Addressing Common Ear Challenges In Dogs: Tips And Tricks

It’s ain’t fun, but it’s gotta be done. There are many joys in having a dog, but cleaning their ears certainly isn’t one of them. To put it nicely, most dogs detest, hate, and loathe having their ears cleaned. Thankfully, we have a bunch of tricks that can help make the ear-cleaning session as painless as possible for both you and your dog.

1. Tools Of The Trade

Our first tip for cleaning a dog’s ears is you should always have a PurOtic Dog Ear cleaner solution on your hand for whenever you need it. While you do not need to regularly clean your dog’s ears if they are fine, the faster you can clean their ears when you notice they are dirty, the better.

Ear drops with applicators that help flush the gunk out are especially helpful if you’re seeing repeated buildups.

But eardrops aren’t the only thing you’ll need. Cotton balls or tissues are good to have on hand as they can help remove excessive moisture and gunk.

And don’t forget to bring a towel or blanket to cover your dog’s ears immediately after finishing, because they will aggressively shake their heads to get the remaining liquid and gunk out.

Speaking of that, an ear dryer that’s used after the ear cleaner is handy for removing the cleaning fluid that can get trapped deep in their ear canals.

2. Understanding Your Dog’s Ear Anatomy

Unlike our straight ear canals, a dog’s ear canal curls around their head and ends around the cheek area. This makes it much easier for moisture to get trapped deep, where it can cause painful infections.

If your dog shakes their head for more than a minute after applying the cleaning fluid, you’ll want to help them.

Start by laying your dog down and having them roll over on their back. Then gently push their head back so the top of their head (crown) is touching the floor.

This puts the deepest part of their ear canal completely upright, which should allow any trapped liquid to drain out.

Read Also: What Can I Give My Dog For Pain? Therapy, Medicine and Supplements

3. Creating A Calm Environment 

Because the ear-cleaning process can get a bit messy, many pet parents would prefer to do it in the bathroom or bathtub. But for many dogs, this might not be the best, as they often associate the bathroom with bath time and other grooming practices they aren’t fans of.

Finding a place where your dog feels calm is of the essence — this is another reason a towel is so handy.

To help nurture a calm ear-cleaning session, you want to watch your tone. A monotone voice works well.

Yelling is only going to make the experience more anxiety-inducing, but using too soft of a calm voice can do the same as it reassures the dog their anxiety is warranted. Distracting your dog with a toy or treats is completely fine.

4. Dealing With Anxiety And Aggression

Some anxiety and even some mild aggression, such as barking or reluctance to have their ears cleaned is expected — because having liquid poured unwillingly into the ears just isn’t fun. However, growling that leads to snapping should not be tolerated and needs to be addressed with training and medication.

To help with anxiety and aggression, make sure you’re following our tips for creating a calm environment. Additionally, try to schedule ear cleaning sessions away from meal and play times, as our dogs tend to be a good bit more excitable during these periods.

CBD, which you can buy over the counter, can help reduce both anxiety and aggression. Last, but not least, never force your finger or a cotton ball deep into their ears — you only need to go about ½ inch, depending on the breed.

5. Keep Ears Dry

Whether they just got out of the bath, swimming pool, or inside from the rain, you should immediately inspect your dog’s ears and use a towel to remove any water that might have gotten into their ears. The same goes for after you’ve cleaned their ears.

6. Trimming

If your dog is still seeing build-ups and ear infections despite regular cleaning, you may want to trim away some of the longer hair around the outer ears.

7. Regularly Monitoring

For our last tip, we are bringing you two for the price of one! First, you only need to clean your dog’s ears when they are dirty or smell. This means some dogs can go months without having their ears cleaned, whereas some will need it once a week. Breeds with floppy and long ears tend to see more ear issues.

Second, to know whether your dog needs their ears cleaned, you should inspect them once a week. Dirty ears often bring along a smell, and there is a good chance you’ll smell that their ears need cleaning before visually seeing it.

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