How to teach your dog to show his teeth

You can teach your dog to show his teeth by giving the appropriate command. Initially, your task will be to open the dog’s mouth by yourself. If he allows you to do so, he should receive an award. As the training develops, your pooch will be able to do it on his own, after you say a command.

What will you learn from this article:

• You can teach your dog to show his teeth in 5 easy steps
• You will need treats for training your pooch as a form of reward
• Don’t abuse your dog’s trust while he allows you to inspect his teeth

Teach the dog to show teeth

Did you have an idea of what you would like to teach your doggy at the beggining of your frienship? I dreamed that my pooch would always be able to walk perfectly by the leg, he would obey all comands without hesitation. I thought bringing a stick is a skill that every pooch is born with.

What was my surprise when it turned out that training a dog requires much more patience and self-denial than I initially expected. What’s more, before I became a dog guardian, I was not aware of how many skills there are that I should teach my pooch to make it easier to live together. One of them is knowing how to teach your dog to show his teeth.

It is a very useful skill. Based on my own experience, I want to tell you why and how you can teach your doggie this one.

Why is it worth teaching a dog to show his teeth?

You’re probably wondering why you should teach your dog to show his teeth. I assure you that it is a very useful skill. It allows you to check your dog’s teeth and mouth.

Caring for a dog’s healthy teeth is just as important as caring for his coat or pads. This task, however, is difficult because almost any pooch will protest when someone tries to look into his mouth.

Before my pooch fully mastered these commands, checking the condition of his teeth was always a huge challenge. I well remember trying to bribe him with a new toy or a favourite delicacy.

In this situation, it wasn’t at all that my doggie was being rude or disobedient. He just didn’t know why I wanted him to open his mouth. For him, this is a very personal zone. The doggy did not understand why I expected such behaviour from him and what consequences it would have for him.

When I think about it now, I think it was the most appropriate response. The inside of the dog’s mouth is very sensitive. Letting me look inside required the pooch to trust me a lot. I think even more than touching his belly.

Therefore, I believe that for the good and, above all, strengthening of your relationship and mutual understanding, it is good to teach your dog to show his teeth. Then you will avoid a stressful situation for your dog, and it will make it easier for you to take care of his health.

How to teach a dog to show his teeth

The process of learning a dog to properly carry out this command is neither very long nor complicated. Even if you do not have much experience in training your pooch yet, you have nothing to fear.

However, if you want to learn the basic rules useful in the case of dog training, I refer you to read post focused on that subject that you can find on this blog as well. I hope that my tips will make teaching your pet new skills always easy and enjoyable.

– first stage

First of all, before you start learning the command, your dog must be in the right position. To do this, you must give the sit command. It will be easiest to train your doggy this skill in a sitting position.

It would be much more difficult to teach a dog to show his teeth when he is standing or lying down. Many commands begin with the fact that the dog has to sit down. I’m sure you already noticed that.

Therefore, before you start teaching your dog new commands, make sure that he can correctly execute the sit command. If so, we can move on to the next stage of learning.

– stage two

Think about the exact wording of the verbal command you want to say so that your pooch shows his teeth. It is very important that you choose one specific command. Thanks to this, the dog will understand what you expect from him. Different verbal commands for the same command can confuse your pet. I chose the phrase “show your teeth”.

So, get close to your pet and give the command to sit down. When the pooch carries out your order correctly, gently grab his mouth and while saying the choosen command, try to slightly open his jaw.

After a few seconds, glorify the dog and give him a treat as a reward.

– stage three

Now, in my opinion, it’s time for the most difficult stage of learning this command . Just like last time, command the dog to show his teeth while slightly widening his mouth. Then say the verbal command again and slowly remove your hands.

Initially, your pooch may close his mouth reflexively. In such a situation, he cannot receive praise from you because he will not be able to understand what you really want from him.

Repeat the entire command several times until the pooch stays with his mouth open after you remove your hands. Then give him a treat as a reward.

In order not to distract your pet, I suggest keeping the treats in a sachet. Focus is very important here. I use a MIDI pouch that I have attached to my belt. It’s comfortable to keep snacks in and makes a training my dog much easier.

Dog treat bag |MIDI navy

57.95$

Learn more->

– stage four

Now you can gradually limit yourself during training to just saying a verbal command, without opening your dog’s jaw yourself. Ultimately, the utterance of the command is to be perceived by the pooch as a signal to show his teeth.

You can stop a bit at this stage of learning. Take a little more time to strengthen your pooch’s correct performance of the show teeth command, at this point in learning.

If you are sure that your pooch can correctly complete this stage of the training, we can move on to the next, last part.

– stage five

The last stage of training your pooch will be to familiarize him with carrying out this command in the presence of others. As I mentioned before, the fact that the pooch allows you to see his teeth and opens his mouth to your command is proof that he trusts you very much.

Therefore, you must assure him that you are nearby and that he will be safe while executing this command. Especially when you are not alone. Make sure that the dog kept you within his sight all the time.Be sure to award his clearly when pooch carries out a command. It is very important to reward him with a treat to strengthen his positive associations with this command.

What not to do when the dog shows his teeth

It is also worth mentioning what not to do once your pooch has mastered the show teeth command. First of all, you cannot expect your pet to open his mouth so wide at your command that you can fully freely examine all his teeth.

This command is mainly aimed at making the pooch show mouth at your command in general. Moreover, I would also like to sensitize you not to overuse your doggy’s trust.

If he allows you to see his teeth at your command, fully respect it. Don’t put your hand in his mouth, don’t try to touch his teeth. This disrupts the pooch’s comfort zone. You don’t want the pooch to lose his trust in you. After all, it is the basis of your relationship.

I think you also don’t like that feeling that comes with every visit to the dentist. Neither am I. Therefore, it is not nice and comfortable for your dog.

Learning this command is to help control the condition of the dentition, and also facilitate this activity in the vet’s office.

Do not do anything to discourage the pooch from losing confidence when he shows you his teeth

It’s not difficult to learn your doggy to show his teeth. However, it is based on a very good relationship with your dog and a lot of trust on his part. Remember not to do anything that would make your dog change his mind about your honesty with him.

Can your dog show his teeth if you ask him to?

If you have any questions for me, want me to bring up a topic in the next post, be sure to share it with me in the comments section below.