I soak a cotton ball with ear cleaner (our vet likes Epi-Otic Advanced), put it in the dog's ear, massage the base of the ear (you can feel the liquid squishing around), remove the cotton ball, and wipe down in the ear canal with a 4 x 4 gauze (the kind you'd use for a bandage). Repeat until the gauze is clean.

 

I just let clear water run into my girl's ears during their bath. Let them shake it out very well as soon as they get out of the tub, and then clean with q-tips, and their ears are perfect.
However, if you are seeing a lot of yellow or rusty colored wax, there might already be a yeast or bacterial infection that requires medical attention. There is virtually nothing on the q-tips when I clean my girl's ears...

 

I work on the old principle of never putting anything smaller than your elbow in your ear - I trim the hair inside Poppy's, wash and dry them when she is bathed, and otherwise leave them alone. If there is a smell it implies a health problem; if there isn't, why clean them?!

 

Its not smelly they are just VERY VERY waxy and causing the hair to clump up and its yucky.

 

I usually squirt ear cleaner into the ear canal, filling it. I massage the base of the ear, try and keep the stuff in there for several minutes if the dog will let you. I soak up as much of the cleaner that I can with cotton balls, then I let the dog shake its head. That usually flings more out. Clean up the ear canal opening with cotton balls. Sometimes you have to do this 2 or 3 times. If you put a cotton ball over your fingertip, you can insert it into the ear canal safely.

I do this before I bathe the dog, that way you can get the ear feathers good and clean after all that shaking gets junk on them.

BTW, Some dogs really do need their ear hair plucked, it's so profuse that it obstructs the air to the ear canal. I never do it unless it's absolutely necessary, and you don't always need to take it ALL out. It isn't painful (they actually act as if it feels good) if you only pull out a few hairs at a time.

I also don't cean the ear with ear cleaner this way unless there's a good reason. I think it messes up the natural balance of the ear to do it if it's only routine. If it smells bad, or if there's just alot of wax on the inside lf the ear leather, then yeah, clean it up, but otherwise, I think...don't fix what ain't broke. Even my 12 year old Scottie has never had her ears cleaned like this. Of course, their upright ears get plenty of air, and are likely to stay healthier. I do wipe the inside of the ear leather outside of the ear opening as part of her 6-week grooming routine, but that's it.

 

Thank you for this post. I learned a few new things today about ear cleaning.

I can't recall my dogs ever having dirty ears, but I would occasionally pluck the hair out of the ears just so they could get some air in them. My vet always suggested to not poke around the inside with Q- tips. When after a bath, use cotton balls to carefully clean right inside the ears.

 

I should have said I don't routinely clean or pluck my dogs' ears. They have had infections in the past but not for quite a while, so I'm not going to upset that particular apple cart.

 

I never clean my poodle's ears, nor any of my other dogs/ family dogs ears. They have never had any dirty or waxy ears so I don't see the point. I on occasion pluck my poodle's ears but he doesn't grow a thick patch of hair in there and has never had ear problems so it only happens every now and again.
As a groomer I don't usually clean ears on dogs that I pluck the hair unless they are dirty, I usually do the dogs that don't grow ear hair but just for the sake of doing it cause owners expect it, unless they are dirty then I clean them to clean them.
Some dogs get dirty ears depending on the ear shape, hair length and what they do (sniffing around a lot in dusty/muddy areas) or such. Some dogs seems to have waxy ears with it never developing into anything that appears to bother the dog. And some dog have constantly infected ears. I find very few dogs that get one infection then never again. Most dogs if they get infected ears once, seem to be dogs that are prone to get infections.

 

When i learned to groom dogs, i worked for a standard poodle breeder who was a certified groomer. Her method was to wash the outside of the ear very thoroughly, but we never got water in the ear canal. She felt putting water in the ear canal led to problems, so we always kept it dry. After the bath, we'd put some ear cleaner on a cotton ball and clean where we could see. I do the same with my dogs, and none of them has ever had an ear infection. However, some groomers deliberately flush out the ear canal with water during the bath! Different philosophies

 

Does my dog have an ear infection? How do I clean my dog's ears? | Vet Pet Connect

I very occasionally use a product called Virbac epi otic. It's a cleaner, drying agent without alcohol. I pour some in and massage it. Then let them shake, then wipe with a cotton ball, then use a Q-tip but very carefully and gently to get around those little crevices and places. But typically, their ears really don't get dirty. I keep their hair short so it's not too hot or damp in there.