Keeping your furry friend’s mouth fresh and healthy is no easy feat. With their natural curiosity and love for chewing, it can be tough to ensure your Goldendoodle’s dental health stays in check. We all want to spoil our pups with treats, but we also worry about dental disease, bad breath, and gum health.
That’s where dog dental chews come in – they offer a delicious way to improve your pup’s dental health, prevent gum disease, and freshen their breath all at once.
But with so many options out there, it can be tough to know which are best for your Doodle and which are better left on the shelf. That’s why we’ve done the research and compiled a list of the best dog dental chews, dental sticks, and edible options to help keep your Goldendoodle’s teeth clean and healthy. So cuddle up with your pup and let the team at barksinthepark find you the best dental chews!
Table of Contents
- 1 10 Dog Dental Chew Favorites for Goldendoodles
- 1.1 1. Best overall: Ark Naturals Dog Brushless Toothpaste Dental Chew
- 1.2 2. Recommended by vets: Minties VetIQ Dog Dental Bone Treats
- 1.3 3. Best for fast results: Whimzees Dental Treats
- 1.4 4. Best plant-based option: Virbac C.E.T. VeggieDent Fr3sh Dental Chews
- 1.5 5. Best for deep cleaning: Purina DentaLife Adult Large Dog Treats
- 1.6 6. Best high-end: OraVet Dental Care Hygiene Chews
- 1.7 7. Best for calcium: Milkbone Brushing Chews
- 1.8 8. Best quality ingredients: Blue Buffalo Wilderness Wild Bones Dental Chews
- 1.9 9. Best toothbrush alternative: Greenies Original Regular Natural Dental Chews For Dogs
- 1.10 10. Something for everyone: Get Naked Grain Free Dental Chew Sticks
- 2 Is Chewing Good For My Goldendoodle?
- 3 What Do The Experts Say About Dental Chews?
- 4 Why Choose Dog Chews?
- 5 Choosing the Best Dental Chews for your Goldendoodle
- 6 FAQs
10 Dog Dental Chew Favorites for Goldendoodles
Of course, you’ll want to find dog dental chews that will keep their teeth clean, avoid periodontal disease, and keep their breath fresh.
From all-natural treats to gentle chews for puppies, we’ve got something for Goldendoodles with all kinds of needs.
1. Best overall: Ark Naturals Dog Brushless Toothpaste Dental Chew
This is a 4-in-1 brushless toothpaste edible dog dental chew flavored with all-natural ingredients and breath fresheners including cinnamon, clove, vanilla, and alfalfa.
With a toothpaste center, these flexible chews take the place of brushing twice a day just like mom or dad would. If you’ve ever tried to brush your dog’s teeth, you’ll know it’s not the easiest job in the world – thank us for recommending these later!
The chew helps remove plaque and tartar buildup by abrasively cleaning the teeth through the ridges on the outside of the chew. It stops tartar from coming back by boosting antibodies in the saliva which creates an invisible barrier on the teeth. The toothpaste center fights bad-breath-causing bacteria, so your Doodle can give you kisses without you recoiling in horror!
With a recommended toothbrushing routine of two dental chews a day, your doggy is bound to have polished teeth.
The dental chew has specifically been formulated for dogs 12 weeks and older. Unlike many chews on the market, Ark Naturals uses high-quality ingredients that are corn free, soy free wheat free, and have no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.
2. Recommended by vets: Minties VetIQ Dog Dental Bone Treats
Our next pick is a vet-recommended product aimed at improving dental health that will also make your doggy’s smile minty fresh!
You can treat your fur child with one Minties dog dental chew per day to clean their teeth, freshen their breath, and help remove plaque and tartar build-up.
But that’s not all; you get all these benefits without your precious pet having any unhealthy nutrition.
As a gluten-free product, the ingredients have been specially formulated to focus on your dog’s health and nutrition. That means no added sugars, soy, or wheat. And, with peppermint, parsley, fennel, and dill, your doggy’s breath will smell fresh.
Minties is a proudly American product made in the USA, just like Ark Naturals. Either of these are great options for those looking to support locally-made products.
The chew size caters to smaller dogs with a weight of 5 to 39 pounds (they’re best for Toy or Mini Goldendoodles), and the packaging gives you a snackalicious 80 treats to dive into – so it will last almost 3 months.
3. Best for fast results: Whimzees Dental Treats
Within just a week of starting to use Whimzees Dental Treats, all of the tartar build-up on your dog’s teeth will have reduced dramatically.
These potato-based dog chews are the right dental chew for dogs with food allergies as they contains no artificial flavors. There’s also a rice-based option, so both are suitable for doggos with a grain sensitivity.
It is mixed with active plaque-fighting ingredients and there is a range of softer chews for smaller Doodles with little teeth.
4. Best plant-based option: Virbac C.E.T. VeggieDent Fr3sh Dental Chews
When prioritizing your dog’s dental health, you might not have considered vegetarian options. This plant-based vegetable dental chew has all the essential vitamins your doggy needs nutritionally and aids in the prevention of dental disease by keeping your dog’s teeth clean.
These dog chews are perfectly sized for adult medium-sized dogs like your Goldendoodle.
The vegetarian dental chews are Z-shaped to increase the amount of chewing time that your dog has with the chew. That doesn’t just keep your shoes out of their mouth for longer. An increased amount of time in the dog’s mouth means increased benefits for dental health – a win-win!
In addition to aiding with your doggie’s digestive system, this dental chew will eliminate plaque and reduce tartar, keep those gums clean and promote healthy fresh breath, for those unexpected, sloppy doggy kisses coming in your direction.
Your doggies can enjoy these dog chews daily and will be sure to get as excited about the product as you, the pet owner.
5. Best for deep cleaning: Purina DentaLife Adult Large Dog Treats
Your Goldendoodle will go crazy and show those teeth when smiling every time you take out the Purina DentaLife treats!
These chewy twist-shaped sticks have a porous texture and eight ridges to get into all of those hard-to-reach places of your doggie’s mouth. This gives a powerful deep clean lasting three times longer than usual dental chews.
It helps to freshen their breath and with a delicious chicken flavor, you will not need to convince them to start chewing (the same can’t be said for the veggie sticks above).
The product is healthy for your doggy as it has no artificial colors or flavors and will reduce up to 57% of all tartar build-up, whilst it has the necessary fatty acids needed for good digestion.
6. Best high-end: OraVet Dental Care Hygiene Chews
OraVet Dental Care Hygiene Chews are individually wrapped for freshness and convenience, ideal if you don’t want to open a pack and only feed your dog them every now and then.
As one of the best dental chew options out there, these actively work to reduce and combat bacterial attachments on your dog’s teeth. They’re soft with a yummy poultry flavor designed and clinically formulated to fight bad breath.
Like the Minties VetIQ treats, these are popular among experts – they’re rated the number one dental chew that vets choose for their dogs.
There are two parts to the treat meaning twice the combatting action fighting to reduce plaque and tartar build-up. It has been shown to clinically combat, plague, tartar, and bad breath and can be given to your best friend once per day to help with the reduction of plaque and tartar, as well as halitosis.
Bacteria attach to your dog’s teeth, and that is the cause of plaque. These dog dental chews contain 0.7% delmopinol HCI, an ingredient that transfers to all areas of your pup’s mouth, including its teeth and tongue, creating a film layer to protect against plaque build-up.
Even though the product might be a bit pricy, it is worthwhile if you compare it to the current cost of dental prophylaxis and dental treatments!
7. Best for calcium: Milkbone Brushing Chews
Milkbone Brushing Chews have no artificial flavors and are available in three sizes for small, medium, and large dogs.
The dental chew bone is designed to freshen your dog’s breath, ensure the maintenance of healthy gums and reduce tartar build-up. It contains a chicken by-product meal, making it taste yummy, so you can treat your doggy with one of these dog dental chews daily to sustain a healthy diet.
Milkbone chews are as effective as daily brushing, fortified with vitamins and minerals, which include calcium to help your Goldendoodle with strong bones and teeth.
The dog dental chews have a twist design with nubs and ridges. This works like a toothbrush and gets to the back of the teeth (where all the germs are!).
8. Best quality ingredients: Blue Buffalo Wilderness Wild Bones Dental Chews
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Wild Bones Dental Chews are a hearty grain-free product, made with natural ingredients which will satisfy your dog’s desire for a yummy snack. It contains no chicken or poultry and is also free of wheat, soy, and corn for those doggies that are grain sensitive.
Formulated for easy digestion, it is great for senior dogs, but the range caters to furry friends of all life stages and weights. So, they’re ideal for Mini and Standard Goldendoodles alike.
The True-Blue promise of Blue Buffalo Wilderness Bones is that only the best wholesome ingredients have been used, with no artificial colors or artificial preservatives.
9. Best toothbrush alternative: Greenies Original Regular Natural Dental Chews For Dogs
Greenies Original treats are shaped like a toothbrush and are green with goodness for your best friend!
These chews are designed to be flexible and access the different parts of your dog’s mouth that are hard to reach with a toothbrush, right down to the gumline, much like the Milkbone chews. These nutritious dog dental chews have natural ingredients, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, which will keep your doggy smiling with a glowing fresh breath.
It is a vet-recommended product for dental care and is ideal for dogs between 25 and 50 pounds. You can treat your doggy with the green goodness of these dog dental chews daily – they are easy to digest and have soluble ingredients which will not upset its tummy.
10. Something for everyone: Get Naked Grain Free Dental Chew Sticks
Get Naked have a phenomenal range of dog dental chews – they will cater to any need your Goldendoodle may have.
The range includes:
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Puppy health: with DHA for the cognitive development of your puppy’s brain, so it can outsmart you when it comes to treat time!
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Weight management: with L-Carnitine which is an amino acid helping with the burning of fat, for those doggies that love eating as much as we do!
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Skin and coat health: with fish oils and fatty acids for a glowing coat and soft fur.
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Digestive health: with probiotics for healthy digestion and nutrition.
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Joint health: Glucosamine and Chondroitin to lubricate your Goldendoodle’s joints and help with flexibility and mobility.
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Super antioxidant: which are rich in vitamins and minerals from fruits and vegetables, help detoxify your dog from toxins they are exposed to daily.
These dental sticks are rich in DHA omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and have added calcium to support the development of strong bones. Marked as a DHI gold product, it is a functional treat for the cleaning of your dog’s teeth.
The low-calorie content of only 27 calories per small stick makes the wholesome goodness of dried potatoes, vegetable glycerine, cinnamon, peppermint oil, chia seeds, cranberries, and carrots, a nutritious addition to your dog’s diet.
Is Chewing Good For My Goldendoodle?
For most dog breeds, chewing continues in all life stages, and that is because they have to chew irrespective of what age they are.
Dental chews for dogs have obvious benefits like avoiding periodontal disease (gum disease), but in addition to the dental health benefits, chewing is also paramount for your doggy’s development from the puppy stages.
We all remember those puppy days when our pets would chew every possible shoe they could find in the corner of a cupboard.
The reason for this is that chewing is an innate normal behavior for dogs and dogs love having something in their mouths.
If you stop your Goldendoodle from enthusiastically biting or chewing on an object, it means you are taking away its normal behavior, as chewing is a way to channel frustration, energy, and stress.
It has been found that dogs that bark a lot, might do so because they have not been allowed to express other normal doggy behaviors like chewing.
As pet owners, we experience day-to-day stress, and our doggies do too. Yes, ‘What do they have to stress about?’ we ask, given that they live in the lap of luxury most of the time! The reality is that their stress is different from that of humans, and chewing is a natural stress-relieving habit.
When dogs need to get rid of some of their excess energy, they’ll go and find something to chew on, and this is also because they need stimulation in our human world.
Boredom is a big factor for pups getting up to mischief and whilst our dogs figure out the human world, chewing is a really good way for them to keep busy and occupied.
So what’s the solution? If you’ve read our article, you probably know already – dog dental chews! Keep your slippers (and everything else) safe from your dog’s gnashers and let them express this important, natural, chewing behavior safely (while cleaning their teeth at the same time).
What Do The Experts Say About Dental Chews?
Canine specialists say that chewing is good for dogs as it cleans their teeth and can contribute to good dental health and mouth hygiene (if they chew something appropriate like a dog dental chew).
The Veterinary Oral Health Council is also on board with dog dental chews as tartar buildup is a daily challenge.
Research shows that chewing helps to calm them and reduces any additional stress or anxiety that they may have.
The chewing process acts as a natural stimulant for dogs because the action of chewing and gnawing at a bone or dental object, increases the uptake of serotonin levels in your dog’s brain. We know even as humans, serotonin levels determine our feel-good moods.
With serotonin levels increasing, it activates the digestive enzymes in your dog’s tummy and promotes the proper digestion of food and absorption of nutrients.
Why Choose Dog Chews?
As much as our dogs love giving those sloppy kisses, it is seldom that you are greeted with a fresh minty pup’s breath as you would ideally if you could just brush their teeth.
Lots of pet owners try to, and successfully do, brush their dog’s teeth, but it’s not easy (we can tell you from experience). You have to be very careful to not injure or damage their sensitive gums, and human dental products are also not what your dog needs.
Daily brushing with dog toothpaste is sometimes time-consuming, and with the busy lives we lead, it is easy to slack in this grooming process. So, dog dental chews are the answer many pet owners need.
A quick and convenient way to look after your dog’s dental health and avoid periodontal disease is to get dental chews to keep your dog’s gums healthy and their breath fresh.
Dog dental chews have nutritional value to them, have health benefits, will help with the cleaning of their teeth, and keep their mouths fresh as well.
Most dental chews are focused on reducing plaque and tartar build-up, but in addition to that, these treats are healthy and tasty with multiple flavors so they could double as a treat and a dental cleaner. Who said keeping clean had to be boring?
If you are going to be rewarding your doggy with a treat and complement your dog’s diet, it might as well have a health benefit and clean those teeth for a healthy fresh smile!
Safety tips for using dog dental chews
While dog chews have many advantages, there are a few safety tips to keep in mind when offering them to your pup. First, find the appropriate size for your dog. If the chew is too small, your dog could swallow it whole and choke. If it’s too big, it could cause dental damage or be difficult for your dog to chew. Goldendoodles are large dogs so need correspondingly large chews!
You should always supervise your dog while they are chewing on dental treats or chews to ensure they are chewing safely and not at risk of choking – don’t leave your dog alone with their dental sticks when you go out.
Avoid dental chews that are too hard or have sharp edges, as they can cause dental damage or be a choking hazard – very hard sticks are not recommended for puppies’ fragile teeth.
Also check the ingredients list to make sure there are no harmful or toxic ingredients in the dental chew. You can’t go wrong if you choose any we’ve recommended above. Make sure to only give your dog as many as recommended on the packet, though.
Choosing the Best Dental Chews for your Goldendoodle
With so many different edible dental chews for dogs, you might be overwhelmed with options. To help you narrow the choice down, think about these factors:
Enrichment value
Ask yourself, is my dog getting some kind of mental stimulation value from this chew or are they scarfing it down in two seconds? Pet parents know how hard it is to keep Doodles amused, so look for something longer-lasting.
Safety
As dog owners, we have to consider whether the chew is safe for our pets. Make sure it’s not too hard, and choose the right size dental chew for your dog. The chew should be large enough that your dog can’t swallow it whole, but not so big that it’s difficult for your dog to chew. Some dental chews we looked at above come in different sizes to accommodate Goldendoodles of all sizes.
Teeth cleaning ability
Look for dental chews that are specifically designed to clean your dog’s teeth and prevent tartar buildup. The best dental chews have ridges and bumps that help to scrub your dog’s teeth as they chew. They can also help freshen your dog’s breath and promote healthy gums.
Edible or not
Consider whether you want an edible or non-edible dental chew. Edible dental chews are designed to be consumed, while non-edible chews are made of materials like rubber or nylon and are meant to be chewed on but not swallowed.
Edible dental treats are a good option for dogs who have a tendency to swallow non-edible chews, while non-edible chews can last longer and be a good option for aggressive chewers.
Ingredients & flavor
Check the ingredients list to make sure the dental chew is made from safe and healthy ingredients. Avoid chews that contain artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Instead, look for chews made with natural ingredients like real meat or vegetables. Flavor is also important – choose a dental chew with a flavor your dog loves to encourage them to chew on it regularly. It won’t keep their teeth clean if they don’t chew on it!
FAQs
Are Greenies really good for dogs’ teeth?
Due to the special flexible design of the Greenies toothbrush-shaped dental chew, it gives access to all the hard-to-reach places in your Doodle’s mouth. This ensures that its plaque-fighting ingredients are spread throughout.
Can I give my dog dental chews every day?
Most dental chews can be given to your dog daily, but check the packet for advice. Dental chews for dogs add to your dog’s nutritional requirements and are important for dental cleaning and the health of your pup’s mouth and teeth.
Are dental chews enough for dogs?
Dental treats can be a helpful tool in maintaining your dog’s dental health, but they should not be the only solution. It is important to incorporate other aspects of dental care, such as regular teeth brushing and dental checkups with your veterinarian to ensure your dog’s teeth and gums stay healthy. However, these dog chews are a great place to start.
What are the healthiest dental chews for dogs?
The healthiest dental treats are made with natural ingredients and without any artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Consider chews that are designed to clean your dog’s teeth, promote healthy gums, and freshen their breath. Some of the healthiest dental chews for dogs include Greenies, Blue Buffalo, and Get Naked.