Cleaning your dog's ears
A dog's ear should only be cleaned when it needs it, never as a routine. Pour a dog ear cleaner into the canal, massage the base for a few seconds, let your dog shake their head, then wipe the visible opening. If the ear is red, painful or smells bad: don't clean it, have it checked.
What to clean with
The right cleaner makes all the difference: it must be made for dogs, with no alcohol or vinegar.
0 / 4Cleaning, step by step
On a healthy ear, it's the product that does most of the work; your job is mainly to help it come back out.
Check the ear first
Pink, clean, odourless: you can clean it. Red, painful, smelly or discharging: stop and have it checked.
Fill the canal with cleaner
It's the product that loosens the debris, not a finger or an instrument.
Massage the base of the ear
The squelching sound is normal: the product is working deep down.
Let your dog shake their head
It's this movement, not a cotton bud pushed inside, that brings the debris up towards the opening.
Wipe only the visible opening
With a gauze pad, on the ear flap and the fold, never going further than what your eye can see.
Reward and finish gently
A treat and a calm "yes": next time will be easier.
When it's the vet you need, not a clean
An ear that hurts is not an ear to clean: cleaning does not treat an ear infection, and some products are dangerous if the eardrum is damaged.
Keep an eye on it
- They shake their head or scratch the ear a little more than usual
- A little brown wax at the opening
Have it checked
- Ear red, hot or smelling bad
- Discharge, crusting or pus
- They cry out or pull away when you touch the ear
Without delay
- Head strongly tilted to one side all the time
- Loss of balance, unsteady gait, walking in circles
- Eyes flicking in jerky movements (nystagmus)
Dry the ears well after every swim, bath or walk in the rain: trapped moisture sets the stage for ear infections. And if your dog gets one ear infection after another, it's almost always an underlying allergy to treat, not a lack of cleaning (WAVD consensus).
- World Association for Veterinary Dermatology (WAVD) — Consensus sur l'otite externe du chien (cadre PSPP)
- Otitis externa in dogs, Merck Veterinary Manual
- Ear care and cleaning in dogs, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
- Routine ear cleaning in dogs, Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital
- AVSAB — Position Statement on Humane Dog Training (2021)
Frequently asked questions
How do you clean a dog's ears?
Pour a dog ear cleaner into the canal, massage the base of the ear for a few seconds, let your dog shake their head, then wipe the ear flap and the visible opening with a gauze pad. It's the product that loosens the debris, never an object pushed inside.
What should I clean my dog's ears with?
With an ear cleaner made for dogs, and nothing else in the canal. No alcohol, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide or human product, which irritate the ear, and above all never a cotton bud, which packs the wax down towards the eardrum.
How do you treat a dog that scratches its ears?
Scratching is a sign, not an illness in itself: it can come from an allergy, a grass seed, a parasite or an ear infection. You can't guess, and you shouldn't dig out an old treatment. If the ear is red, smells bad or is discharging, it's the vet who finds the cause and chooses the care.
How often should you clean a dog's ears?
Only when the ear needs it, not as a routine: a clean, pink, odourless ear should be left alone. Dogs with floppy ears or those who swim often need checking more regularly, especially after being in water.
Can you use a cotton bud to clean a dog's ear?
No, never inside the canal. A cotton bud packs the wax down towards the bottom instead of removing it and can injure the eardrum (Cornell; Washington State University). Cotton wool or a gauze pad is only there to wipe the visible opening of the ear.
My dog keeps shaking their head, what should I do?
Repeated head-shaking often signals an ear that is bothering them: an ear infection, or a grass seed lodged in the canal after a summer walk. Don't try to fish it out of the depth of the ear yourself. If it persists, especially on one side only, head to the vet.
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