Cleaning Ears

You must introduce Ears Cleaning when your dog is young and you clean the ears very gently. Begin with cotton balls or the cotton pads used to remove makeup. You will also need witch hazel or a commercial ear-cleaning solution.

Before cleaning, lift the ear flap and take a sniff of each ear. The ears should smell slightly damp but should not smell bad. If you detect a dirty or yeasty smell, do not clean the ears but instead take your dog to the veterinarian so he can see the ears as they are. An early ear infection often can’t be seen but will smell different, often yeasty.

To clean the ears:

1. Make sure that the witch hazel or earcleaning solution is at least room temperature. Never use it cold from the refrigerator.
2. Dampen several cotton balls or pads with the cleaning solution and then squeeze out the excess.
3. Lift the dog’s ear flap up and fold it over the top of the dog’s head.
4. Holding the dog’s head with one hand, use the other hand to gently wipe out the ear with the cotton ball.
5. Wipe all the crevices of the ear but do not force the cotton ball into the ear canal; just get those areas that you can easily reach.
6. If the ears are dirty, change cotton balls as soon as they are soiled.

If your dog is anxious about ear cleaning or is protesting, get a spoonful of peanut butter to distracting her. She’ll be so busy licking the peanut butter that she won’t care what you do to her ears.

Some breeds, such as Poodles and Schnauzers, grow hair in their ears. This hair needs to be removed, as it will get gummed up with earwax, potentially leading to ear infections. You can pull the hair out gently with your fingers or with forceps.

If you have any questions about how to do this, or how much hair to pull out, make an appointment with a professional groomer to show you how to do it correctly.

This can be quite painful if done incorrectly. Unless your dog gets really dirty when playing, the ears only need to be cleaned weekly. If your dog gets an ear infection, her ears may need to be treated daily. Ask your veterinarian for guidance.