How to clean your dog's ears

Cleaning your dog’s ears is an important part of their regular grooming routine, just like washing or brushing your dog.

Your dog’s ears are sensitive, so they need regular maintenance to prevent infections. Depending on your breed of dog, their lifestyle (swimming in creeks, rolling in dirt etc) and medical conditions (allergies) will depend on how often you will need to clean your dog’s ears. At your dog’s next check up, discuss what frequency your Veterinarian recommends. If your dog has dirt or an odour coming from their ears, this will be an indication of their ears needing a clean.

How to introduce ear cleaning to your dog

Start early: It's best to start at an early age so that your dog gets used to their ears being played with from their puppy years. Dog’s generally don’t want their ears cleaned, so starting early and working with them will make it a much more enjoyable experience for you both. Start by giving their ears a rub and making it a positive experience for them. 

Make sure your dog is relaxed: Always exercise your dog before you start a grooming session like ear cleaning. This will make it a lot easier for you both as your dog will be more likely to be tired and let you clean their ears instead of trying to play with you. 

Have everything ready: Make sure you have everything accessible and ready to use before calling your dog over to clean their ears.

What to use to clean dog’s ears

You don’t need a lot of tools to clean your dog’s ears at home. Your ear cleaning kit should contain at least the basics.

• Gentle ear cleaner - select a product that is specifically for dogs which suits their needs. 

• Wipes - unscented baby wipes or cotton balls are perfect. Do not use cotton buds on dogs as they can damage the ear canal.

• Treats - these can be used to reward your dog and to help make ear cleaning a positive experience.

It’s now time to clean your dog’s ears

• Start by reassuring your pet by using soothing words and a pat. 

• Lift up one of your dog’s ear flaps and drop in the recommended amount of cleaning product into the ear canal. Whichever ear cleaner you choose, make sure you follow the instructions on the product re dosage.

• After putting the cleaner in their ears, give the base of the ear a massage to help the solution get into the ear canal. You may hear a squishy sound as the product moves around the ear canal and breaks up any junk. 

• If your dog wants to shake their head after this, that is ok. They will just be shaking off the excess solution and help bring out any softened wax or junk.

• Now you want to gently remove any ear wax and dirt that is visible, making sure you don’t enter the ear canal as this can cause harm to your dog’s ears. This can be done with a baby wipe or cotton ball. Always use a different baby wipe/cotton ball for each ear to stop any cross contamination. You can check out this video on how to clean the ear with a wipe. 

• Now repeat this process on the other ear.

• Once finished, give your dog a treat and lots of affection to reward them!

Why does my dog keep shaking their head/ears

Head shaking is a great way for dogs to get something out of their ears that shouldn’t be there. 

If you regularly clean your dog’s ears at home and they are shaking their head repeatedly, it might be time to make an appointment with your Veterinarian. 

While the majority of the time it might be a once off thing, if it's a regular occurrence (shaking their head repeatedly and it doesn’t stop after a day or two) there may be something in the ear canal that needs to be checked out. 

Things to remember

• Only use the recommended product for your dog. Harsh chemicals should never be used.

• Avoid using any human products and only the appropriate dog ear cleaning products.

• If your pooch has a foul smelling odour coming from their ears, consult your Vet as your dog may have an ear problem.

• Inspect your dog’s ears regularly, approximately every fortnight.

• If you are unsure or not confident in giving your dog’s ears a clean, it is included in our warm water mobile dog wash service along with nail clipping and friendly helpful advice. 

• So contact your local Aussie Pooch Mobile dog groomer today, a clean, healthy dog is a happy dog!