So we’ve been to the vets for the usual annual booster and health checks. One happy sidekick here as he passed with flying colours and is the right weight at 19.5 kg and hearts good, no lumps or bumps. He sat quietly waiting and even leant on his legs while he checked him over and gave him his injection and never flinched moved or yelped. But he’s got a tartar beginning to build on his teeth , which he said springers are renouned for it, so I need to brush his teeth 3 times a week, yes ok I said I have a dogs toothbrush and will give it ago, so I gets home gets the brush out and the liver toothpaste, calls the dog over and he licked off the toothpaste and legs it, like no way are you putting that in my mouth, so I sat on the floor he looks to see what I had in my hand as did the doxie and they both are like nope you’re not touching my mouth then both went and hid. Any tips or tricks for me to use it without pinning either of them to the floor and scaring the life out of them please?
My top tips are 1. be happy with dealing just one tooth to begin with. Rub the toothpaste on to the canine tooth with your finger, and let it go at that. If you use an enzymatic toothpaste, it will have some effect. I hope he likes the taste, in which case he will most likely let you rub against several teeth the next time. Build up like this till you are touching all of his teeth and reward, reward, to make this a happy experience. 2. Most dogs will then adapt to the feel of a silicone finger brush, before moving on to either a babies toothbrush, or a replacement brush-head for a human electric toothbrush, which I find easier to manipulate around back teeth. 3. Try to scrape away any brown staining with your thumb nail. If it has hardened to a scale, you will need to use a dental scaler, but don't try to use one until your dog is 100% happy for you to do this or he will lose confidence in letting you brush his teeth. 4. This may just be my preference, but I find it easier to examine my dogs mouths with them lying on the floor, and rolling them over to change sides. Once they are confident that tooth cleaning doesn't hurt, and there is a big prize at the end, (like a piece of tripe), it is plain sailing. I have just remembered, when I got Merry and her teeth needed attention, I smeared enzymatic toothpaste onto tripe sticks or dried rabbits ears, (not the hairy ones), and let them dry overnight. This gave her teeth a start while I was getting her used to having them brushed. My Beagles all finish their meals with a large chunk of carrot, or broccoli stem.
Enzyme toothpastes I have used. Virbac C.E.T. Canine toothpaste. Logic Canine Gel. Beaphar Tooth Gel. This is my current kit. Finger brush Infant toothbrush Electric toothbrush head Blunt chisel dental scaler Enzyme tooth gel.
Thank you Carole I will start off with the finger method first just so he can get used to me touching his teeth, I wouldn’t mind but he let the vet look at his teeth and never moved or run and hide, so I just thought he would let me look too. He pulled away and just run like go away I’ve just had that done once.
It’s not really that bad at the moment like he said but I don’t want to escalate to the scale my other springer had, as he ended up having it removed by the vet but he did have to have one of his front teeth removed so they did the both together, I just need to keep on top of it, he does have a nylon bone that he chews on but not very often as he really isn’t a chewer except when he was teething but that was understandable. He has a really gentle bite like they are supposed to have.
One of the advantages of raw feeding is that both Tikva and Pereg before her, have/had perfect teeth. Pereg's breakfast was a large chunk of frozen turkey neck - Tikva has two or three [depending on the size] pieces of frozen chicken neck. Crunch, crunch, crunch! Lexi, who had a bad start in life - her dog mother was fed on scraps, always producing litters of unwanted pups, and the pups [those that made it to that stage] were weaned on stale bread soaked in water, was born with a disposition to bad teeth. She was about six weeks old when I got her, and not knowing about raw feeding, I fed her on kibble. I also used to brush her teeth every other day but Ram had to clean them under a GA as the plaque just built up. Then she lost her four top front teeth - they just fell out - and when Ram went to clean them again he ended up having to extract another 10. I was sitting in for the nurse and he literally just lifted each tooth from its socket with virtually no effort. Her teeth were rotten at the roots. I did brush Pereg's teeth once a week, but they really didn't need it - Ram checked them when she went for her 3-monthly blood tests. And he always checks Tikva's when he comes here every 3 months, but there is no way she would let me brush her teeth if it was necessary. Luckily it isn't, because she has very strong Doxie jaws and she would have no hesitation in using them!
I’ve never tried raw feeding but he has dried kibble and raw carrots, sometimes a little dried duck, he doesn’t have any wet food neither does our a doxie, he has muesli feed as he used to eat my others springers food when he was on that so we just kept him on it, even now my old springer has gone, I’ve found anything chicken based usually gives my pup really bad smelly wind, so I give him as little as I can as he’s on fish based food
I changed Pereg to raw a couple of months after she developed epilepsy. There was some discussion about it on a Canine Epi forum I had joined, as it had been found that some children with epilepsy had fewer and less intensive seizures when on a keto diet, so some people were trying it with their dogs. I do not know if any of them kept it up, or if it helped - I do not even know if it helped Pereg, but it certainly kept her healthy and in between seizures she was the happiest and most normal dog ever. Until the Monster finally won. Tikva went straight onto raw after I had weaned her and she was able to eat proper food, although she had had tastes of tiny bits of raw meat while she was still on baby food. Is your Doxie a Standard or a Mini? Tikva's mum was a large Standard, who had been caught by a randy little Minpin, so she is only half Doxie, but she has all the Doxie traits - and stubbornness at times! But she is such a good girl really, and just perfect for me because she is so undemanding.
I guess I've been lucky. None of my dogs have had teeth issues. There is occasionally some buildup as they age, but nothing that required any intervention. I do like @CaroleC suggestion of starting with one tooth and just quickly rubbing the toothpaste on it. And remember always make it fun/enjoyable. You might start with giving him a rub down or brushing if he enjoys either of those. And end with a favorite treat or game.
He is lovely! Those Doxie eyes - when Tikva looks at me like that I say I could drown in them. I love the picture him being cuddled, and the second one with him snuggled between [on?] both of the other two - one ear needing to be restored to factory setting! Thank you for posting the pictures.
You are most welcome, yes he gives the very sweet and innocent looks very often and fools everyone until he starts his vocals at every random stranger or dog he sees, they have all been close to each other since we’ve had them.
Small dogs with a big dog's bark. Very good watch dogs, at least Tikva is, and she is very protective of me.
Thank you Carole, he actually belongs to my daughter but they both live with me so hence he’s always by my side, but yes anything edible and he’s first inline for the food!! Haha that’s why he gets called princess potwash as he makes sure the pup has eaten all his food and cleans the bowl out for him
