You love your furry friend, but don’t love their bad breathe. How do you go about getting rid of this so you can enjoy those kisses more? The following are tips to help your dog have better smelling breathe and a healthy mouth at the same time.

The best way to fight it is to brush your dog’s teeth on a regular basis. Their bad breathe is caused by bacteria build up on the teeth and gums. If this is the case and it is never rectified your dog’s breathe might the only thing going awry. This bacteria can spread to their lungs and guts causing infections and diseases. This type of bad breathe, or halitosis should be looked at by a vet.

If your dog’s breathe doesn’t nauseate you (which is usually a sign of bacteria build up in your dog’s mouth), but is not a bed roses there are somethings you can do to make it smell better. You should have your dog’s teeth checked 1-2 times a year, and if you notice a sudden stink that wasn’t there before, check his/her mouth for food lodged between the teeth. Brush your dog’s teeth once a day, this will help to eliminate bad breathe, fight tooth decay and gum disease, and stop periodontal disease from occurring.

If you’re feeling like you can handle it, floss your dog’s teeth much like how you would floss your own. We know that flossing is good for our teeth, but not all of us do this everyday. Well your dog’s teeth could use some of that same TLC.

Give your dog safe toys to chew, hard rubber toys, raw hide bones and ropes are excellent chew toys for your dog to help loosen plaque build up, and if you smear some tooth paste on the toys it will also help your dog to become accustomed to the flavor of the paste.

Specialized dental treats also help your dog’s teeth and breathe from becoming intolerable. A chemical that helps promote healthy teeth and breath is Chlorhexidine. Foods and treats that contain this chemical are safe to eat, the chemical acts as an antiseptic and stops odor causing bacteria from forming in your dog’s mouth.

Diet is another thing to look at. If your dog is eating a lot of meat this will also cause bad breathe, Make sure your dog is getting a balanced diet, which should include an intake of vegetables and rice. Your dog’s eating habits can also cause bad breathe. If your dog is eating often throughout the day this can also cause bad breathe because it will feed the bacteria that is forming in your dog’s mouth. Also cleaning and giving your dog fresh water daily can eliminate bacteria growing in his/her water supply.