3 Dog Care Tips For Dog Owners

ByCaitlin

I don’t know about you, but as I’ve gotten older, when I think of spring, I also think of spring cleaning! Now, don’t get me wrong, with two large dogs, I’ve got plenty to try and keep clean, ha! However, in this post, I thought it would be fun to focus on spring cleaning in a different sense: all of the cleaning we need to do with our dogs regularly to keep them healthy!

In this post, I’ll be sharing helpful tips and answering questions about cleaning your dog’s ears, teeth and trimming your dogs nails. Whether you’re a first time dog owner or a long time dog owner, there’s tons of helpful information for everyone!


Clean Your Dogs Teeth At Home

The first topic I want to share about is cleaning your dogs teeth! Did you know:

  • 80% of dogs suffer from some form of dental disease by age 3
  • The development of plaque and tartar can lead to the bacteria that causes bad breath

Having proper dog dental care in place can keep your dog healthy and prevent periodontal disease. Plus, you don’t have to spend a ton of time doing it. In fact, my favorite dog dental brand that I’ve been using for many months now, ProDen PlaqueOff® is actually added to your dog’s food! The ProDen PlaqueOff® Powder is made of a natural, organic kelp called A.N. ProDen®, that helps control and improve plaque, tartar and bad breath when used as directed.

Even though brushing your dog’s teeth is the golden
standard – if you’ve ever wondered how to clean your dog’s teeth at home or how
to clean your dogs teeth without brushing, I can’t recommend this brand enough!
I even shared some photos below of Annie’s teeth. I couldn’t be happier with
how clean her teeth are!

P.S. You can also find tasty dental treats for your dog from ProDen PlaqueOff® like the ProDen PlaqueOff System™ Dental Care Bones and the ProDen PlaqueOff System™ Crunchy Dental Bites!

Check out my full review of these tasty dog dental treats from ProDen PlaqueOff® plus my full review of the ProDen PlaqueOff® Powder. 




Clean Your Dogs Ears Regularly

The next very important dog health care topic that all dog owners must do regularly is cleaning your dogs ears. Some breeds with longer ears like basset hounds or Cocker Spaniels are more prone to ear infections, but every dog is different and even dogs with short ears can get ear infections easily.

The best way to know how often to clean your dogs ears is to check them regularly. If you see dirt and/or build up inside, clean them. You never want to over-clean them as this can cause irritation, but consistently keeping them clean is key! Now, if you’re wondering how to clean a dogs ears or what can I use to clean my dogs ears at home, below are helpful tips, instructions & product recommendations:

  • How To Clean A Dogs Ears:
    • Step 1:  Squeeze your dog ear cleaning solution into your dogs ear canal and massage for about 30 seconds. You’ll know you got it in when you start massaging and you hear a little squishy, water sound (I know, perfect description, ha!). 
    • Step 2: Let your dog shake his/her head.
    • Step 3: Grab your cotton balls and wipe out the ear canal, but don’t go deeper than the depth of one knuckle (AKC recommendation).
    • Pro Tip: Clean your dog’s ears in the bathroom. Since your dogs shake their head, everything can go everywhere, including on yourself. Might as well already be in the easiest place to clean, the bathroom!
  • What Can I Use To Clean My Dogs Ears At Home:
    • To clean your dogs ears at home, you will need a dog ear cleaning solution (See next) and some cotton balls!
  • Best Ear Cleaner For Dogs:
    • The #1 place I get my dog ear cleaning solution is from my vet! I’m pretty sure every single vet sells dog ear cleaning solution and it usually ranges from $12-$18 per bottle. 
    • I also tried AquaPaw’s dog ear cleaner and it worked great as well! The ingredients label looked very similar to my dog ear cleaning solution from the vet.



Cut Your Dogs Nails Regularly

The last topic I wanted to share about today is cutting your dogs nails regularly! The reason we actually cut our dogs nails is because when our dogs nails get to long, it actually affects the shape of your dogs toes and feet, which can in turn affect their posture and legs (learned this from AKC!). 

Now, not every dog will like having their nails trimmed. Annie is ok-ish with it and Diesel HATES it with a fiery passion, ha! If you’re having issues cutting your dogs nails at home, I highly recommend having them done at your vet or local groomer. Some dogs do better when others do it and it’s also great to have someone with more experience provide your dog the positive experience they need!

Pro Tip: If you have a puppy, start touching their paws immediately. Getting your dog used to touching their paws and when it’s time to start trimming them, doing it regularly and rewarding with a treat for positive behavior, is something that will set them up for the future! Diesel used to be great about it until he had a bad experience at a former vet. To this day he gets extremely stressed for nail trims and we have to be very smart and careful about when/how we do it!


What did you think? Learn anything cool? I am always trying to learn as much as I can about dog health care so that I can enjoy as much time with my dogs as possible and be able to make the most fun and amazing memories together!

Keeping your dogs teeth clean, your dogs ears cleaned and your dogs nails trimmed are all important aspects of your dogs overall health! I hope the information and tips shared were super helpful and I’m always here to help answer any questions you have in the comments below!

Photography: Kate Kelley Collection