These pictures show you how to brush a dog’ teeth. Brushing a cat’s teeth is a similar process.   1. Gently lift the lip. Sit your dog down on your lap or a table. Don’t fight your dog, be cheerful and playful. Reward him often, even if he only allows a short training session. Get him used to you handling the mouth     2. Allow him to smell and taste toothpaste. Put the paste on your finger and let him smell and lick it, most dogs will love the taste     3. Rub paste in a circle. Working from the side, not in front gently start to rub the paste onto his teeth and gums, using your fingers     4. Work paste back. Slowly work the paste further back in his mouth to the outside of the larger teeth     5. Introduce the toothbrush. Put paste on the brush and allow him to lick it off. Then gently rub the larger teeth at the front using circular motions which extend over the gum line     6. Work toothbrush back. Slowly extend the brushing to the small teeth at the front and finally to the larger teeth at the back. Don’t try to do all the teeth at once straight away!     7. Reward him at the end of the session

Remember the aim is to clean the outside of the teeth. If you can do this daily, that is great, but twice a week will help a lot. Most of the calculus forms on the outside of the teeth. It is not as necessary to try to brush the inside of the teeth.

SAFTEY FIRST: Not every dog will accept this. Only do what your dog will accept. Do not fight the dog as you may get hurt. Do not force the dog to have the teeth brushed as this may anger the dog and spoil the dog/owner relationship.