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Teeth
How to brush your dog's teeth in two minutes a day
Two minutes a day is an easy promise to make and a hard one to keep, which is why most dogs' teeth get brushed twice a year. A week of building the habit makes it a thing your dog walks over for.
What you need
Dog toothpaste, a finger brush or a soft small toothbrush, and a week
Dog toothpaste is the one non-negotiable. Human toothpaste is made to be spat out, and a dog swallows every bit; some brands contain xylitol, which the ASPCA's poison control lists as toxic to dogs. Dog pastes come in poultry, beef and peanut flavors and are meant to be swallowed. A finger brush is easiest at first; a soft child's toothbrush reaches the back teeth better once the dog accepts it.
You also need a week, because the first day is not brushing; it is letting the dog lick paste off your finger. Keep the paste and the brush in the same place and use them at the same time each day, after the evening walk, for instance, so the routine attaches to something that already happens. A dog that comes to find you at brushing time is the goal.
- Dog toothpaste only; never human paste
- A finger brush first, a small soft brush later
- The same time every evening
- A treat or the walk immediately after
The method
A week from licking the paste to two minutes on the back teeth
Day one is paste on a finger, licked off, done. Day two, a pasted finger runs along the outside of the lips. Day three, a finger lifts the lip and rubs one canine. Day four, the finger brush rubs the front teeth. Day five, the outside of the top back teeth on one side. Day six, both sides. Day seven, the bottom teeth as well, and you are brushing.
From then on the pattern is fixed: lip lifted with one hand, brush in small circles along the gum line on the outside of the top and bottom back teeth, then the canines and the front, thirty seconds a side, tongue left to itself. The inside faces matter less; the tongue keeps them cleaner. Finish while the dog is still leaning into it, and hand over the treat.
- 01
Day 1: paste on your finger, licked off, nothing else.
- 02
Day 2: a pasted finger along the outside of the lips, then a treat.
- 03
Day 3: lift the lip and rub one canine tooth with your finger.
- 04
Day 4: the finger brush on the front teeth for ten seconds.
- 05
Day 5: the outside of the top back teeth on one side, in small circles.
- 06
Day 6: both sides, top teeth, thirty seconds each.
- 07
Day 7 on: top and bottom, outside faces, two minutes, every evening.
Where it goes wrong
Human toothpaste, the once-a-month scrub and the belief that brushing is a cleaning
Human toothpaste is the first mistake and the most dangerous; foaming agents upset the stomach and xylitol can be far worse. The second is frequency. A monthly scrub does nothing, because plaque hardens into tartar within days, and tartar does not brush off. Two minutes daily, or at least four times a week, is the dose that works; anything less is a gesture.
The third is mistaking brushing for dental care. Brushing slows the build-up; it does not remove tartar already there or reach under the gum line. A dog with brown teeth, red gums, a smell that stops you at the door or a reluctance to chew needs a veterinary dental exam, and a professional cleaning is a veterinary procedure. Brushing is what you do between those visits.
- Never human toothpaste
- Daily or nearly daily, or not at all
- Brown teeth and red gums: the vet
- Brushing is between cleanings, not instead of them
The Cape Ann version
Crab shells, beach stones and a winter of driftwood on Good Harbor
Cape Ann dogs are hard on their teeth. A winter beach walk is a buffet of crab shells, dried fish and driftwood, and the crunch of a crab shell is a common cause of a chipped molar; Gloucester's beaches take dogs October 1 to April 30, Good Harbor on even days and Wingaersheek on odd, so the season is long. A drop-it cue matters here as much as a toothbrush, and a dog that carries beach stones grinds enamel off.
The daily brush is also your inspection. A tooth that changes color, a gum that bleeds when the brush touches it, or a dog that suddenly flinches on one side after a beach day is something to mention to your vet the same week. Gloucester's list of local and emergency veterinary offices shows who is open; the grooming studio is not the place for a sore mouth.
When to hand it to us
Teeth brushing for $10 with any bath or groom, and a vet for the rest
Our groomers add teeth brushing for $10 to any bath or full service groom, with a dog toothpaste and a brush that reaches the back teeth on a dog already standing calmly on the table. It is a good top-up when home brushing is sporadic, and a useful first introduction for a dog who has never had a brush in its mouth; the groomer's calm often transfers home.
It is not a dental cleaning, and we will never call it one. Tartar, gum disease, loose or broken teeth and bad breath that a brush does not fix are your vet's territory. No evaluation is needed for grooming, so the $10 add-on goes onto a bath by size from $55, into a daycare day, or onto the last morning of an overnight stay.
- Teeth brushing $10 with any bath or groom
- Not a dental cleaning; the vet does those
- Book it into a daycare day or an overnight stay
At Dogtown
The $10 top-up
Teeth brushing added to any bath or groom, on its own visit or during a daycare day.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Can I use human toothpaste on my dog?
How long does it take to get a dog used to tooth brushing?
Do dental chews replace brushing?
Is the $10 teeth brushing at Dogtown a dental cleaning?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Two minutes, every evening.
Add teeth brushing for $10 to any bath or groom, booked online or in the app, and keep the daily habit going at home.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
