Grooming dogs’ ears may not be your favorite activity, but it is necessary for your pet’s well being. The grooming can be performed at home or if you prefer, you can go to a professional pet groomer. If you want to perform the grooming at home, you can follow a few easy steps.
Get Your Supplies
When grooming your dog’s ears at home you will need some supplies that will help you in the process:
- Towels
- Baby powder or ear powder
- Olive oil or ear drops prescribed by your vet
- Ear dropper
- Tweezers
- A pair of scissors
Make sure these supplies are clean and don’t use the tweezers or the scissors for other purposes as well, or if you do so, make sure to disinfect these with rubbing alcohol.
Prepare Your Dog
Your dog needs to be relaxed when you perform the ears grooming, especially if this is the first time you are performing this. You can perform the grooming after the evening walk or after you have played with your dog or after a massage.
You should also prepare and be calm, as if you are nervous, your dog will sense the tension and he will most likely get stressed.
Ear Grooming
The ear grooming will be made up of removing the dog’s hair and the debris from the ears. The hair trimming will be performed less frequently.
Get some ear powder and apply it on the inside area of the dog’s ear. Massage the dog’s ear area, so that the dog is relaxed. Gently pull the hair that you see or you can use a pair of scissors or tweezers. This will not be painful for your dog. Use tweezers for the areas where you cannot reach with your fingers. Apply more powder if you feel the ears are too oily, to help you remove the hair.
After removing the hair, you should apply some olive oil or ear drops prescribed by your vet to remove all the debris and the ear wax from the dog’s ears. Apply the oil with an ear dropper and massage the ear gently with your fingers. After 5 minutes, the dog should be encouraged to shake his head. Clean the debris with a towel.
After the Ear Grooming
You should praise your pet after the ear grooming and give him a treat, so that he feels rewarded and considers this experience a positive one. If your dog feels rewarded, the next ear grooming will be easier and your dog will be more cooperative.
Ear Grooming Frequency
The ear grooming frequency can be once per week or as indicated by the vet. It is important to remove the debris on a regular basis to prevent ear infections or other complications.
The ear hair trimming should be performed on a regular basis, every 2 to 6 months, depending on how fast the dog’s hair grows. If your dog is affected by an ear infection or ear parasites, the grooming should be performed more often.