Hygiene is important for any dog, but for the German Shepherd, ear cleaning is especially important. The large, upright ears of a German Shepherd collect a lot of dust and dirt, so they need to be cleaned and inspected frequently.
Ear care should be easy and quick both for owner and pet. So today our subject is how to clean German Shepherd ears without stress.
Get Your GSD Used to Cleaning His Ears
It is best to accustom to all hygienic manipulations from puppy age. Young animals adapt faster to any kind of procedures, cleansing the auricle was no exception.
The German Sshepherd habituation to dog’s ear cleaning solution occurs only through positive reinforcement – it is unacceptable for the Shepherd to be intimidated or experience painful sensations.
The first steps to training for dog
- Call the German Shepherd, pat on the head, gently massage the German Shepherd’s ears, treat with a treat, let go.
- At the next call, hold your hands on the clean your German Shepherd’s ears a little longer, look inside, praise and let go for a walk.
- Each subsequent workout adds time to the examination of the clean your German Shepherd’s ears rubbed, gradually you can try to wipe the visible part of the auricle with a bandage. In this way, you can train not only puppies, but also fully formed dogs, only it will take more time than the young.
How to train a German Shepherd to clean his ears
It is important to let the german shepherds understand that cleaning ears the dog’s ear is not scary, and after the manipulations, a treat is sure to follow.
Also, you cannot keep a German Shepherd by force – this causes alarm, in this case, no reward will help instill a calm attitude to the event.
How to Clean a German Shepherd’s Ears Correctly
This manual is based on materials published by VCA Animal Hospitals, Los Angeles, CA.
- Holding your dog’s ear, squeeze the cleaning solution inward.
- Squeeze just enough to cover the ear mites canal.
- Hold the vial in your weight without touching your dog’s ear mites with the tip of the vial. If you do touch, disinfect the vial afterwards.
- While continuing to hold the ear up, gently massage the base of the ear for 30 seconds.
- This will allow the cleaning solution to dissolve the debris in the ear canal.
- Gradually wipe away the protruding dirty liquid with a cotton.
- Allow your dog to shake his head to allow the remaining solution and dirt to drain out.
- Grab the dog’s ear again and wipe the inside thoroughly with a clean cloth or cotton pad.
- To clean the ear canal, use nothing but a cotton ball and your own finger.
- Encourage your dog and proceed to the second ear.
Never use a cotton-tipped applicator (Q-tip®) to remove the solution from the ear canal. Doing so can damage the ear canal and/or ear drum or push debris further into the ear canal.
VCA Animal Hospitals
To ensure proper and safe clean German Shepherd ears, it is necessary to purchase the appropriate equipment:
- cotton ball (cotton ball will help to remove dirt easily, cotton balls can also help in the distribution of cleaning agents);
- ear cleaning solution (the ear cleaning solution will help soften ear wax and remove ear mites, thereby protecting the dog from ear infections.
- Ear cleaning solution can be used for preventive purposes, but before that, consult with vet;
- hydrogen peroxide;
- vet clamp (hemastatic).
The main options for cleaning the ears at home
Wrap a bandage around your finger, moisten it in ear cleaning fluid, wipe the inside of the auricle and, as far as possible, the German Shepherd ears.
Or drop (the number of drops according to the instructions for the product, based on the weight of the animal) a hygienic lotion into the ear, massage and let the clean your dog’s ears shake out the liquid that got into the dog’s ears, wipe the auricle with a napkin or bandage.
When processing the dog’s ears with your finger, you need to be extremely careful not to hurt your pet.
Wet a cotton ball or disc in ear cleaning liquid, squeeze out the excess, put it in the auricle and massage a little. Remove the dirty cotton pad and wipe dry.
Dogs, as a rule, do not resist such manipulations, but purificati
What Is Required to Clean the Ears of a German Shepherd
In most cases, ear problems cleaning lotions are used. The lotion bottle is equipped with a narrow cone-shaped spout, which is inserted into the ear to pour the solution abundantly inside with a few drops.
After the nose is pulled out, the other ear are clamped and a massage is performed with rotational movements for 10-15 seconds.
After that, the German Shepherds can be released so that she starts shaking her head, and all the dirt will thus pour out along with the lotion. At the end of the procedure, it is necessary to remove the remaining lotion and dirt with a cotton swabs pad from the outside of the ear canal without penetrating deep.
If the German Shepherd dog has otitis media or other diseases, the veterinary dermatologist gives his recommendations and prescribes medications.
Sometimes it’s easier to see than to read, so watch this video:
What can I use to clean my dog’s ears at home?
Articles often flash on the web that if there are no special hygienic lotions, you can use hydrogen peroxide to clean your ear infections – this is not the case.
The floppy eared german shepherds dog’s ears should not be sterile, in addition, if there are any wounds or cuts, the pet will simply be hurt.
After such a procedure, the dog will never again allow hygienic treatment to be carried out calmly, as he will be afraid that he will be tortured again.
In extreme cases, instead of a special lotion, you can use green tea. The leaves or a bag are brewed to the condition “for drinking”, cooled to room temperature, and without adding sugar, they are used instead of a cleansing liquid.
Green tea has mild disinfecting and softening effects and is a worthy competitor to the drugs from the pharmacy.
How to clean your dog’s ears with chlorhexidine
The scheme of cleansing the auricle and ear with chlorhexidine is identical with specialized means. With only one “but” – chlorhexidine is diluted with water, in a ratio of 1:1.
Cleansing with undiluted antiseptic leads to drying of the skin of the auricle, subsequently to wounds, cracks – painful sensations.
How often do German Shepherds need their ears cleaned?
The inner part of the dog’s ear needs to be examined regularly – 2-3 times a week, this rule is especially important for lop–eared breeds. In normal condition, the auricle has a pale pink color (in animals of black color it may be darker).
A natural thin film of sebum and ear cleaner wax is acceptable, having a grayish-yellowish tint – in this state of the healthy dogs ears, cleaning can be postponed for several days.
But if dirt is clearly visible in the auricle, the ear canal is also heavily polluted – it is necessary to start cleaning immediately to avoid problems with the dog hearing.
How often can I clean my dog’s ears
There is no clear answer to the question of how often you need to clean the gsd ears, it all depends on the conditions of detention, breed.
Animals living in typical buildings, walking exclusively in clean parks or paved paths need the procedure much less often than their working counterparts.
Clean your dog’s ears, poorly ventilated, need to clean the auricles more often than dogs with standing sense organs. Inspection of the ear should be weekly for all breeds, but cleaning is approximate: Once every two weeks for breeds with erect ears. What to do if your ears don’t stand up? Cropping ears or waiting?
The data are approximate and given for familiarization with the norm. Hygienic procedures vary depending on the age and conditions of detention:
Sulfur is released more slowly in young dogs than in older ones.
Dogs that are often outdoors need cleaning more often than apartment individuals.
How to recognize ear diseases
A short reference about ear diseases in dogs, which should alert the vigilant owner:
A sharp smell from the dog’s ear canal – most often indicates otitis media.
The presence of flakes and scabs of dark brown color, very rapid contamination of the auricle is a sign of otodectosis.
Redness, rash, itching are grounds to assume allergies or even eczema.
Any of these symptoms is a direct indication to take the dog to the vet. Before visiting the vet, it is better to postpone ear cleaning so that the specialist sees the full picture of the disease.
How to Clean German Shepherd Ears: Schedule
Here’s a sample schedule on how to get your dog used to getting his ears cleaned. The countdown of the calendar starts from the day you purchased a growing puppy, or after about three weeks of age when the puppy’s ears have confidently unfold.
Eyes are open at approximately 12 days, and ears are patent at approximately 12–20 days.
Biology and Diseases of Dogs
Cleaning your dog’s ears as a daily routine
| Period of time | Frequency | Action |
| first two weeks | every day | gently touch your puppy’s ears to build trust |
| third to fourth week | every other day | massage puppy’s ears to form a habit |
| second month | every three days | inspect your dog’s ears, laying out cleaning supplies but not applying them |
| third month | every five days | wipe and treat your puppy’s outer ear |
| fourth month | once a month | do a proper ear cleaning for your puppy, for the first time do it under the vet’s watch |
| regularly | every other week | wipe and treat your dog’s outer ear |
| regularly | once other month | do a proper ear cleaning for your dog |
Oh yes, there is a lot of activity with a puppy at first. You have a dog to raise, so you have a lot of work to do:
Interesting facts
- Ear mites are one of the most common causes of ear pollution. Ear mites can cause hearing loss. Also, ear mites can cause ear problems with the work of the brain.
- To clean the ear for prevention, just gently wipe.
- The cleansing solution can be used for prevention. It can be applied with cotton balls.
- The ears of other dog need to be cleaned as well as the ears of German Shepherds, the only difference is the type of GSD’s ears.
- It is better to choose a means for cleaner together with a specialist.
- The ear cleaner should not contain foul odor, as this can harm the dog sense of smell.
- The cleaning process is often an unpleasant moment for the dog, we advise you to teach the dog to ear procedures from childhood.
Should I clean my German Shepherds ears?
Hygiene is important for any dog, but for German Shepherds, ear cleaning solution is especially important. The large, upright ears of Shepherds collect a lot of dust and dirt, so they need to be cleaned and inspected quite often.
How often should you clean German Shepherds ears?
A healthy dog needs ear cleaning solutions about once a month, but to keep your German Shepherd dog in the habit, check his ears regularly about once a week. If his ears need cleaning more than once a month, that’s a reason to see your vet.
Conclusion
Do not forget to clean the ears of your pets, because then the German Shepherd’s may have ear infections. Ear infections are very dangerous, they can cause serious diseases. Ear infections can also lead to hearing loss.
We hope that our article has answered all the q tips.
