Bonnie is growing so fast. Her permanent, adult teeth are coming in, and her baby teeth are falling out. I've decided it's time to start brushing those shiny, beautiful teeth.

During the past several weeks, I have let Bonnie taste the toothpaste, just a little, on my finger. Because of that, she has become familiar with the taste before I ever put the toothpaste on an unfamiliar object like the toothbrush.

Last week, I began putting the toothpaste on the brush and letting her lick it.  I just held the brush still, and allowed her to lick it. I use CET Enzymatic toothpaste. It's made especially for dogs and I buy it at the vet. It's also available online through Amazon.com.

After a couple of days, I started putting the toothbrush into her mouth, gently, so that she got the feel of the bristles. I didn't rub or anything. I just put it in her mouth so she could lick and feel the brush. We will continue to do this for a while. Eventually, I'll rub the bristles on her teeth and gums.

In the video above, I have combined all three steps. The first part you see will be Bonnie licking my fingers. The second part will be Bonnie licking the toothpaste off the brush, and the third part will be my putting the toothbrush into Bonnie's mouth.

By the way, did you notice Bonnie's cute little toothbrush? It's a Dora the Explorer brush for kids. I love the pink color!

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