Brushing my puppy's teeth?

My 4-month-old Shiba Inu puppy absolutely hates to get his teeth brushed! He cries and wiggles and hides. It takes at least 2 people to hold him down while I try to brush! I give him plenty of toys to chew on - dental bones, kongs, rawhides, you name it. He love them all and spends hours chewing on them everyday.





My question is, do I REALLY need to brush his teeth if I give him lots of healthy things to chew on? Its just such an ordeal and he gets so upset and worked up about it, that I'd rather not put him through the brushing if I didn't have to.

Brushing my puppy's teeth?
I laughed when I read this. I don't have many Shiba Inu's that come into my groom shop but I had one today, Benji, and He HATED it when I brushed his teeth.





As long as you are getting his teeth checked but the vet during his checkups, relax, don't stress him or yourself. Give him his chewy stuff and enjoy the time not struggling with him.





One in a while if you want take him to some poor groomer like me and let it be their problem. That way you get to be the good guy and come rescue him.
Reply:No you do not have to brush her teeth. Greenies are a brand of chews to help take care of dogs teeth if you are unable to brush them. I have found that they work the best of everything else that is out there.. i hope that helps.
Reply:I never have. My 3 year old lab has just used tartar treats and dental bones and such. And her teeth is healthy as if we brushed them.
Reply:Give the dog a bone! Buy some soup bones at the store and give him one to chew on once a week. Not only will the bone scrape his teeth pearly white but it will provide hours of entertainment! Real soup bones with real meat... raw and delicious!


DO NOT feed greenies or any other type of bones like that. Greenies have killed several dogs. There are lawsuits pending... skip the man made bones of unknown and give him the real deal!
Reply:The way you go about it truly sounds like an ordeal.





2 people to hold him down!!!





My goodness, how do you think the poor thing feels.





Start again.





Just you and your pup in the room, no other distractions.





Put a bit of dog dentifrice on your finger and let him lick it off. Dog "toothpaste" should be enzymatic and fully digestable. It is also flavoured pleasantly so the dog accepts it. Then try to stick your finger a bit further in his mouth and rub a tooth, very gently. If he accepts it, praise him lavishly "Good dog" at the top of your voice and reward him with a treat.





As you progress and he becomes more accepting, stick your finger in his mouth between cheek and teeth and start cleaning them with your finger and dog dentifrice, remember to praise and treat.





Once he accepts that get a little plastic finger brush. It's like a thimbal with little plastic bristles on it. Put a bit of enzymatic dog tooth paste on it, let him lick it, and do with your toothbrush covered finger, what you used to do before with your bare finger.





All in all it might take up to 2 months to reverse the trauma you have caused the little man with the harsh way you went about it in the past.





Please don't give up. It pays to persist.





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Reply:According to vets and even dentabone producers:


1. Rinsing is good


2. Tartar removal bones are better


3. Brushing is best


If you can only do 1. and 2. that is better than nothing. A combination of all 1. 2. and 3. is considered ideal


Some dogs get tartar more than others. My lhasa gets tartar easily even with bones so we have to brush her teeth regularly and take her for dental appointments to get the tartar removed


I would keep trying to brush his teeth if you can. He is young now so now is the time to get him used to it. Get tasty dog toothpaste (beef or chicken flavoured) and let him smell it first. At first keep the sessions really short so he gets used to it. Just make sure to never use human toothpaste since its toxic to dogs. After a session, give him lots of praise and or treats. He will get used to it, you aren't physically hurting him. It's good for dogs to get used to having their teeth and mouths examined while they are young so that they won't become violent about it later on
Reply:If you are feeding him a highly digestable dry food only and giving him lots of things to chew on he should be fine. However, if the food contains lots of fillers, dyes, or if you are feeding him any wet food then brushin occasionally is necessary to prevent peridontis disease which allows bacteria to enter the bloodstream through the gums. Check the first ingredient in his food and make sure it's a meat product. Make sure you are giving him plenty of water and hard chew toys. Rawhides, kongs, and dental bones are great. Rope toys are also good because they act like dental floss. If you start to notice brown or green coloring on the teeth then you should brush it off so that it will not spread. Try using a poultry flavored toothpaste and allowing the dog to taste it on the brush a few times before trying to brush. Also, praise him while you do this and talk to him while you brush to keep him calm.
Reply:It's not detrimental to her dental health as long as she has other cleaning aids. But the question is why is your puppy so young and giving you so much trouble? You may want to continue trying to brush her teeth so that she recognizes YOU as the dominant one and not the other way around. At 4 months, she is still very young and can be trained. Continue touching her face and mouth/teeth. That way, a vet in the future will be able to examine her w/ out her misbehaving.
Reply:get yo stupid tooth brush fro..... oh im sorry where are my manners get a old toothbrush for your dog and then buy a new one for you oh and if that aint what you lookin for that i didnt read the whole question



my bird