Your dog’s ears have several parts. There is the ear flap or pinna - the part of his ear that protrudes from his head. Then there is a fleshy or hairy part with lots of grooves and ridges that you can see around the entrance to your dog’s ear canal. The ear canal is L-shaped, beginning as a vertical chute and then turning into a horizontal pathway that leads to the eardrum. When you clean your dog’s ears, you should only clean the ear flap, entrance to the ear canal and the very tip of the vertical part of the ear canal. You do not want to stick anything, such as a cotton swab, into the ear canal.

To clean your dog’s ears you will need cotton balls, cotton swabs, and a mild ear cleanser that you get either from a dog supply store or, better yet, from your veterinarian. Soak the cotton ball in the ear cleanser and use the cotton ball to clean the ear flap, the entrance to the canal, and very tip of the ear canal. Next, soak the cotton swab in the cleanser and use the swab to remove any pieces of ear wax that have not yet been removed. Be very gentle. Most dogs do not like having their ears cleaned so you might need an extra person to help hold your dog still. You don’t want your dog to make any sudden movements that will cause your hand to slip and possibly injure some part of his ear.

If you suspect that your dog has an ear infection – is he shaking his head a lot, is his ear red, does it have an unfamiliar discharge or smell - do not try to clean your dog’s ear. You must take him to a veterinarian. Ear infections can be especially common in dogs with long hair and floppy ears. 

To learn more about ear infections click here!