# ear cleaning fight



## abatt (Jul 10, 2012)

Our 4.5 month old puppy hates cleaning ears. Honestly, we were not able to clean them since we got him. Our vet cleaned them once, but that's about it. I know it is very important to do this on a regular basis, and we really try, but so far unsuccessfully.

Tried when he is tired and is falling asleep. The moment we touch his ear, he is fully awake and alert.

Tried giving him treats, but he forgets about them the moment our hands approach his ear.

Yesterday, we decided that we really have to do it no matter what. My husband ended up with scratches all over his chest, and me with a bite on my jaw. Progress: the cotton ball did even touch the outside area of his ear.

Our vet suggested getting a muzzle, but there is still a problem of holding him down. He can scratch with his nails as hard as he can bite.

We are considering bringing him to a grooming place, but we heard they might not do a good job. Also, I am afraid the groomers will be too forcefull making him afraid of ear cleaning even more.

Does anyone have suggestions on how we can make him tolerate ear cleaning? This is a first dog for us, and first experience cleaning ears. The vet explained how to do the cleaning, and we watched numerous videos on this topic, but we must be doing something wrong.


----------



## flynnandlunasmom (May 28, 2012)

All I can say is practice and time may make things better.
Up until about 6 or 8 months, Luna was like a crazed, possessed demon when we tried to do her nails. The screeching, the scratching, it was awful. To anyone walking by outside, you'd think she was being tortured. Our Vet said if she didn't come around, she could be sedated to her her nailed trimmed. We were like "What? No way!" 

Long story short. She finally did come around now she lets us do her nails. She doesn't love it, but one of us keeps her still and the other one dremels the nails. No fuss. 

The one upside to a groomer is that your dog has already associated the process when you do it as something to freak out about. With a groomer, it's a new experience and he may not react the same way.


----------



## Oquirrh the V (Jun 24, 2011)

One thing that I've been doing is rubbing Oquirrh's ears when I'm petting him. He loves his ears scratched and he really leans into it when you rub his ears - the same way you would rub when the cottonball is in his ear. Oquirrh will still try to run out of the room when he sees the solution, but I shut the door. I grab his scruff and quickly put the solution in his ears. Then he will let me put the cottonball in and he loves when I rub them. Like flynnandlunasmom said, time and practice. Good luck!


----------



## SteelCityDozer (Aug 25, 2011)

If yiu want to go to a groomer go to one that will let you stand with your dog and comfort while they work. Otherwise You need to start by just touching the ears for a couple days maybe. Then a couple of days looking in. Then if all is going well try a cleaning. Maybe just clean one. If you need to use treats in any of these steps then do it. 

Penny is 6 mos old now and a terror for nail trimmings (just like Dozer used to be). So I coped out and went to a groomer 2-3 times. This weekend I decided to throw on the leather gloves and let her know that its happening no matter what she thinks about it. I got the job done. But she's too crazy to reason with so we'll work on training how to act during this in the future. I like to use meal time. I touch your paw you get a bite. I touch with clippers you get a bite. Slowly moving on etc and if there's resistance or relapse take a step back before moving forward. 

It will most likely get easier as she matures. Good luck!


----------



## abatt (Jul 10, 2012)

Thank you all so much. I've been trying to rub his ears and treat afterwards for weeks now. He is still snapping at me when I do it. But he is in his craziest moods when he smells the cleaning solution. Maybe we should change it to a different one? We will continue working on it, as we want to be able to clean his ears ourselves. But for now will look for groomers who can let us stay with him. His ears are way too dirty to wait any longer.


----------



## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

Why use ear cleaning solution? We use grooming wipes and the dogs looooove having their ears cleaned. They've never fought it and even close their eyes and lean into it as I'm doing it. It must feel like their mom licking their ears clean or something. I also love the fact that the wipes smell amazing. We use the "Green Tea Leaf" Earthbath brand grooming wipes:

http://www.earthbath.com/wipes/grooming/wipes-tea.php


----------



## abatt (Jul 10, 2012)

Thank you threefsh. I will look into the wipes. We almost run out of cleaning solution anyways. Funny, a whole bottle is gone, but ears haven been cleaned once. Soaking a cotton ball is as far as we got to


----------



## adrino (Mar 31, 2012)

Hm, I only had to clean Elza's ears twice ever since we have her. Am I supposed to clean it regularly? I do check them almost every day and its clean. There's nothing in it so I don't clean them. Luckily she loves her ear touched and scratched so there's no problem in that. I regularly get her ears in my hands and just run them. They are sooooo soft! :

Cutting her nails? It's a different matter!  that's bloody hard work and I end up leaving it, then they get too long... :-\


----------



## hotmischief (Mar 11, 2012)

HaHa  Adrino, I am so glad you said that about the nails as I am just the same. It is a job I hate doing.

I get my husband to feed him treats and I snip away and that seems to work well. I did nick one of the back nails last time and although he bled he never cried or pulled away so hopefully it looked worse than it actually was.

Love those soft silky ears, but Boris's ears look nice and clean so why would I clean them!!


----------



## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Mine love to have their ears cleaned but June hates to have any solution put in her ears. During the hot summer months they swim daily. I have to use a ear solution in the ears to cut down on ear infections from water keeping the ears moist. If June even thinks I'm going to use it on her ears, she will run for her crate. She dosent try to bite or get away once caught.


----------



## adrino (Mar 31, 2012)

TexasRed said:


> Mine love to have their ears cleaned but June hates to have any solution put in her ears. During the hot summer months they swim daily. *I have to use a ear solution in the ears to cut down on ear infections from water keeping the ears moist.* If June even thinks I'm going to use it on her ears, she will run for her crate. She dosent try to bite or get away once caught.


Ok I understand it now thanks!

Hotmischief, I know it's such a pain in the a.... We have tried the same, Mark would hold a treat and I would cut the nails but as soon as I hold her front paws she will pull away... She doesn't mind the backs that much. I'm actually better off on my own, holding the treat in one hand and cut her nails on the sofa as they hang over the edge. So I don't actually hold the paw itself...


----------



## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

As others have mentioned, spend time each night rubbing, scratching, playing with the ears. After a while they will come to love it and then when the cotton balls come out, they should enjoy it. 

Mine absolutely love having their ears cleaned. I don't use anything except a cotton ball and warm salty water.


----------



## jld640 (Sep 29, 2010)

Peanut butter - smeared on the refrigerator door at just over head height. 

Announce that it's time for ears in a happy voice so he doesn't have to deal with a sneak-attach.

Use only one hand to pop the cotton ball into his ear. DON'T hold his head with the other hand. Your pup will lean as far away as possible, but will -hopefully- be tempted back to the peanut butter. You will only have a few seconds once he allows the cotton ball, so the first few times just massage his ear from the outside until he shakes the cotton ball out. After he tolerates that, you should be able to mop his ears a bit better.


----------



## harrigab (Aug 21, 2011)

Ruby loves her ears being de-coked, in all those creases (not the ear canal) I use a jig-saw blade.....the end that slots into the jig-saw not the cutting edge lol! it's nice and blunt and just the right size for flicking out those wax balls.


----------

