is that her mouth is so small that the typical toothbrush i can buy from local stores are even too big. I eventually found a toothbrush that worked. It's got soft bristles all around.

I brush her teeth every night as part of our regular routine. We got the routine going when she was 8 months old and I think I started trying to brush her teeth seriously when she was about 6 months. Even with just 2 months of build up, her teeth were not looking good.

Now they're pretty awesome! It was worth the struggle with brushing her teeth. She's not a big fan but she complies now. What I do is i put my index finger in her cheek then guide the toothbrush in that side. I hold her head too when I brush her teeth (gently) so that I know there's contact with her teeth. I lightly brush the front teeth. I tell her to open her mouth to warn her. I still have to open her mouth so i can brush more inside.

She's now almost 2 years old. She has some build up but not bad at all! Also her breath is fresh :P

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B06...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[yorkiemini]

Yep we started Cali as a youngster and now she looks forward to the toothpaste routine every day.