If this is your dog’s first toothbrush look for a pet dental care kit to get you started. These kits typically include a pet toothbrush, a tube of pet toothpaste and a pet finger toothbrush.

Pet dental wipes are great for use on dogs that resist brushing. These easy-to-use pet teeth cleaning pads help remove food debris and plaque, kill germs and help to control bad breath. If your dog will not allow you to use toothbrush method try using dental wipes regularly as part of your dog’s home dental care program.

You may also want to try to increase amount of time your dog spends chewing on real bones, dental dog chew toys and edible dog chews.

This type of chewing helps remove food debris and prevents tartar build up. If your dog chews enough you may be able to reduce how often you need to manually brush your dog’s teeth.

How do dog's in wild keep their teeth clean and healthy?

Dogs in wild are generally much more active than our domesticated pets because they must hunt for their food. They also spend much more time chewing and gnawing on fresh bones, which helps to keep their teeth clean and healthy.

Our domesticated dogs can spend a lot of time sleeping with their mouths closed while passing long period of time alone. It is commonly believed that lack of fresh air circulating over teeth and gums can encourage certain types of bacterial growth in mouth. And since our pet dogs get their daily rations served to them in bowls it isn’t necessary for them to spend much time chewing. Although gnawing on bones is how dogs in wild keep their teeth free from food debris, bacterial accumulation and tartar buildup, our domesticated friends rarely spend as much time at such pursuits.

Encouraging your dog to chew will make a big difference in effectiveness of your dog dental care routine. Real bones are nature's edible dog chews. But if you prefer not to give your dog real bones there are plenty of wonderful dental dog chew toys and edible dog chews that will get job done.

Will real bones help keep clean my dog's teeth?

Give your dog some real bones – Nature’s own edible dog chews. Most people don’t provide their dog with quantities of real bones, so as to avoid mess and unsanitary residue. It’s great if you have an environment in which your dog can indulge in working on a fresh bone. But if not, you can buy some natural sterilized marrowbones. These hollow bones are also available pre-filled with tasty treats like beef, chicken, cheese, and granola.

If you get some unfilled bones you may want to try filling them with your dog’s favorite treats. Try peanut butter, cheese or one of yummy pre-made fillings available at pet shops and online stores.

If you would rather not give your dog real bones there are many enticing dental dog chew toys and edible dog chews available that will encourage your dog to chew.

Besides real bones what other types of dog chews will help keep my dog's teeth clean? Traditional chew toys are still available and are just as popular as ever. But there are also a variety of very good dental chew toys, rope bone chew toys and edible dog chews designed to keep your dog engaged, with added benefit of cleaning teeth. These toys will entice your dog into playfully attending to required dental hygiene. They can also keep your dog entertained and out of mischief during those times when you must leave your dog alone.

Rope Bone Chew Toys – Try a dental rope chew toy for great flossing action. As your dog happily chews on these toys rope fibers clean between teeth. Spray on some dog dental care spray or rub on a little flavored pet toothpaste to really enhance cleaning action of this enticing dental chew toy. Check out a pet dental care spray & rope chew toy kit and get your dog dental care routine going today.

Dental Chew Toys – For long lasting chewing fun, and a great dental workout, get your dog a dental chew toy. Some brands are manufactured with grooves that make these dental toys real winners for cleaning your dog’s teeth. Some dental chew toys can also be stuffed with your dog’s favorite treats for hours of stimulating chewing. And for smaller dogs there are dental chew toys that not only have teeth cleaning grooves but also are combined with a rope chew. Just add some pet toothpaste to dental grooves and your dogs will eagerly participate in their daily dog dental care routine.

Edible Dog Chews – Are you concerned about giving your dog rawhide chews because they can "ribbon" and cause your dog to choke? Many pet hops and online stores now carry a variety of composite chews. These all natural rawhide dog chews can't ribbon, are easy to digest and dogs love baked in flavor. There is even an edible dog chew treat available that contains no animal by-products.

Dogs, like people, have different tastes and preferences. Choose whichever dental dog toy or dog chew treat that will keep your dog happily chewing his or her way to clean and healthy teeth and gums.

And remember that there are many convenient dog dental care products available that will help you to keep your dog’s teeth and gums in great shape between regular visits to vet and grooming salon. Unattended dental health problems cannot only distress your beloved pet, but can lead to serious conditions and ailments. Many of these problems can be prevented by implementing a regular home dog dental care routine.

Article courtesy of: href="http://www.dog-supplies-advisor.com/" rel="nofollow">Dog-Supplies-Advisor.com a website dedicated to providing dog care advice on a broad range of dog-related topics. Includes informative articles, frequently asked questions, recommendations, and href="http://www.dog-supplies-advisor.com/free-dog-ezine.html" rel="nofollow">Free Ezine.

Bring out clipping tools ahead of time and let your dog become familiar with them. It is important that you remain calm. If you’re nervous, your dog will sense it and associate fear or uncertainty with dog nail trimming. If your dog is nervous use gentle reassurance, but don’t coddle your dog. Let your dog know that you expect him to behave, but don’t push it too far.

If your dog can only manage to tolerate getting one toenail trimmed that’s all right. Just be persistent and try for another nail at another time. And always remember to reward good behavior with your dog's favorite treat.

How can I cut my dog’s nails when he doesn’t like his feet touched?

Have patience and start working on getting your dog used to having his feet handled. This must be done gradually, so don’t rush it. Try gently touching one foot while your dog is asleep. If your dog wakes up be very casual about it. Just remove your hand and act as if you didn’t even notice that you were touching his paw. Anytime your dog resists don’t react, just ignore fact that you were even holding his paw and try again another time. Repeat this process and over time your dog will adjust to having his feet handled and you should even be able to start touching individual toes without an adverse reaction.

Whenever your dog allows you to touch his feet always remember to praise your dog and give him a dog treat. Your dog will begin to associate having his feet handled with a pleasant experience. Bring out nail clippers when your dog is very comfortable with you handling his feet and you are confident that you have gained your dog’s trust.

Will my dog ever adjust to getting her nails trimmed?

Many dogs may never like to get their nails trimmed, but if done regularly over time, dogs can learn to sit through this routine grooming procedure. Other dogs may never sit still. If you can’t get your dog to sit still you may need to recruit help of another person to hold your dog while you trim her nails. While some dogs can be distracted by dog treats alone, others may also have to be held. You may want to try clipping your dog’s nails after a full day of exercise when your dog is looking to take a long nap. Tired dogs tend to be less resistant.

If you know that your dog tends to bite when stressed out, for safety sake you should muzzle your pet before you begin a dog nail trimming procedure. If task of trimming your dog’s nails proves to be too much, find a professional dog groomer or veterinarian for this part of your dog’s routine grooming. If you can’t get your dog to cooperate it’s better that your dog doesn’t associate you with this negative experience. If you know that your dog tends to react in an aggressive manner, be sure to let your groomer know what to expect so that necessary safety precautions can be taken before they begin a dog nail trimming session.

What is quick and what do I need to know about it?

The quick is living part of a dog’s nail and has blood vessels running throughout. Cutting into quick during dog nail trimming is painful for your dog and will result in bleeding. If your dog has light colored nails your job will be easier since you will be able to see quick. It will be impossible to see quick if your dog’s nails are black or dark in color. If your dog has at least one light colored nail you can usually use that nail as a guide for others. If dog nail trimming is completely new to you, ask your veterinarian or groomer to show you how to trim your dog’s nails or consult a good dog care book.

Another important fact to note is that quick grows with nail. As a dog’s nails grow longer quick will also lengthen. So if your dog’s nails are over grown you will not be able to clip nails to desired length without cutting into quick. You will need to trim tips of your dog’s nails often and over time quick will shorten. To avoid cutting into quick you’ll want to start by trimming small pieces of nail until you get hang of it.

Help, I’ve cut my dog’s nail too short and now my dog is bleeding! What do I do now?

Don’t panic. Your dog is in a little pain but prognosis is good – your dog will live! You’ve cut into quick, blood-filled tissue in your dog’s nail. To stop bleeding take a pinch of styptic powder and press it against bleeding toenail. Now give your dog lots of treats. The nail should stop bleeding in about 5-10 minutes.

Try not to baby your dog too much. You don’t want to bring a lot of unnecessary attention to injured nail. You’ll be surprised at how easily your dog will be distracted by dog treats if you’re not making a big deal out of bleeding toenail. So just stay calm and upbeat and you may be able to finish your dog nail-trimming task.

If your dog is calm and enjoying treats it's best to continue trimming. If you didn’t finish with paw that you were working on you may want to continue on another paw and come back to that one after you have finished rest. If your dog is too excited you may need to try again at a later time. Don’t be discouraged, even professional dog groomers occasionally cut into quick.

If my dog’s nails are over grown how can dog nail trimming get them back to a healthy length?

You will need to trim your dog’s nails regularly. Start by clipping very small pieces of nail tip until you can see a dark, round, kind of moist looking disk appear in middle of nail. This means you’re approaching quick and nail will bleed if you cut it any shorter.

Try trimming this far every week or two and quick will gradually recede. Over time length of nail can be shortened. Cutting into quick to shorten a dog’s over grown nails could lead to an infection. If your dog’s nails are extremely over grown and this condition is causing health issues consult your veterinarian immediately.

Trimming your dog’s nails is one of regular home dog grooming tasks that helps to keep your dog healthy and active. As with most dog grooming tasks, rewarding your dog for positive behavior is an important part in your dog’s acceptance of activity. It’s always best when your dog can associate attention you lavish on him or her with a positive, happy memory. Learning tricks to proper dog nail trimming, training your dog with positive feedback, and showing patience and love will make time you spend together a reward in itself.

Article courtesy of: href="http://www.dog-supplies-advisor.com/" rel="nofollow">Dog-Supplies-Advisor.com a website dedicated to providing dog care advice on a broad range of dog-related topics. Includes informative articles, frequently asked questions, recommendations, and href="http://www.dog-supplies-advisor.com/free-dog-ezine.html" rel="nofollow">Free Ezine.