How do I get my dog to cooperate when brushing her teeth?

I reaaalllyyy struggled with my dog as well because I hadn’t gotten him used to it when he was a puppy either. What I started doing was grabbing a long treat (like a dentastix), and using it to hold his mouth open. Basically I’d let him bite into it, and then I would gently pull back so that it lifted his lips a little. And he was so busy holding onto the treat that then he didn’t mind when I’d get in there with a toothbrush. I don’t know whether that’s clear, but it worked for me!

It’s not a piece of cake, even when you’ve gotten your dog used to it as a puppy, trust me! What I find works best though is making sure it’s a positive experience for your dog. Just use a happy, excited voice, make sure you sit in front of them or next to them in a way that they can easily move away from you if they want to, and let them sniff or even taste the (dog) toothpaste before you start. If you make it seem like it’s a fun activity, your dog will be more relaxed and willing to let you brush their teeth. Good luck!

Have you tried teaching your dog the “leave it” command? It can be really useful for bite inhibition. You can start training with treats and then move on to objects and maybe someday it’ll be useful if your dog ever tries to bite someone?

You just need to take it slow and use positive reinforcement. Introduce the toothbrush (let him see it, sniff it), then reward. Do this several times until she associates the toothbrush with something good. You can use the same technique when you start putting the toothbrush in her mouth as well. Sometimes it can take several months before a dog is even remotely comfortable with the process, so just hang in there and be consistent.