Dogs, just like humans, need to have their teeth cleaned.

One of the best ways of ensuring that your dog has clean teeth is to provide lots of raw bones for your dog. The action of chewing on bones cleans your dogs teeth very effectively. However some owners either do not like feeding too many bones, or their dog simply does not get along with them.

The alternative is to brush your dogs teeth. This is not a difficult procedure once mastered. It takes a while to get used to the technique, but once performed a few times, you will be able to complete the task in a few minutes.

Teeth cleaning for dogs is performed in much the same manner as it is for us. The difference being that a shorter toothbrush is normally used, or a small brush is attached to the finger.

You need to ensure that you buy a toothpaste for dogs as human toothpaste is dangerous for dogs.

At first your dog may not like the brushing action but it will soon become used to it. Initially brush your dogs teeth every day for at least a week. This will get your dog used to it. Lots of dogs actually come to really enjoy having their teeth cleaned as they enjoy the taste. Chicken seems to be the tastiest flavor for dogs. After a few attempts you will know how to clean dogs teeth easily. It will be done in a matter of minutes and your dog may well enjoy it.

Keep to a regular schedule after the initial first week. About twice a week is ideal for brushing your dogs teeth, but more often will do nothing but good.

When first getting your dog used to having its teeth brushed you may find a helper will make the job easier. It really does depend on the nature of your dog. Some dogs like it straight away, while others take a while to enjoy it.

I cannot stress the importance of keeping your dogs teeth clean. If you do not perform this simple task regularly then you will be facing some large vet bills in the future. Nearly all dogs will have to have expensive dental surgery at some point in their life if their teeth are not cleaned. Trust me when I tell you that it is very expensive.

You can, of course, take your dog to the vets to have its teeth cleaned but it is expensive. Simply do it yourself at home and you will be saving an awful lot of money and stop your dog having bad breath as well as lovely clean teeth.