The ears are an important part of the dog’s body. Not only are they essential for hearing; ears also play a major role in body language. You can tell a lot about how your four-legged friend is feeling by looking at his ears. Just because ears are so important, good ear care is necessary. In our previous blog post, we talked about how to recognise ear problems in your dog and how to remove excessive earwax. Today we will talk about how best to remove excess hair from your dog’s ears.
Why to remove excess of hair in dog’s ears
Hair in the ear should not always be regarded as a negative thing. It protects the ear from unwanted guests, but too much hair can lead to a severe ear infection. When the ear canal is full of hair, there is no longer sufficient oxygen and air circulation. This can cause excessive earwax production and consequently infections as well.
If your dog is suffering from too much or excess hair in the ear, epilating is definitely recommended. In most cases, a dog groomer will professionally remove this every time they are grooming your furry friend. If your furry friend does not visit the groomer, you can certainly pluck the ears yourself at home in quiet surroundings. Not sure if your dog needs ear plucking? Generally speaking, companion and toy dogs, Terriers and other long-haired breeds fall into the category of dogs for which regular epilation of the ears is crucial.
How to pluck your dog’s ears
When removing hair from the ear, always use ear powder. Apply the powder by holding the bottle with the nozzle directed towards the areas of the ear where you want to pluck hairs. Shake the bottle gently until there is enough powder applied.
This will not only help to loosen the hair but also make the hairs in the ear dry, thus ensuring a better grip so that they can be easily pulled from the ear. Before you start to remove hairs in the ear canal, it is often interesting to first pluck the hairs present on the skin on the inside of the ear flap.
You can do this with the help of two finger condoms or grippy fingers.
These latex finger thimbles have a double function. They ensure that you have a good grip on the hairs. Using these stripping tools is also very hygienic and safe, both for you and your pooch! Most hairs can be easily removed with these finger tools. Take a few hairs between your index finger and thumb and pull with a firm, quick grip. Don’t pull with a long slow movement. Quick pulling is more comfortable for the dog. Repeat until all the hair from around the ear and inside of the ear is gone.
As you cannot work deep into the ear with your fingers, professional ear tweezers are also useful to get rid of excess hair.
There are different types of tweezers available: forceps tweezers (that look like scissors) with or without a lock system and regular tweezers. Are you not so experienced yet? Then it is advisable to use tweezers that don’t have a self-locking system. Using these tweezers, every small spot on the auricle and in the auditory canal can be cleaned and made hair-free. This grooming task requires precision, a little patience and especially time. It is important to do this carefully and groom your dog's ears only when you have enough time. After all, great haste makes great waste!
After using the tweezers, you can start removing the excess earwax with the help of the Show Tech Ear Care Solution, bamboo Q-tips, ear wipes and possible also the Ear Care Lotion.
A few points of attention
- First of all, it is important to remove excess hair (if present) and earwax. Are your dog's ears not cared for sufficiently or thoroughly enough, or are they prone to producing more wax? This can often lead to infections and ear infections. Therefore, it is advisable to sniff the ears regularly. In this way, you will quickly notice whether the ear always has a normal smell. Does your dog’s ear smell bad? If bacteria and fungi are present in the ear, it will often smell sour. When the ear looks red and infected, it is very painful for your four-legged friend, in which case an urgent visit to your veterinarian is key. This way, the appropriate medical treatment can be started quickly to eliminate the cause of the infection.
- Is your dog a real water lover? Then we recommend that you check the ears for ear infections after every swim. After all, fungi and bacteria love a warm and wet environment and an ear can therefore be the perfect breeding ground!
- As with humans, heredity also plays an important role. Some dogs are more prone to ear infections than others. Giving your dog the right diet and keeping its skin healthy also have a major impact.
- Long-haired dogs, dogs with hairy ears, long, hanging ears and ears that are close to the head should also be checked more often. Because there is less oxygen and air circulation, bacteria and fungi might have free rein in their ears.
If you follow these things up well and use the right care products, many ear problems can be avoided. We are curious to hear about your ideas. Have you already used our products and have they proven to be a real game changer? Be sure to share your positive experiences in the comments. Do you have doubts or questions about your dog’s ear care? Feel free to post them below as well.
