Dog silicone finger toothbrushes are overrated
Figuring out the best dog dental cleaning products
Purposely putting your finger in a dog’s mouth is an experience. I somehow escaped the chore of brushing two of three of my dogs’ teeth as a kid and college student, but I couldn’t dodge it as the sole owner of a Hound mix puppy. As pretty much every veterinarian and veterinary blog advises, grooming dogs as puppies makes it much easier for them to get used to the tasks — whether it’s clipping a dog’s nails, getting a haircut or brushing dog teeth.
Although my mother compromised with my German Shepherd and just let her lick the toothpaste off, that felt like the equivalent of standing under the showerhead instead of using a hand towel and a latherer. I was going to figure this dog teeth-brushing task out. (Side note: Four Paws Quick Fit Dog Muzzle will save a lot of time, running and wrestling for dog nail clippings.
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I went from wrestling to clip my animated dog’s nails over the course of two days — and chasing her everywhere — to a solid three- to four-minute job total with this cloth muzzle. Without her mouth getting involved, I could properly examine the quicks. I’ve yet to have any bleeding or cut her nails too close both before and afterward, but it became stress-free and neater with a dog muzzle on.)
However, when it comes to brushing a dog’s teeth, a muzzle is clearly not going to work. So I’ve tested several types of toothbrushes and dog dental treats to see which ones work best for me and which ones my Hound mix was willing to tolerate.