Kroki

Question · Puppy

How do I brush my puppy’s teeth?

The short answer

Start with touch, not the brush: lift your puppy’s lip briefly and reward, then rub one tooth with your finger and a dab of dog toothpaste. Move on to a soft finger or puppy brush, a few teeth at a time, in short daily sessions. Never use human toothpaste: it can contain xylitol, a poison for dogs. Go extra gently while your puppy is teething. Kroki, a reward-based training app for puppies and dogs, doesn’t teach tooth brushing, but its first handling games build the calm touch you need.

How to do it, step by step

  1. Get dog toothpaste and a soft brush

    Buy a toothpaste made for dogs; puppies usually like the meat or poultry flavours. A rubber finger brush or a small, very soft brush suits a puppy mouth. Human toothpaste stays in your bathroom.

  2. Touch the muzzle, then lift the lip

    When your puppy is sleepy and calm, stroke the side of its muzzle and give a treat. Next time, lift the upper lip for one second, treat, done. Do the other side too. Three or four tries are a whole session.

  3. Offer the toothpaste as a treat

    Let your puppy lick a pea-sized dab of dog toothpaste from your finger. Most puppies love it, which turns the paste into the reward for the next steps.

  4. One finger along a few teeth

    Put a little paste on your fingertip, lift the lip and slide your finger gently along the outside of two or three teeth and the gum line. Your puppy does not need to open its mouth: the outer surfaces matter most.

  5. Swap your finger for the brush

    Once the finger is easy, use the finger brush or soft brush the same way, with small circles at a slight angle to the gum. Do a few teeth on one side, praise, stop. Add more teeth over the next days.

  6. Make it a short daily habit

    Brush at the same calm time each day, for example after the evening walk, and finish with a game or a meal. A short, happy minute every day helps more than a long fight once a week.

Brushing a grown dog for the first time?

A grown dog that has never had its teeth brushed may already have tartar and sore gums, so a vet check comes before the brush. Rescue dogs may also dislike hands near the mouth. Our page for grown dogs explains how to start with an older or more wary dog.

Puppy teeth, brushing and a toothpaste warning

Puppies have 28 milk teeth and grown dogs have 42 permanent ones. According to VCA Animal Hospitals, the milk incisors start to be replaced at about three and a half to four months, and most puppies have all their adult teeth by six to seven months. During these weeks the gums can be sore, so keep sessions light. Sometimes a milk tooth stays in while the adult tooth comes through next to it. This is most common in small and flat-faced breeds and usually needs a vet’s attention soon, so check your puppy’s mouth weekly until it is about seven to eight months old.

Brushing works best when it happens often. In a 28-day study with beagles, dogs brushed daily or every other day had clearly less plaque, tartar and gum inflammation than dogs brushed weekly or every other week, and the authors recommend brushing daily (Harvey and colleagues 2015). A puppy that learns to enjoy a short daily brush now will find it much easier as a grown dog.

The paste matters for safety. The US Food and Drug Administration lists toothpaste among products that can contain xylitol, a sweetener that can make a dog’s blood sugar drop sharply within 10 to 60 minutes, and advises using only pet toothpaste for pets, never human toothpaste (FDA). Dog toothpaste is made to be swallowed.

My puppy bites the toothbrush

  • Puppies explore with their mouths, especially while teething. Go back to your finger for a few days.
  • Hand over a chew right after the session, so the chewing has a place to go.
  • Brush when your puppy is sleepy, not after a wild play session.
  • Keep each round so short that it ends before the nibbling starts, then add a few seconds next time.

Common mistakes

  • Using human toothpaste, or toothpaste with xylitol in any form.
  • Holding the puppy tight and scrubbing the whole mouth in the first session.
  • Brushing hard on sore teething gums.
  • Waiting until the puppy is grown before touching its mouth at all.

When to see a professional

Teeth and gums are a health matter too. Get help if:

  • your puppy has eaten human toothpaste or anything containing xylitol: call your vet or an emergency clinic straight away

    Emergency: get help now

  • you see two teeth in one place, a broken or discoloured tooth, swollen or bleeding gums outside teething, or your puppy stops chewing

    Have a vet take a look

  • your puppy growls or snaps whenever you touch its mouth, even with tiny steps

    Get support from professionals

The help pages list services in Germany, Austria and Switzerland only. Elsewhere, ask your vet practice who they recommend near you.

Frequently asked questions

When should I start brushing my puppy’s teeth?

You can start mouth-handling games in the first weeks at home. Real brushing can begin once your puppy accepts a finger on its teeth, even before the adult teeth arrive.

Can I brush my puppy’s teeth while it is teething?

Yes, but very gently and briefly, because the gums can be sore. During those weeks a finger or rubber finger brush is often kinder than a bristle brush.

Which toothpaste is safe for puppies?

Only toothpaste made for dogs is safe. Human toothpaste can contain xylitol and other things your puppy should not swallow.

My puppy has two teeth in the same spot. Is that a problem?

It can be: a milk tooth that stays in while the adult tooth grows can push the new tooth out of place. Ask your vet to look at it soon.

Do I need to brush the inside of my puppy’s teeth?

Not at first. The outer surfaces facing the cheeks collect the most plaque, and you can reach them without opening the mouth.

Is brushing my puppy’s teeth once a week enough?

Once a week helps less than daily brushing. A short daily session works better than a long one now and then, and it builds the habit faster.

Can chews replace tooth brushing for a puppy?

Chews help a teething puppy and may support dental care, but they do not reach every tooth like a brush does. Use them alongside brushing, not instead of it.

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