Plucking

[Susan Amato]

I had my 6 mo. Doodle groomed for the second time. She came home shaking her head. I discovered her ear folds were red. I've learned from the groomer that plucking is not only the norm but is necessary in poodle breeds. It seemed cruel. Am I overreacting? Or is the groomer being too aggressive?

[Ginny Nightingale]

Hmm--sounds a bit overzealous---in some dogs the hair is thick in the ear and the opening is small--in others, there is very little hair and the opening is larger--those are usually OK without plucking--and not all doodles have "poodle ears" with small openings!! Just because you have a doodle, that does not mean they need a lot of plucking!

But groomers are trained to do it and they don't vary their approach..they are trying to prevent a lack of air circulation that can cause ear infections....I groom doodles but many of them have almost hair-free ears and I just check to make sure there are no hairs growing down into the ear that are difficult to see.I once pulled out a clump of hair that was three inches long!

Some dogs LOVE it when I pull the hair out and others do not--and all are a bit red afterwards but I rub their ears and they forget about it quickly---but I never get carried away to the point of removing every hair--I shave the inside of the ear flap and below the base of the ear a bit and then pull out some hair so that there is room for airflow.

If you want to just check her ears yourself, you can be petting her in a relaxed situation and then rub her ear and just put your thumb and index finger inside the ear opening and gently pull on the hair in there--make sure it is not growing down into the ear canal--you can put a little powder on your fingers to get a grip--if you do this all the time as part of a routine, she will get used to it and you will prevent the "all at once" approach of the groomer. Also use an ear cleaner regularly and she should have less buildup in the ear. 

[Lynda Kamrath]

You explain it beautifully, Ginny.  It is no big thing unless it gets out of hand.  I also shave the inside of the ear flap and below the base of the ear.  Ear care, the belly and backside, and pads and toenails should just be part of everyday grooming.  It just takes a minute to watch these areas and not let them get to be problems.

[Emily, Bentley, & Maserati]

I agree with Ginny and Lynda. 

Bentley's ear need continually care. He has suffered from "poodle ear" since he was a young pup. We regularly clean, pluck, and shave the base of his ear. 

Maserati has a much larger ear canals and thankfully, has not had any ear problems. We still monitor and keep a close eye on his ears we haven't needed to do more than cleaning. 

[Lynda Kamrath]

I think both.  You are overreacting a little and the groomer is being too aggressive.  Tell her not to pluck your dogs ears and that you will take care of it yourself - and then do.   I check my dogs' ears all the time when they are resting on my lap and pluck anything that needs plucking from their ears.  Yes, poodle ears are the worst (that I know of) and just making sure that the channels are clear and no gunk on the hair goes a long way.  Get a little ear cleaning liquid also and you just pour it in the ear, massage it down, then clean out with cotton balls.  We have never had an ear infection with four (now five) dogs using this method.

[Rebecca, Kandy & Murphy]

Both of my dogs are prone to ear infections so I also ask my groomer to be sure to do this.  I know it's part of their routine but it's extra-important to me that it gets done.  I've never noticed the dogs being bothered at the end of the appointment though.  Maybe because this was only the second groom there was lots of hair?  I don't know about cruel -- can't be any worse the plucking your eyebrows, right? 

[Susan Amato]

Thank you all. I will attempt to keep on top of the ears myself and seek the pro as needed. I learned from a couple of vets that a few drops of white vinegar in the ears weekly or so, especially during swimming season is equivalent to using ear cleaner and much cheaper. So far so good.

[Breanna]

I trim around my dogs ears and clean them with the ear cleaner I got from the vet. I never pluck or even get in there to snip the hair down, just clean up around it. My vet always says how great the inside of her ears look.