Teeth brushing and "those bones".

S

Smudge

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I bought Smudge a toothbrush a little while back, but I have yet to use it. Actually, I dread the process almost as much as I dread clipping nails. How often do you actually need to brush a dog's teeth? Will a groomer clean your dog's teeth? Also, I've read on several websites where people just give their dog dental bones or just regular chewing bones in place of brushing their teeth. Is this a better option, or is it a dumb idea? Smudge still has his puppy teeth. I really don't think he should be chewing on a bone quite yet. I've tried it before, and I ended up taking it away from him. Is there maybe a softer chew bone made for puppies? I read the post about dental bones, but I was mostly wondering about just regular chewing bones for puppies.

I'm going to take Smudge to a groomer in a few weeks anyway. I've tried my best with his nails, but I think somebody who knows what they are going would better handle him. If a groomer will do it then I will ask them to clean his teeth while they are at it.
 
Groomers do teeth

You should be getting Smudge use to having his teeth brushed as aften as possible. Just buy one of those brushes that attach to your finger .:wink2: The tooth paste they sell for dogs is usually liver taste which they seem to love. I know mine all have so far.
 
I saw the ones that fit over your finger like you are talking about, but I didn't buy it because it didn't say if it was ok to use for puppies. I have a toothbrush that came with some toothpaste, so I will attempt that and then get one of the finger ones the next time I go into town.

I think the only thing I'm good at is brushing. :lol:
 
I actually use a regular child's tooth brush for doing Edan's teeth (with doggie toothpaste of course). I got it from my groomer after they did his teeth during a visit.

I have less fight from him with the child's toothbrush than I ever did with the little doggie brushes or finger brushes.
 
Smudge said:
I have a toothbrush that came with some toothpaste,
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Jessica, I think I must have purchased the same kit you did. I've yet to use it too. This afternoon she's getting a bath and I'm going to try the toothbrush and filing her nails after I find an old T-shirt to wear. :lol:
 
I also just use a child's toothbrush on Fergus as I did on all my previous shelties. You might want to start by just putting a little toothpaste on your finger and rubbing it on his teeth so he gets used to your being in his mouth,then slowly introduce the brush. I usually try to do Fergus's teeth at least once a week. He does have rawhide chews which I think help some in keeping his teeth clean. How often you have to brush depends on the dog. Some seem to have more problems with buildup on their teeth than others.
 
Hi there,

A couple of things:

1) Denture Bones - be careful with some of those (e.g. Greenies). My experience is that they often do not sit well in our pups tummies resulting in some pretty nasty stools. I've used Dingo Dental Bones (which is basicly rawhide with some baking soda). I don't know if it helps, but it does not hurt.

2) I don't teeth brush, but I know I should. Mea culpa!

3) You really want to try to get over your discomfort with clipping nails. Nails really should be trimmed weekly or bi-weekly. I made the mistake with my forever pup. I clipped his nails once and hit the quick and was gun-shy ever since. So I used to wait for the groomer to do it (every 6-8 weeks). The problem is that the "quick" grows at the same rate as the nail. If you don't trim the nail back often, the quick will grow too long, and then you'll NEVER get the nails nice and short. My forever pup had one nail that had grown so long and could not be cut that it curled back on itself. Poor baby, I'll never make that mistake again!

So unless you plan to bring Smudge to the groomer every couple of weeks, consider learning how to do yourself. I use a Peticure on Bacca which I love. It takes a little longer as you have to go over each nail 2 or 3 times in a sitting, but once I got him used to it, there is no more hassle. Particularly good if you've got black nails as you can do the nail incrementally and avoid trimming too deep. Indy is perfectly fine with being clipped. His previous owners were able to teach him well.
 
BarbV said:
3) You really want to try to get over your discomfort with clipping nails. Nails really should be trimmed weekly or bi-weekly. I made the mistake with my forever pup. I clipped his nails once and hit the quick and was gun-shy ever since. So I used to wait for the groomer to do it (every 6-8 weeks). The problem is that the "quick" grows at the same rate as the nail. If you don't trim the nail back often, the quick will grow too long, and then you'll NEVER get the nails nice and short. My forever pup had one nail that had grown so long and could not be cut that it curled back on itself. Poor baby, I'll never make that mistake again!
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Here is a VERY good picture of his nails. For once I got a nice picture. :biggrin2:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v497/hobitfancier/nails.jpg

His nails are all the way pink! I thought that the pink part was the quick part. So are his nails not long enough to cut yet?
 
By my reckoning they dont need a cut. They look quite short.

I allow my dogs some nail over the quick because I was told (by sled dog trainers and my agility trainer) it helps grip with agility contacts and running in flyball.

If Smudge is walking on concrete surfaces - like footpaths, stones etc he may not need his nails cut very often. Deska needs a cut infrequently because he weighs enough to wear the nails down. Tully i do more frequently because she is so light weight and her nails are black so I do a little snip each week.
 
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