Cleaning your dog’s ears can be a laborious task, especially if you have a dog that hates it. While most dogs may not like their ears being cleaned it is very important to maintain good ear hygiene. If your dog’s ears aren’t cleaned regularly they could end up with a nasty ear infection from a prolonged build up of dirt and ear secretions, or even a mite infestation! Such issues can be prevented by a simple monthly ear clean using an ear cleaner specifically for dogs.

First, a few little notes about your dog’s ears. A dog’s ear canal is quite a complex little structure. Whereas humans have a singular ear canal, a dog has two – vertical and horizontal. They are set out in an L-shaped arrangement with the outer visible vertical canal leading to the deep inner horizontal canal. Due to this configuration it is easy for residue or water to get trapped within the ear. Different breeds have different kinds of external ear sets. Some dogs have ears that stand straight like a German Shepherd Dog, while others have ears that flop down like a Labrador Retriever. There are ones with short hair and then there are those that have some rather long, luxurious locks. These traits can all play a part in how often you may need to keep an eye on your dog’s ear condition. Where you live, environmental conditions and your dog’s activity choices are also other factors that need to be considered. If you live in a relatively dry and clean environment, such as an apartment, and your dog’s activity levels are quite low a regular ear clean may be enough. On the other hand if you have a dog that loves the outdoors – especially swimming, or is prone to ear infections, you may need to clean your dog’s ears more often. Bacteria thrives in moist or humid conditions so it is important for those of you who have dogs that love to swim to give their ears a quick clean afterwards to remove any trapped water or dirt that may have found its way in. In particular dogs who have floppy ears.

So where do you begin? First you need to arm yourself with the following:

• Cleaning Solution – these can be obtained from your veterinarian or local pet store.
  
• Cotton Balls or Pads  – for wiping the ears clean.
  
• Treats  –  Lots of delicious treats!

Ear cleaning solutions are usually applied by placing a few drops into the dog’s ear canals followed by massaging the ear to allow the solution to evenly spread throughout the dog’s ear passages. You will usually find that your dog will shake its head. This helps to loosen and remove the dirt build up deep within the ear that you ordinarily would not have been able to reach. Finally the ear is wiped clean with a cotton ball or pad. Do not use a cotton tip to clean your dog’s ears with. Not only is this uncomfortable for your dog but you risk travelling too deep into their ear canal pushing debris further in and causing potential damage.

Whether this is the first time you are introducing your dog to having their ears cleaned or whether this is one of many repeated attempts, our main goal now is to create a positive association with it. This goes for any grooming rituals. Before we even start fidgeting around with our dogs they must feel comfortable being handled. By conditioning them to your touch and associating this with positive outcomes your dog will quickly learn to accept any physical manipulation. You will be surprised just how quickly they will allow you to do something to them if you approach it the right way. Want to see? Have a look at this video: How To Clean Your Dog’s Ears. In this video is a dog that really dislikes having her ears cleaned, but just have a look at the end result. This can be achieved by following a few simple steps. Before you begin it is important to keep in mind that each dog is different and they all have their own thresholds. Make sure that you work these steps at a pace that is suitable for your individual dog and try not to rush forward to the next step until you have really solidified the previous one. Reward your dog for every bit of effort they make towards the desired outcome.

Here are some easy steps you can follow. Reward the dog for:

1. Looking at the ear solution bottle.
2. The gradual motion of the bottle towards their ear.
3. Acceptance of tipping bottle near and next to ear (cap still on).
4. Acceptance of touching and massaging their ear.
5. Acceptance of one drop of ear solution in ear.
   
6. Allowing more subsequent drops in ear followed by massage into ear.

Keep each session that you do very short and stress free. If your dog makes exceptional progress at any particular point then give them a jackpot reward for a job well done and end the session on a high! When you remain calm with your actions and patient with your handling your dog will often learn to reflect the same. If you have a dog that becomes agitated, nervous or nippy when it comes to being groomed then you will need to make an extra effort to take things slowly and really work towards counter-conditioning their current learned response. You will need to pin point what is triggering the unwanted behaviour and have a look at anything in their past that could have contributed to this. Once the trigger has been found you can then work towards restoring your dog’s confidence from here by showing them a clear pathway to success.

If you notice an abnormal discharge, unpleasant odour, redness, swelling or constant irritation please seek immediate veterinary advice as this could be a sign of an ear infection. An ear infection is incredibly painful for your dog and could lead to permanent damage and hearing loss if left untreated.