Experienced and professional animal trainer provide their insights in answering this question :
A. Dental sticks can help to avoid tartar build up. Once your pet has tartar on teeth dental sticks are not effective and your dog will require teeth cleaning by your vet. I don’t have any favorite brand of dental sticks – they are all roughly the same

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Pedigree Dentastix

These dental sticks from Pedigree can reduce tartar buildup, clean teeth and freshen breath through regular daily or weekly use — the stick has a patented X-shape that forms ridges to help clean teeth down to the gumline and scrape away plaque, Pedigree says.

Dental treats and chews, if properly designed, do have the potential to help keep plaque and tartar buildup to a minimum. They are not, however, a substitute for regular dental cleanings.
Pedigree Dentastix are scientifically proven to help reduce both tartar and plaque, and when fed daily they`ve been shown to reduce tartar build-up by up to 80%.
Denastix are a widely known dog treat, that are recommended to be fed daily to help clean a dogs teeth. They are sold in most supermarkets and pet stores and are labelled as `vet approved` and an all-round healthy treat.
Unlike rawhide, bully sticks, sometimes known as pizzle sticks, are easily digested. A single-ingredient chew made from beef muscle, bully sticks range in thicknesses and lengths. They also come braided and shaped for an extra-long chew. They do not splinter.
While dental chews, especially enhanced ones, can be very effective at preventing some instances of dog dental disease and bad breath, they are not as effective as brushing your dogs teeth. Dog dental chews are best used in conjunction with routine brushing to maintain your dogs dental health.
Our Winner: Greenies

They also have special formulas for puppies, seniors, and weight management. While both are effective at cleaning your dog`s teeth, the wide range of Greenies formulations, flavor, and sizes gives it an edge over the Pedigree Dentastix.

Give them dog dental chews

Some dog dental chews (such as PEDIGREE® DENTASTIX® DAILY and DENTASTIX® FRESH) are designed to be given to your pooch daily, while others (like DENTASTIX® ADVANCED) can be given on a twice weekly basis for a deeper, more effective tooth clean.

Mars, the confectionery company who also in charge of Pedigree Oral Care do rule out the exclusion of the mutagenic additive AM01 in their Dentastix ingredients list (see below), yet they recommend that we feed this to our family pets every day.
In fact they are most likely formulated to make your dog “addicted”, both to the one-a-day habit and the chemicals such as appetite enhancers and stimulants they contain (this is also true for cheaper cat foods such as Whiskas and Felix.)
The best way to remove plaque is to simply brush your dog`s teeth daily with a dog toothbrush and dog-safe toothpaste. Brushing your pooch`s teeth every now and then won`t get rid of a buildup of plaque, but regular brushing will help keep their teeth and mouths healthy.
CDC warning: Don`t give your dog a pig ear treat, you could both get very ill. (WQOW) – A warning for dog owners, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration said you should not give your pooches pig ear treats. They are also advising retailers to stop selling them.
Dog collagen sticks are perfect for medium to heavy chewers and help support a shiny coat, joint flexibility, and bone strength. Their elastic properties make them an engaging chew that lasts about 20% longer than bully sticks.
Rubber Chew Toys (Best for Inhalers, Destroyers, and Nibblers) So long as they`re not too flimsy, rubber chew toys often represent the safest options for many dogs. The best rubber chew toys are those that are firm enough to stand up to serious chewing yet have enough “give” so they don`t cause tooth damage.
Puppies are natural trouble makers, so while you should always have one eye on them, they should be monitored when they are playing with a bully stick. Because any more than ten minutes at a time can lead to a risk of upset stomach or damage to their teeth and gums from excessive chewing.
Yes. Bully sticks clean dogs` teeth by scraping away plaque and buildup with a gentle chewing motion. This helps improve your pup`s breath and overall oral health. Bully sticks can help clean your dog`s teeth through gentle chewing action.
Water and digestive juices dissolve edible dental chews, but some chews are poorly soluble due to excessive compression in the manufacturing process, which doesn`t allow water to be absorbed. The result is a hard product that may lead to digestive blockage.
If you`re looking for a more natural way to brush your dog`s teeth, consider using coconut oil. Coconut oil is safe for dogs to consume, and can help reduce plaque and tartar build-up on their teeth. To use coconut oil to brush your dog`s teeth, simply rub a small amount of coconut oil onto their teeth and gums.
Size is important when it comes to dog dental chews. If the chew is too small, dogs may swallow it whole, and if it`s too large, a chunk could break off and get lodged in their throats. Both scenarios create a choking hazard.
Are carrots safe for me to feed my dog?” While some of the vegetables we love are unsafe to feed our dogs, carrots are a perfectly safe and nutritious treat for your dog.
OraVet gets the edge here for both plaque and tartar removal as well as the bacteria prevention from the delmopinol. That`s a lot of peace of mind from just one treat per day. Again, that`s not to say the Greenies chew isn`t bad. By most accounts, it`s an excellent, vet-recommended option, too.
Greenies for dogs are accepted by the VOHC and are a great fit for many pets. They are an edible treat that can be found in a variety of sizes. However, some dogs may have sensitivities to the original formula as it contains wheat.
Just like humans, brushing your dog`s teeth twice daily is the ultimate goal. However, most veterinarians recognize that this isn`t always possible, so brushing your dog`s teeth once or twice per week is ideal. If you`ve already got your dog on a good brushing routine, great! If not, getting started is easy.
Like us, it is best to brush your dog`s teeth at least twice every day. For many dogs, once brushing becomes a part of their daily routine, they will begin to expect and enjoy it. Brushing three times a week is the minimum recommendation to help remove plaque and prevent tartar accumulation.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

Q. Do dental sticks really work? And if so, are there any particular brands that are better than the others?
ANSWER : A. Dental sticks can help to avoid tartar build up. Once your pet has tartar on teeth dental sticks are not effective and your dog will require teeth cleaning by your vet. I don’t have any favorite brand of dental sticks – they are all roughly the same

Q. Are the dental sprays (to avoid dog plaque build-up) effective?
ANSWER : A. I disagree to some degree with my colleague below. Actual tartar that is already built up on the teeth is not removable with dental chews or brushing. Once the tartar is there the only way to get it off is to either hand scale the teeth or ultrasonically scale the teeth. The benefit with doing a dental is not only to remove the starter but to clean under the gumline which is where most dental disease starts. Once the teeth are clean, however, then you can prevent new tartar from sticking by daily brush and dental chews. In my experience the sprays are not effective but certainly it can’t hurt. The absolute best is professional dental cleanings the second-best is daily brushing and dental chews and the third best are water additives and sprays.

Q. What’s the best way to train a dog to use a lead again?
ANSWER : A. It depends on how serious your issue is. If you need to start from scratch: Bring out the leash, place it on the ground. Click and treat your dog. Say his name, work on attention, click and treat for attention. Work with the cheese sticks, or with some chicken.. something stinky, soft, and high value. Allow him to sniff the leash, praise him, click, treat, click, treat. Pick up the leash, click treat him. Hook the leash to his collar and allow the leash to drag, click treat him. Have him just follow you around, click and treat him to hold his attention.

Then, pick up the leash, click and treat him. Then drop the leash again, click and treat. Take baby steps. Then, hold the leash while you take a step, click and treat him for following. Open the front door, click and treat him. Then, take off the leash, click and treat him, and end training.

Pick training back up in an hour, and do the same exact thing from start to finish, only this time, “finish” will be you two going outside, you clicking and treating him a bunch, and then you bringing him back inside. Work your way up slowly. You can’t expect to just bring him outside and bring him on a walk right away.

When outdoors, use a front hooking harness like the Sensible/Sensation harnesses: http://www.softouchconcepts.com/index.php/product-53/sense-ible-harness / http://www.softouchconcepts.com/index.php/product-53/sense-ation-harness. These harnesses will eliminate the pulling power of your pup in a positive way. This will put you in control without the use of force. Carry high value treats with you everywhere, and offer them for good walking behavior – treats like white meat chicken, cooked fish, turkey pepperoni, turkey bacon, diced ham, mozzarella cheese sticks, hotdogs, all cut into tiny little pieces. The more you work on walking on-leash/attention indoors, the better it will be outdoors, remember that.

Q. What brand of dog food should I feed my dog? She’s a husky mix and about 45 lbs. She’s almost 2 years old.
ANSWER : A. I would recommend Natural Balance at your local Petco store. Call the store and ask if they have a Natural Balance Brand rep who comes to the store and see when they come. Make sure the brand rep brings free samples with them. Normally they bring samples of the different flavors to the store and you should ask for some to try to see what your dog likes best. Offer the dog the different kibble and see which they prefer by holding them out in your hands and switch out the flavors. My dog prefered the Salmon based Natural Balance Synergy bag the best from all the flavors. I also found out he doesn’t care for the Bison Natural Balance even though a lot of dogs love it. The Petco may have free samples already so ask if they do. The pet store associates should be able to also assist you in finding the right food for you. The reason you want to go with a high quality high protein food vs the cheaper brands because they are grain free, no by products, and no corn. The cheaper brands have corn in it as the main ingredient and by product which is also very bad. When our dogs are forced to eat the cheaper brands they have to eat more to get the energy they need from the food resulting in more bowel movements and without the proper nutrients this can hurt their health later in life. The higher quality brands will be more cost per bag but you will be buying less because the dog eats less so you will be saving money that way and it comes out about even in the long run. Petco has a great Rewards Program so make sure to sign up and ask about the details on it. Every $100 you spend you get $5 in your email with the Pet Pals Reward Program.

Q. 2yr old unfixed male Swiss Mtn dog Started a new behavior of barking loudly in my face. No does not work. He does this if I go to the barn what’s up
ANSWER : A. Fear barking should be treated delicately. You should use high value treats (chicken, cheese sticks, hotdog bits, diced ham, cooked fish, turkey pepperoni, turkey bacon – all cut into tiny little bits.. or peanut butter in a squeeze tube, etc) and with the high value treats you should begin feeding them as soon as your dog becomes uncomfortable. Try keeping your dog under threshold. If going to the bark makes your dog bark (out of fear of the barn), then slowly work on his attention just outside of where he would bark. Slowly move closer feeding him treats the entire way. If at any point he begins barking, back up and work under threshold.

If this is separation anxiety, you should be working slowly at leaving your dog behind. First, make it seem like you’re leaving, “coat/shoes/keys/hat” and open the door, but close the door and don’t leave. Toss your dog a few treats without looking at him or talking to him. Slowly work on exiting for short amounts of time, returning to toss treats

Read Full Q/A … : Vetinfo

Q. My daughter has given me her 8yr old Shih-tzu. He has very bad breath, as I read, appear to be Halitosis! How much is for treatment?
ANSWER : A. It is impossible to estimate without a full exam of his mouth and determination as to whether it is related to dental disease, whether or not extractions will be required and any pain relief or other medications which will be required. Be sure to discuss preventive care to reduce the need for future dental work, medicated chew sticks, tooth brushing and water additives can all help with long term dental health

Q. My Beagle listens to me, but cries & whines when I’m gone & doesn’t listen to my parents. I adopted him just a couple days ago. Any tips for my folks?
ANSWER : A. I really highly doubt that your Beagle listens to you and has formed a connection with you in just a couple of days. It takes months to build up any kind of serious connection with your dog. You need to work on communication with your dog through training them to understand different cues. For instance the Leave-It cue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1TS5nA7z5Q

You have to work on bonding with your dog through mental stimulation. Training is very important. Luring each new behavior from scratch, and training using treats is how you form a strong bond with your new dog. No scolding is ever necessary… work on being calm, and positive, all the time.

If your dog is crying/whining when you leave, this may be separation anxiety. You’re going to have to separation train this dog from scratch. This dog needs to learn that separation can be a good thing! Tell your “folks” to NOT scold the dog when he is crying/whining after you leave, because that will make your dog MORE anxious when you leave next time. Your dog will be dwelling on the negative if your parents fuel your dogs negative feelings towards you leaving. FUN things should happen when you leave. Your parents should pull out the treats and start doing some basic obedience training with your dog. Your parents should stuff a Kong filled with awesome treats (peanut butter) and give it to him so he feels happy when you leave.

I have some excellent separation anxiety exercises you can work on. If you’d like, you can purchase a consultation with me, and I will go over how to separation train from scratch. It will make your dog comfortable being alone, guaranteed.

Read Full Q/A … : I Don't Like My Mother

Q. My dogz have intense rash on skin and scratch themselves raw and bleeding have used hotspot sprays bug doesn’t work. Can I give them benadryl?
ANSWER : A. Benadryl may be used in canines, however, you should not give any medications to your pets without the advice of your veterinarian. Schedule an appointment with your vet. Rule out causes such as parasites (fleas or mites). Since the rash and resultant itching has broken the skin, there is risk for a skin infection and antibiotics may be indicated. Your vet can also prescribe a short course of steroids to break the itch cycle then can dispense or recommend an antihistamine, like Benadryl, to prevent the itchiness from returning. Some antihistamines work better than others in different dogs, so you will need to find the one that works best. A pet approved colloidal oatmeal bath can also soothe itchy, red skin. Consider adding an essential fatty acid supplement (usually a fish oil) to her diet to promote healthy skin. Place e-collars on them to prevent further trauma from licking or chewing.