Cleaning your dog's ears
Only clean your dog's ear if it needs it, never as a routine: a healthy ear cleans itself, and if you fuss with it too much, you strip away the wax that protects it and end up irritating it. Pour a dog ear cleaner into the canal, massage the base for a few seconds, let him shake his head, then wipe the visible opening. If the ear is red, painful, or gives off an unusual smell, don't clean it: show it to your vet.
What to clean with
Choose a cleaner made for dogs, not just any product.
0 / 4The clean itself
On a healthy ear, the cleaner does all the work, not you.
Check the ear first
Pink, clean, no particular smell: you can go ahead. Red, painful, discharging, or the smell has changed: leave it alone and book an appointment.
Fill the canal with cleaner
Your dog's ear isn't a straight hole: the canal goes down, then turns and becomes almost horizontal before the eardrum. Your finger doesn't reach that far: it's the cleaner that loosens the debris deep down, not an instrument.
Massage the base of the ear
The squelching sound is normal: the product is working deep inside.
Let him shake his head
It's that movement, and not a piece of cotton pushed in, that brings the debris back up towards the opening.
Wipe away what has come up
When your dog shakes his head, he brings the dirt and the cleaner back up. With a gauze pad, wipe the hollow of the ear and its folds, everything you can see. Never go digging deeper with your finger: the depths empty out on their own.
Reward him, and stop before he's had enough
Give him a treat and a calm "yes": next time will be easier.
When to see the vet
A painful ear is not an ear to clean: cleaning doesn't treat an ear infection, and some products are dangerous if the eardrum is damaged.
Keep an eye on it
- He shakes his head or scratches his ear a little more than usual
- A bit of brown wax at the opening
Get it checked
- Ear red, hot, or the smell has changed
- Discharge, crusts or pus
- He yelps or pulls away when you touch the ear
Straight away
- Head permanently tilted well over to one side
- Loss of balance, staggering, walking in circles
- Eyes flicking from side to side (nystagmus)
Dry the ears well after every swim, bath or walk in the rain: trapped moisture encourages ear infections. And if your dog gets one ear infection after another, it's usually the sign of an underlying cause to treat, often an allergy, not a lack of cleaning.
- August J. R. — Otitis externa: a disease of multifactorial etiology (origin of the PSPP framework), Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice (1988)
- 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)
Going further
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 him shake his head, then wipe the visible part of the ear with a gauze pad. It's the cleaner that loosens the debris, never an object pushed inside.
What should I use to clean my dog's ears?
With an ear cleaner made for dogs, and nothing else in the canal. No alcohol, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide or products meant for people, 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's scratching 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 the cause, and you don't dig out an old treatment. If the ear is red, if it's discharging or if its smell has changed, it's the vet who finds the cause and chooses the treatment.
How often should you clean a dog's ears?
Only when the ear needs it, not as a routine: an ear that's clean, pink and odourless is one you leave alone. With dogs who have floppy ears or who swim a lot, check more often, especially after they've been 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 instead of taking it out, and can damage the eardrum (Cornell; Washington State University). Cotton wool or a gauze pad is only for wiping the visible opening of the ear.
My dog keeps shaking his head, what should I do?
If he's shaking his head non-stop, it's often because an ear hurts or itches: an ear infection, or a grass seed lodged in the canal after a summer walk. You're not going to fish it out of the depths of the ear yourself. If it carries on, especially on one side only, off to the vet.
Updated on Sources
Read nextNext in this pathBathing and dental care for your dogReadLoading your progress…