I have a small dog. She weighs only about 7 pounds. She is a very nice dog. She is very playful and she eats quite regularly, like a happy healthy dog is supposed to do. I have one main problem with her though. She just will not ever allow me to brush her teeth. And, they really do need cleaning and/or brushing. I have several items for cleaning her teeth such as doggy toothbrush, toothpaste, special mouth spray for dogs, etc. I have done online research for suggestions and they give a variety of ideas of how to get a dog used to the brushing process and I have tried various approach, but the most that she will do at times is allow me to rub some tooth paste onto her teeth. I have tried the Vet but they want $500 or more to clean her teeth. I just don't have that kind of money all at once and I am just wondering what other helpful ideas others might have for this situation. I am much more careful what I give her to eat though because I think that certain table foods that I may have given her in the past may have really affected her teeth condition not in the best of ways.
I don't know if this will help but I read if you tire your dog out first, they will have their mouth open because they are panting as well as be more inclined to sit for a period of time while you brush them. A dog tooth brush usually slants at a 45 degree angle, so this will help you reach his teeth easier. Also, fluoride is bad for dogs so be careful about using human toothpaste. It also seems that hard food is better than soft for dogs, and chew toys can also help.
I don't know how much they help but they do make those dental chew bones for dogs that supposedly clean their teeth while they are chewing. You could also ask your vet for some sort of mild sedative that would calm your dog down. There are natural versions of those too. They sedate dogs to clean their teeth thoroughly at the vet.
That's way expensive! Well, I guess everything is expensive in your country. Where I live, I only pay like $3 to get my dog's teeth cleaned. It's $10 for the full groom service. If you really want to clean your dog's teeth/mouth on your own, tire him out first. Go for a walk or a run, then do what you need to do. Reinforce good behavior as well by giving him a pat in the head after brushing.
I think the dog would love to get a message done for its teeth in some particular way. My dog also hated it when I used to brush and bathe it. But then I started using a special brush that it is really soft and feels like a massage rather than brushing. I think there is a way to brush every dog in different ways.
