How to clean your dog's ears and what you need to do it

1. Balls of cotton or cotton rounds can be used to gently wipe the wax from the external ear canal.
2. It's important to only remove debris that is visible in the vertical canal so that it isn't pushed deeper into the horizontal canal leading to the eardrum, as shown in the diagram. It also isn't necessary to get the ear perfectly clean in a single session.
3. Once the ear canal is clean, the canal should be carefully dried with cotton or a tissue.
4. Given your dog some treats to reward them when you're finished.

1. In some breeds, you may need to remove some hair first. Poodles may have excess hair in the external ear canal. You should ask to have a vet or vet tech demonstrate this at the clinic. This can easily be done with hemostat or forceps. You simply grab a small amount at a time. Your dog shouldn't mind this at all.
2. Use an over-the-counter ear cleaner or normal saline. Irrigation can be done without stressing out your dog.
3. Hold the ear flap upright and fill the ear canal with the cleaning solution. To fill the canal, squeeze the bottle directly into the canal for about 5 seconds. It's great if your dog wants to shake their head after you do this — they will simply shake out the excess.
4. Keeping the ear flap out of the way, gently massage the base of the ear with your fingers for about 20 to 30 seconds.

It's important to understand that you're only cleaning the outer ear. The ear has three major parts:

Outer ear: The outer ear includes the ear flap, which may be floppy like that of a hound, stiff and pointy like that of a shepherd, or somewhere in between. Then there's the outer ear canal, which is long and narrow and bends at an almost-90-degree angle before the eardrum (tympanic membrane) and middle ear.

Middle ear: The eardrum separates the outer and middle parts of the ear. It is important to avoid the eardrum during cleaning as it can be easily damaged.

Inner ear: This is the innermost part of the ear where the cochlea, nerves, and balance mechanisms are found.

Introduce ear cleaning gradually: Positive training should be used. You may need to go through the motions of this treatment procedure before you actually apply ear cleaner. Do this as many times as needed while rewarding your dog with treats. Always make sure they're comfortable. If your dog is unpredictable and may bite, a muzzle may be helpful but only if it is properly introduced to your dog through desensitization.

Make sure your dog is relaxed: Always exercise your dog before you start a grooming session. This will make cleaning their ears a lot easier for both of you.

Set up an area to clean your dog's ears: Ear cleaning can be messy. You can use a towel and set up in your bathroom or even outdoors. I find cleaning outside is easiest as natural light helps when you're trying to clean the smaller areas of the ear flap.

You don't need a lot of tools to clean your dog's ears at home. Many of the items are human grooming tools, including balls of cotton, tissues, or baby wipes. Your veterinarian can help you select an ear cleaner that is right for your dog.

Hemostat or forceps to remove hair: It is not recommended to routinely remove hair from ear canals, but if hair is deemed to be the cause of or is interfering with the treatment of an ear infection, removing it can be helpful. A veterinary technician or a veterinarian may use forceps or a hemostat to remove hair. Removing a small amount at a time works well for breeds with hairy ear canal.

Over-the-counter ear cleaners: A wide range of ear cleaners is available both through your veterinarian as well as online. Ear cleaners contain a range of ingredients that help to break up waxy build-up, dry out the ear canals, and help kill bacteria and yeast, while being designed to be gentle on the ear. For routine cleaning, Collins recommends Virbac's Epi-Otic Advanced Ear Cleaner or saline. Products such as witch hazel, alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide should not be used. When in doubt, check with your veterinarian.

Ear cleaners that are prescribed by your vet: Your veterinarian can also recommend ear cleaners that they typically sell at their clinic including Cerumene, MalAcetic Otic, Douxo Micellar, Otoclean, Triz EDTA, T8, Triz Plus, TrizUltra+Keto, Zymox Ear Cleanser, and Douxo Micellar Solution. Disinfecting solutions containing chlorhexidine should be used with caution if the integrity of the tympanic membrane is not known.

Cotton to wipe debris from your dog's outer ears: Use cotton balls or cotton rounds.