This article presents an approach to establishing a pet oral health routine that includes self-assessment and small, manageable actions. It argues in favor of slow adoption, deliberate actions, easy sustainability, positive association, and a modest goal of 70-80% compliance. The article also provides reassurance that progress is iterative rather than linear and that reverting to old habits is part of that process. The piece concludes by reinforcing the responsibility of pet owners as the catalyst for oral care.
The decision to start an oral care routine with your pet usually arrives with great intentions. After quickly searching online for something like “dog bad breath home remedy,” you buy the appropriate products and free up time in your schedule. You're pumped and ready. Then suddenly life happens. It’s a familiar pattern that many pet owners fall into, and with it comes real guilt and maybe even a little shame.
Despite our best intentions, we all know sticking to a routine can be tough. That’s why, here at HICC PET, we’ve put together this guide. It’s chock-full of information to help you not only start your oral care routine but also stick with it, even when life has other plans.
Understanding the Oral Care Problem
Why is it so hard to offer consistent oral care for our pets? A 2022 study on pet owner attitudes toward oral health might help answer that question. The study, published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, surveyed over 8000 pet owners and identified several common themes contributing to the issue.
Among them: a lack of knowledge regarding proper products, confusion surrounding oral care practices, misunderstanding the role of marrowbones/chews, and pets that wouldn’t cooperate. The study also restated what most pet owners know instinctively: a toothbrush is the best way to clean dogs’ teeth.
This “best” approach might not be the best for you or your pet, though. Instead, we need to start over so we can create a routine that uses your current habits as its scaffolding.
Starting Over
The first step here is to take an honest look at your previous routine to identify what isn't working. Ask yourself these questions:
- What tools or products haven't worked for my pet in the past?
- Do I know how to clean my cat's (or dog’s) teeth?
- Was I performing oral care at a convenient time during my day?
- How did my pet respond to my attempts at oral care, and does that response cause friction
- Which of my current routines might pair well with oral care?
- Are there pressing concerns I should raise with my veterinarian before beginning an oral care routine?
That last question is big. If your pet is currently experiencing bleeding gums, showing signs of pain, or refusing to eat/drink, it’s important you seek emergency veterinary care.
When you've finished fact-finding, it's time to curate a routine that works alongside your current habits. For example, if you consistently brush your teeth at 7:00 am every morning, put your dog's toothbrush next to yours the night before. When 7:00 am comes, it'll be there for a quick brushing session, and you don't even have to think about it.
This process is called "Habit Stacking," and many have found it exceptional for creating new habits. Habit stacking oral care with your current habits is the key to making this new habit stick. Looking for the perfect dog bad breath home remedy? We offer several types of oral care at HICC PET. Take our FREE 20-second quiz to discover the ideal routine for your pet.
The Bare Minimum for Success
Once you see how effective this strategy is, you may be tempted to go full throttle. But for pets that haven’t had consistent oral care or that have been resistant in the past, doing so can set you up for failure.
Instead, we recommend shrinking your new routine into small, easy actions. These should help your pet feel less stressed about a new oral care routine, and small actions have been shown to help establish new habits faster. “Bare minimum” means any action to progress, from finding YouTube tutorials covering how to clean your dog’s teeth to letting your pet sniff their toothbrush for a reward.
It's imperative this first action be easy. It’s also important to be patient the first few weeks. Expect to miss the routine at times—especially if your life gets busy. That’s okay. The goal here shouldn’t be absolute perfection. It should, instead, equate to roughly 70-80% consistency.
If you find you can’t hit that 70-80%, again, that’s perfectly fine! Just make your actions smaller, and remember any progress, even 20-30%, is better than none. Recording your progress by making a note on your phone or journaling may be useful as well.
Taking the Next Step
Once that first action is automatic, you and your pet are ready to progress. Move on to touching their mouth with the toothbrush (or any other small progressive action) and reward them. Fold this action into another of your established habits. When this becomes automatic, you're ready to move on again.
Don't rush this process. Even if it seems unbearably slow, remember oral care is a lifelong need for your pet. Establishing good habits now will help to prevent oral care issues as your pet ages.
Progress Not Perfection
In a perfect world, sticking to a care routine would be simple, and you’d never miss a day. However, our world is far from perfect. Even a rock-solid routine may fall apart when a new baby is born, or a new relative comes to town. That’s okay! Progress doesn't have to be linear.
Your Pet is Worth It
At HICC Pet, we know developing a routine oral care habit for you and your pet isn’t always simple. It takes consistency, time, and effort from everyone involved. While every day oral care 100% of the time might be the end goal, the reality is 70-80% compliance can still benefit your pet. And even 20-30% compliance is better than skipping oral care altogether.
As pet owners, we mustn’t forget our pets depend on us to provide them with happy, healthy lives. Oral care is a key part of that, and we're the only ones capable of providing it. More importantly, however, our pets are absolutely worth the effort.
FAQ
Is there an easy home remedy for my dog’s bad breath?
Many pet owners choose at-home oral care to help fix their dog’s bad breath—with regular brushing being the gold standard. However, there are alternatives. If you’re looking for the right at-home oral care products, we recommend you start by taking our FREE 20-second oral care quiz. It’s designed to help you start off strong with your pet’s oral care routine.
What’s the best way to clean my dog’s teeth?
Currently, mechanical removal of plaque using a toothbrush is often cited as the “best” way to clean your pet’s teeth. That said, all pets are different, and you’ll need to experiment to find what works best for you.
How do I clean my cat’s teeth?
We recommend using a small toothbrush or silicone finger brush to rub gently along the gumline for 1–2 minutes, 2-4x per week. Try to remove any visible plaque or tartar, but be mindful and avoid aggressive scrubbing.
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