Removing hair from ears

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

Ok - I know I need to get the hair out of Cody's ears. He has a LOT of hair in his ears --- but do I REALLY have to pull it out? That just sounds SO painful! Casey has almost no hair in his ears, so I'm not concerned about him.

[Jeanine Bandini]

Wally lets me do it while he is laying around. It doesnt hurt them. Just try a little bit and you will see (im pretty squeamish when it comes to things like that too!) Good Luck!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Well, I learned the hard way to do this but I learned from my vet.

First question; do you have a history of ear infections? How old is your dog?  What type of Doodle?

My doodle has a narrow ear canal, is an f1b, with a lot of ear hair.  I did not want to do this procedure either but after several ear infections I learned quick it was humane.  I've had two doodles with one not needing this at all and the other it is mandatory.

The best way, if you really need to do this, is to take only your fingers, reach way down in, and gently pull the cotton-ball tufts of hair.  Note that there is hair that is attached to the ear.  The hair that looks just like your dog's coat. Do NOT pull that hair.  What you are trying to do is get to the hair that is not really attached to the skin, is thin, and not like a regular coat.  The hair that is closer to the outside, that is thick and attached leave alone. That hurts.

Just the wisps of cotton-like hair that is barely attached deep inside the ear canal.  Gently swipe your fingers through there and gently tweeze/ pull.

You can learn to do this from a vet!  I had him show me too many times and I was reluctant.   Sadly, he showed me when the ears where inflamed and painful. Not the way to go.

You can also have a groomer do your dog's ears.

[catherine grose]

Please could someone post a photo of what "a lot of hair" looks like? The vet made it sound like it is not any of the visible hair, only the stuff deep within the ear canal, that can be a problem. But he wasn't a doodle expert so I've no idea when to start with my puppy.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

It is a visual. Can you see through the canal? It does not have to be perfect but you should have some clear path.

Pull up the ear flap and look straight in.  If it is nothing but globs of hair, you have some work to do. 

Really, just a little at a time.  Dont make them perfectly hair-free.  With your index finger and a thumb reach way down in and gently pull a small amount.  The wispy, deep hairs, and generally not very attached to the skin.   Again, don't pull firmly attached hairs. Just the fine hairs deep in the canal at just about the curve.

Do this two or three times, then give the dog a break. 

Many will tell you to use a tweezer, hemostat, or God forbid a scissors. DONT.  Just your fingers for now will be fine and do the job

[Doug, Micki, Dawson & Mya]

Just grab a pair of tweezers and start yanking it out! I think you will find that it scarcely bothers them at all. With our doodles, the battle was getting them to hold their head still to grab the hairs, not fighting with them because it hurt or bothered them. I could be wrong, but I think you'll find that it is an annoyance to them at the most.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Not al doodles need the hair pulled. I have never removed the hair from my doodles ears but I do clean their ears regularly. Now I do it every 2-3 weeks since they do not get infections but before I was certain of that I did it more frequently.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Why don't you have a vet show you!   A groomer can also show you. I had a hard time with this and really, you can do much more harm than good if you do not do this correctly.

Many dogs get ear infections when this is done incorrectly.  It can do more harm than good.

You want to do this only if your dog needs this procedure, not because someone told you, ' this must be done'

I said it and now F. said the same thing, ' Not all dogs need this done'

If your dog does, learn to do this with moderation.

For us, we do a little at a time and then have an antibiotic cream afterward.  It really can stir the bacteria if not done correctly.

So, slow and gentle and dont use tools as a novice.   UGH

[Karen & Maple]

I don't have my doodle yet so can't speak from experience. But in researching for the future I found this you tube video from Adam Ford:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-XU7jO_9sgU

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Well that is the right idea but he is a bit overkill.  For me, too much powder ( but I do use powder) and a way too many fingers, too vigorously working in that ear.  But, my dog gets infections easily and I am more cautious and gentle not to stir up the bacteria.  But he did show you the finger technique and how deep you really need to go to find those bad hairs that do not let the air circulate and harbor bacteria in the dark, moist, ear canal.

But, the right idea.  Just take it a bit easier on your dog and do use some ear powder.

BTW~ That dog could used groomed too

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

JD is the first dog I've ever had who doesn't need the hair removed from his ear canals. (He's got a straight coat that sheds.)

With my poodles, it was an absolute must, despite being scrupulous with weekly cleanings. The groomers always did it at the every 6 weeks groomings, using a hemostat. When it's done right, it does not hurt at all; done wrong, it can actually cause an ear infection. If i were you, I would ask a very good groomer to show me how to do it. 

[Camilla and Darwin]

I get grossed out by it so I always have a groomer do it, but you do it just as Joanne details. :-)

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

Thanks everyone.  My guys just turned 6 months old. They are F1b golden doodles. Casey looks more like what I would consider a "typical" doodle, while Cody looks like a poodle. He is the one with the full ears of hair.  So OK - after reading these posts, I got him resting his head in my lap and started working on an ear.  Surprise!!!  He really didn't seem to mind.  I got quite a bit before he decided that he really needed to go bark and chase the squirrel again.  I suppose that a little lit at a time will work great.