Required
All tools are manual. Electrical equipment would just unsettle the dog and not allow him/her to concentrate on me. I muck around on a tooth for 30 seconds or so and the dog gets the feel of what is happening. They relax and accept me mucking around in their mouth. From there I just remove the plaque on the tooth I was mucking around on and because there is no pain there is no resistance. However, eye contact and various tones of voice at exactly the right time is crucial to making it work. Timing is everything. Dogs are all different and respond to different tones eg. an even tone, excited tone, good puppy tone, quiet tone – one of these tones will work for each dog. Some dogs respond to total quiet with very little talking with more eye contact, others respond to constant talking in which case I might tell them my life story. Even when the dog is praised – the same tone is used. But without the right timing non of the above will work.
No, simply because if the dog can see, hear or smell the owner or person they are familiar with they are distracted from me. This distraction won’t enable me to work with the dog. I have had a vet view my working with the dogs doing their teeth – she remained very still, didn’t speak and the dogs behaved normally, however, the dog also did not know the vet so familiarization with that person was not a distraction.
Not at all. I’m just removing the plaque from the tooth. Eg. Rub or scratch your own tooth and you’ll feel no pain.
The majority of dogs will keep good teeth and gums with a yearly clean, however, if they have been left for some time without a clean some of the teeth may need a 6 monthly clean even after a vet visit so it’s best to start early in the dog’s life so this doesn’t happen. As with humans there is also a genetic disposition – some dogs will have great teeth at 9 years without any cleaning whilst others at the age of 2 will need a clean. Diet and chews play a part as well to keep teeth good.
Required