How Often Should You Clean Your Dog's Teeth?. It's recommended to inspect your dog's teeth and oral cavity daily and clean them at least twice a week. The frequency of cleanings depends on the condition of the teeth, which is often influenced by breed and dietary habits. Dogs prone to dental problems require more frequent cleaning:

- Small and toy breeds, such as Yorkshire Terriers, Chihuahuas, Toy Terriers, Toy Poodles, Maltese, Whippets, and Chinese Cresteds.
- Brachycephalic breeds, like Pugs and Bulldogs.
- Dogs with long narrow muzzles, such as Shelties, Greyhounds, and Dachshunds.
- Pets fed a soft homemade diet or predominantly wet commercial food.
- Animals lacking sufficient minerals crucial for bone tissue (calcium, phosphorus), common in dogs on homemade diets or budget foods without functional additives.

Training for Teeth Cleaning. The transition from deciduous to permanent teeth in dogs starts at around 4-6 months and is completed by the end of the first year, or by 9 months in large breeds. Dental hygiene practices should begin after this transition, as deciduous teeth do not require cleaning, nor do emerging permanent ones. However, it's best to start training puppies with their baby teeth. An adult dog that hasn't been accustomed to tooth cleaning since puppyhood will likely react negatively to attempts to touch their teeth.

During the teething period, regularly inspect the oral cavity, control the bite, monitor the timely loss of baby teeth, and the emergence of permanent ones. During the inspection, puppies should be accustomed to finger touches on their teeth and gum massage. It's best to conduct oral inspections and cleanings when the puppy is satiated, calm, slightly tired, and doesn't need to relieve themselves. Always praise and stroke the puppy during the inspection and hygiene procedures.

From gentle massaging motions, gradually transition to cleaning actions, starting with makeshift cleaning tools. Instead of a toothbrush, you can use a piece of gauze or bandage wrapped around your finger. During the training phase, avoid trying to clean all the teeth at once. Continue the procedure until the dog becomes nervous or tries to escape. Over time, you'll be able to clean more teeth in one session, and eventually, the dog will allow you to clean the entire upper and lower dental arches.

As the duration of the procedure increases, you can try switching from improvised tools to specialized dental hygiene products designed for dogs. Before touching your dog's teeth with a brush and paste, introduce them to these items, allowing them to smell and ensuring their safety.

Many puppies perceive tooth cleaning as a game. If you clean their teeth daily and encourage and praise them for obedience, your dog will calmly tolerate this hygienic procedure. If you have to train an adult dog, proceed gradually, starting with inspections and increasing the duration of touches. Additional preventive measures may be necessary, along with the assistance of an assistant to hold the dog. Aggressive dogs should not be approached with fingers in their mouths; instead, use a traditional toothbrush.

Tools for Cleaning Your Dog's Teeth. For cleaning your dog's teeth, you can use both specialized veterinary toothbrushes and pastes, gels, sprays, as well as makeshift tools.

Toothbrushes:
- Regular human toothbrushes with extremely soft bristles, preferably children's brushes. Suitable for larger dogs.
- Specialized veterinary toothbrushes with a more convenient bend. Typically double-sided, with one end for cleaning large fangs and the other for smaller front teeth.
- Finger brush, which may have nylon bristles for teeth cleaning and rubber or silicone for gum massage. This brush is more maneuverable, allowing you to clean distant, hard-to-reach areas. However, it's suitable only for balanced, non-aggressive dogs that calmly accept tooth cleaning.
- Electric toothbrushes are not the best choice for dogs as they're often frightened by the buzzing and vibration.

Veterinary Dental Care Products. Many veterinary dental pastes and sprays are suitable for both dogs and cats. However, human toothpaste should not be used to clean your pet's teeth as it contains additives harmful to animal health and foams excessively. These products typically work to remove plaque, eliminate bacteria, freshen breath, and often combat inflammation and bleeding gums. They may contain extracts of medicinal herbs, propolis, and silver ions. Paste with meat, chicken, liver, or pate flavors allows you to find a taste your pet will enjoy. Mint-flavored pastes provide a refreshing breath, but may affect your dog's sense of smell. If your dog's sense of smell is crucial (for hunting or search dogs), it's not recommended to use mint toothpaste. For sensitive or allergy-prone dogs, it's better to choose a neutral paste without flavoring.
Make-shift Tools. As mentioned, you can use a strip of gauze or bandage wrapped around your finger instead of a toothbrush, a method many dog owners use not only during training but as part of regular cleaning. Veterinary experts also recommend that when dealing with heavy plaque buildup, start by gently wiping the teeth with dampened gauze or bandage before moving on to more thorough brushing.

If gauze, due to its fibrous mesh structure, is as effective at cleaning teeth as a toothbrush, then homemade toothpaste substitutes have several drawbacks:

1% hydrogen peroxide is quite aggressive, damaging tooth enamel and not intended for regular use; Applying baking soda on a moistened bandage is also suitable only for episodic use. This sodium compound is contraindicated for animals with heart and kidney diseases; The same restrictions apply to a mixture of baking soda, natural white chalk, and lemon juice. It should be noted that school chalk with additives is not suitable for these purposes, and finding natural chalk without additives is not easy;
Tomato paste is a fairly popular folk remedy that removes dental plaque well. However, it should not be considered completely safe; tomatoes in any form are contraindicated for dogs with kidney problems, digestive disorders, and allergies. Store-bought tomato paste often contains preservatives and harmful additives for dogs;
Ground activated charcoal is often used by people for teeth cleaning and whitening. It is also suitable for dogs, but it should be noted that they cannot rinse their mouth, and it will be difficult to completely remove charcoal particles from their teeth.
Using homemade remedies on a regular basis and replacing veterinary toothpaste for the sake of saving money is not recommended. The use of such remedies is permissible if there is an urgent need to clean the teeth, and there is no dog toothbrush and paste at hand.

Some proponents of organic care products and cosmetics advocate another alternative to a toothbrush - miswak, a piece of twig or root of the arak tree. Its wood is rich in substances that have a beneficial effect on tooth enamel and gums, and have a bactericidal effect. If you chew the tip of the stick, it will break down, softer brushes come out of the branches, and stiffer ones come from the roots. Many people use miswak as a 2-in-1 toothbrush and paste substitute. Regarding the possibility of using this exotic tool for dog tooth care, it is better to consult with a veterinary specialist.