For most dogs this means doing nothing other than removing occasionally removing visible wax on the inside of the ear flap.Īlways check your dog’s ears after running in tall grass. Keep your dog’s ear in as natural a condition as possible. However, the length of the ear canal and simple gravity together encourage the accumulation of wax, debris and foreign material, such as grass seeds, which cannot easily be shaken out of the ears. The anatomy of the ear protects the actual organ of hearing from injury. As a general rule, dogs with erect ears that have no hair inside are less prone to ear infections and other problems than those with hairy ear canals or with droopy ears. Schnauzers & Poodles are two such breeds.Įar problems are among the most common reasons why dog owners visit the vets, but many can be prevented or treated at home. Humans have interfered with natural selection one of the problems this has caused is hair growing in the ear canal in some breeds. One of the most obvious differences between breeds of dogs is the shape and size of their outer ear flap. Great care must be used whenever you have to come into contact with your dogs’ ears. Dogs’ ears are delicate and easy to damage and infect. That advice was sound then as it is today. When I was a Metropolitan Police dog handler, the training sergeant always said “you only reach into a dogs’ ear with your elbow”.

Dog ear trainer