[Wolvenmoon]

So, I have a very busy puppy with very big ears and a very big digging habit.

Long story short is he packs dirt into those ears and has gotten infected once, we've since resorted to cleaning out his ears daily.

This puppy, who is a german shepherd that will grow to be 80 pounds at least, REALLY doesn't like that. I'm often the only human home when I have to wipe out his ears. It's turning into a wrestling match, and while I can restrain him ( somewhat ) now, it's not good for him at all.

I need to know how to restrain the dog to clean his ears, and turn it into a neutral or positive experience.

Also, just to make sure, what I've been told to do to clean them - after using off the shelf ear wipes, is squirt a bit of ear cleaner into his ear and let him shake it out. Is this correct?

This dog is being trained to be a publicly accessing service dog, so he absolutely must allow people to handle him and cannot be defensive about his ears, and I'm afraid that's just what these wrestling matches are doing. I've never had a dog so adamant about struggling to avoid handling his ears.

Forgive the poorly formatted / worded post, the pickle-juice-smell from the ear cleaner he splashed on me is distracting. I'm going to go take a shower.

[TxRider]

I can tell you what I did, a 3 yr old rescue with painful infected ears.

I grilled up a nice big pork loin, cut it into tiny little pieces a handful at a time...

And I touched her ear, and if she let me she got a piece, over and over and over...

Next day a little longer touch, over and over...

Next day hold the ear a little, and treat for letting me, over and over and over..

And that went on and on until I could eventually handle them and put drops in them and clean them.

And I flush them with vinegar/water twice a month to this day, and she still gets a jackpot of tasty treats when I'm done.

Now after the ear flush, which she still hates, but allows without holding her down, I wrap a little toilet paper around my little finger, and she pushes her ear onto my finger to clean it out.

[Wolvenmoon]

Okay.

So treats for exposure, but it is important that we keep his ears clean in the meantime.

I'll see if we have any meats that I can use when we clean again tomorrow.

[TxRider]

I'm sure there are other ways, but that's the fastest one I could think of at the time.

I had just brought her home from rescue, and her ears were badly infected, and I need fastest results possible as she is a 70lb GSD and I could not physically hold her with one arm to give drops or flush with the other arm.

I would think if you looked at some material from service dog trainers you might get a few more methods.

[Graco22]

First off, I would toss the "squirt into the ear then shake" method. Its ineffective, and how would you react if every day someone poured liquid in your ear? All you need to do to effectively clean his ears is put some cleaner on a cottonball, and wipe the ear out. Only go down in the ear canal as far as you can fit your fingers and cottonball, and don't soak the cottonball so much that its still running down in his ears. Once he realizes that you are no longer pouring it in his ear, it won't be nearly so bad an experience, and he will improve. In the meantime, if he isnt' too big already, put him up on a table, washing machine, etc...Tell him to sit, and do it there. Putting them "up" changes their outlook, and makes them easier to keep under control. You can also tether him to a wall stud in the garage, etc. if you are alone and don't have someone to help hold his collar.

[Wolvenmoon]

I'm using ear cleaning wipes AND the squirt in the ear then shake method, but I'll drop the squirts until I consult with my vet again. It isn't nearly as sudden as I make it sound in text.


The only object I can think of that I'd put him up on - at the vet's we had to keep him from sliding off the table, he tends to slide around even with his nails trimmed back - is an ottoman we have. ( I think that's the piece of furniture )

What's the general idea of putting him up off the ground, how does it effect him / change his perception?

[Graco22]

Originally Posted by Wolvenmoon

I'm using ear cleaning wipes AND the squirt in the ear then shake method, but I'll drop the squirts until I consult with my vet again. It isn't nearly as sudden as I make it sound in text.


The only object I can think of that I'd put him up on - at the vet's we had to keep him from sliding off the table, he tends to slide around even with his nails trimmed back - is an ottoman we have. ( I think that's the piece of furniture )

What's the general idea of putting him up off the ground, how does it effect him / change his perception?

I didn't mean to imply that you were being "crazy" about squirting the cleaner in his ears. But its just a natural reaction for an animal to be very against having any liquid put in the ear canals..hence the reason they shake it out. It goes against all "instincts" to stay safe when they "allow" liquid to be put down in the ear...does that make sense? Unless you are using a medication, there is no need to put ear cleaner down in the ear like that, though many vets still recommend it..its old school, and WILL make problem dogs for ear cleanings, as you are seeing. There are other ways to get the ears clean without the struggle IMO. (such as a wet cottonball)

As far as putting them up off the ground. When a pet is on the floor, that is their domain. That is where they get love, attention, playtime, etc. So when you are trying to achieve something they don't want to do, in that area, it can be confusing for the dog, and is much harder to keep the dog in place. When they are put up off the ground, it is easier for the animal to differentiate "play/love" time with "business" time. Just like when you are trying to brush a dog on your lap..rarely works well, and its hard to be efficient with a wiggly dog wanting love, not brushing, on your lap. Obviously, it is much easier to do with a small dog than a large dog, and I wouldn't expect you to have to purchase a grooming table just to clean his ears, nor should you have to. You can try the ottoman..though not ideal, it may be enough to change his outlook just enough, combined with just wiping out his ears, may very well work out. But, of course, he could also just jump easily down, and without someone to hold him, probably won't be very effective.

I would definitely follow up with the vet. A healthy dog with no ear infection should not need daily ear cleanings, no matter how much dirt he gets into. Once every few days should be sufficient. Is it possible that there is still yeast/bacteria down in the ear canal causing the brown "crud" that you see, rather than actual dirt?

[Wolvenmoon]

At this point I'm not sure, we'll go to the vet again and see if there's been any change.

He digs. We have an area of the yard that is tilled and easy to dig in, apparently the grubs are delicious. I keep windows open so I can hear if he barks and makes a nuisance of himself and go up and check on him, but I am a student and I have to do schoolwork, so I let him play in the back yard where I can hear him when I need to study.

Unfortunately digging doesn't make much noise, and when I go to check on him often I only see his butt and back legs, the rest of him is underground. At least it's in the not-yet-planted garden area, where it'll be easy to fill in and till up next spring. LOL

[Purplex15]

Graco had a lot of good advice.

I also was taught the squirt cleaner in ear method, and tossed that idea real quik when i realized how many dogs hated it, and how unnecessry it seemed. I also recommend cotton over any other material to clean with, b/c it is not as harsh, and still cleans effectively.

I agree also with graco about geting the dog up off the floor to do this. The ottoman may work, but i would try and find some sort of table, thats sturdy, like a picnic table or something like that. it may be best to have someone holding the dog on the table at first so he gets the idea that hes not suppossed to jump off.

I have also never heard of dirt causing an ear infection. I have seen dogs with filthy dirty ears, but there was never infection. There is probably something else causing the ear infections, if they are chronic. As far as the digging goes, i learned with my old puppy that if a pup is being quiet outside, it means they got into something. if the digging is creating that big of a problem, then i would recommend not leaving the dog unattended outside for a little while. I would try and have him ignore you, so that when he starts to dig of his own accord, you can try and redirect him to a toy or something.

[Wolvenmoon]

It's 3/4ths an acre and I'm in an online class, so I have to be careful.

It appears that only ONE ear is infected.

When we last went to the vet, his words were "dirt packed in".

The digging has become less of an issue since we poisoned the yard ( and thusly the grubs ), we're going to take him to the vet along with another dog who has started rubbing her muzzle up against hard objects - indicating to me that she has a toothache. ( She is HIGHLY food motivated and we made the mistake of giving her a knuckle bone once. It took her all of 6 hours to have it reduced to shavings, and her fangs worn way down )

I'm glad I didn't spend any of this month's paycheck yet, as this is likely going to eat my entire account up. *Sigh*

So, pet insurance, any good ones? I need two dogs insured ( Service dog and her successor ), preferably for <80 dollars a month.

[EXBCMC]

OUR ONE LAB HAS AN EAR INFECTION NOW. sorry, i was yelling. anyway, the vet has us washing the ear every other day w/a cotton ball and the flood and shake the head method. she also gave us an antibiotic, a thick, yellow goo you shoot down the dog's ear w/a syringe. there has got to be a better method. the thick goo is a mess to fill into the syringe. yuck. seems to be working, the poor dogs ears stunk to high heaven, now, fresh and clean. we finally place a fence around the pool. hopefully no more ear infections and no more drying dogs off late at night to come into the house.

[MafiaPrincess]

Cider is just getting over her second ear infection ever. If one is daily cleaning due to dirt or for the heck of it.. I'm sure liquid in the ear is unpleasant..

If one is trying to treat an issue.. a cotton ball isn't going to cut it if there is debris in there. Vet took a sample. Got a giant chunk of nasty on a swab. If I wasn't putting enough ear wash in to cause sloshing.. the debris wouldn't be flying out. She managed to dislodge a inch long gross piece tonight.. I couldn't see it before I sloshed her ear out.

Every ear med I've ever gotten came in a bottle with an elongated tip. Few drops in, no mess..

[Wolvenmoon]

Yikes.

We still have some antibiotic left and upon parental urging I've been putting it in the infected ear. He was not cooperative at all when I tried to clean his ear today, and it's like the dirt I cleaned out yesterday was all back in. His other ear was clean as a dog's ear gets.

Even for just 3 1/2 days, one person taking care of five dogs is a HUGE amount of work, and I usually handle their food and water! Whew.

[Dog_Shrink]

Ok here's a stupid idea but have you considered packing cotton balls into his ears before you let him out to play unsupervised??? Or maybe putting a snood over his head to keep his ears covered? You can also do something similar with a cut knee high stocking. Personally I use the soak and shake method with my lab once a week but he is very tolerent of it and sits well. earoxide is really good if you're doing daily cleansings and he doesn't mind the 5 minute ear rub after he gets the solution in his ears. it's almost his treat for tolerating me putting the fluid in his ears to begin with. 3 or 4 good shakes later and it's all done. He hasn't had an infection in god knows how long.. at least a year.