Ear Grooming
A Show Dog's Life
A Show Dog's Life
To clean the ears, pour ear cleaner in each ear, give them a good ear massage, and then let them shake (repeat if anything yucky is in the ears). If there is any heavy secretion call your vet. A dog’s ears should be like a human’s ears, clean and free of secretion and odor. Clean with a drying agent after each bath, in case you have gotten water in the ears. This helps to dry it up. Try not to get dirty bath water in the ears. Always rinse the head area with clean running water. If the head is heavily soiled, pinch the ears shut while rinsing off the dirt, or put cotton balls in each ear. You do not want dirt running into the ears.
First put dog on your lap in a comfy position, and pet him or her to get her calm. Then lift the ear and fold back.
Pluck excess hair from the ears using your fingers or this tool.
Every few months or so, the tuffs of hair that grow inside the ear must be removed by plucking a few at a time. Be gentle so as not to hurt your dog, and never pull large clumps of hair. The trick is to pull as few as possible at a time, so you do not hurt your dog. Use your fingers or even surgeon forceps.
Yes, all this hair was in this little 12-week-old puppy’s ear.
When finished, the ears should look like this.
MistyTrails Little Misty, daughter of Belle
For dogs with long ears, like Bloodhounds, where the ears come past the tip of the nose, remember to regularly clean their ear tips after each meal, as their ears usually swim in the food bowl and get soiled with dog food.
When putting the ear wash in these big dogs’ ears, get in right inside and give them a REAL GOOD massage, then they will SHAKE their head and if there is any debris in the ear it should come flying out. The key is to avoid debris.
This is what happens when you do not pluck and clean the ears.
These yucky ears could have a fungus, an infection or ear mites. It is best to keep them clean.
If your dog’s ears smell it may be a sign that something is wrong.
Courtesy of MistyTrails Havanese
