You’ll find a lot of people who say they love puppy breath. But the buck stops there. Adult dog breath doesn’t get the same accolades. Could it be that as a dog grows up, his teeth desperately need brushing, but most dog owners don’t brush their dogs’ teeth? Primarily because they don’t know how. Or why they should do it.
Treat and dog food manufacturers would have you believe that all your dog has to do is eat hard food or chew on a bone, and voila! Their teeth are cleaned. Or even better, add a packet of “stuff” to your dog’s water, and that will clean his teeth.
Seriously? We have been sold a bill of goods with those. When was the last time you ate a bag of pretzels and said, “Yeah baby! Where’s my shades? These teeth are now brighter than Einstein.” Pretzels get under your gums just like kibble gets under your dog’s gums. Or have you ever taken a drink of water and said, “Don’t need to brush my teeth now. That did it!”
You really do need to brush your dogs teeth to get a good cleaning. And once a dog’s trained, and that doesn’t take long, you get something like this. Awesome!
I can work with you to train your dog to accept tooth brushing. And I have specially designed training packages to do just that! Concentrated on husbandry. And teeth brushing is so critical. Especially as your dog ages. Do you want to put him under anesthesia to get his teeth cleaned when you could be brushing his teeth to keep him in good dental and hygiene health. And you might even like to catch a whiff of his adult or senior breath, just like you used to when he was a pup.
By Helen Verte
Certified Pet Dog Trainer and Certified Trick Dog Instructor
South Florida Dog Trainer and Dental Health Advocate, Fort Lauderdale South Florida
