I noticed my Cocker Spaniel was having a good scratch of one of his ears the other day and it sounded squelchy. He’s had problems with his ears over the years and this is a sign that he’s about to get an infection.
Regularly cleaning your Cocker Spaniels ears can help keep them free from infection and nasty smells and because of the size of a Cocker Spaniels ears, infections and smells are very common.
So how do you keep a Cocker Spaniels ears clean? You need to regularly clean them using an ear solution or drops. Just warm water may not be good enough. Put the drops in and gently massage your Cockers ear. Next use cotton wool to wipe away excess wax and the ear solution you just put in.
Be Prepared
Now you don’t want to just randomly decide you’re going to clean your dogs ears and not have the essentials ready at hand.
You have to be prepared, not only to make sure you do a thorough job but also for the comfort of you Cocker.
Here is a list of some of the things you need to have on hand to clean you dogs ears properly.
- Cotton Wool (cotton balls are fine)
- Ear Cleaning Solution
- A Bowl or Small Dish
- Towel or Two
- Blunt Ended Scissors
- Blunt Tweezers
It’s essential that you use proper ear cleaning solution specifically designed for dogs. If you use anything that is designed for humans, the chances are that it will irritate your dog and do way more harm than good.
There’s plenty of good ear cleaners for dogs on the market. I’ve selected the most popular ones here on Amazon that you can have a quick look through.
If you are ever unsure then visit your local pet store or even your vets and seek advice and reassurance.
Cleaning Your Cocker Spaniels Ears
First things first, you need to wash your hands…..oh come on!!!! You knew I was gonna say that, right?
In all seriousness, you must wash your hands before starting. Cockers and other breeds of Spaniel are notorious for having problems with bad ears and infections.
Cleaning your hands thoroughly before starting decreases the chances of your passing anything types of bacteria or germs onto your dog’s ears….makes sense doesn’t it.
A clean Cocker Spaniel ear will appear pink and fresh looking. Usually, there will be no wax although a little is perfectly fine. You shouldn’t really notice any odor other than your dog’s usual individual smell.
Top Tip: Clean your dog’s ears regularly. Check them once every week and even if they look perfectly clean, still give them the once over. This will greatly reduce the chances of any infection.
Using The Ear Cleaning Solution
Hopefully, you have bought some genuine dog ear cleaning solutions. If so, it’s time to put it to good use.
You need to squeeze a few drops of the cleaning solution into your Cocker’s ear and gently rub / massage as close to the base of the dog’s ear as you can. This will help the solution soak into the ear easier.
You don’t really need to rub for any longer than 2 minutes although I bet your Cocker will let you go on for a lot longer as long you didn’t stop.
Be warned, as soon as you do stop your boy will shake his ears from side to side. Although you will think all the solution you put in has just been shaken out, don’t worry, there ill still be enough to get the cleaning done.
That’s how you clean inside a Cocker Spaniels ear. Do not be tempted to use cotton buds t clean deep inside as not only could you push wax back into his ear canal, you could seriously damage his eardrum.
A few drops of cleaning solution and some gentle rubbing is all you need to clean deep inside your Cocker Spaniels ears.
Cleaning Inside And Around The Ear Canal
Now we are going to talk about cleaning the inside of your dogs ear. We have already covered how to clean deep inside your dog’s ear, here we are talking about lifting your dog’s ear up so you can see the inside and around the canal.
We are not going inside the canal, we have already done that, remember.
Now you want to grab your bowl or small dish and add a few drops of your recently bought ear cleaning solution.
Take a small piece of cotton wool or a cotton ball and dip it into the solution. Be sure to squeeze out any excess solution before starting to clean your dog’s ear.
By gently rubbing the inside of your dog’s ear with the cotton wool, it will remove any dirt, was and leftover solution from the first round of ear cleaning you just did.
Always start around the ear canal and work your way to the outer part of the ear. If you come across any stubborn dirt or as be sure to spend some extra time in that area.
In theory, if you are regularly cleaning your Cockers ears there shouldn’t really be any serious build-ups of dirt or was unless there is some sort of infection.
Grab another piece of cotton wool, again dipping it in the solution and clean in the folds and crease of the ear…This shouldn’t take long at all and these parts of the ear shouldn’t really be that dirty anyway.
Drying The Ears
The worst thing you can do is leave your Cocker Spaniels ears to dry naturally. A warm damp place is the perfect breeding ground for nasty bacteria so be sure to grab the towels I said you needed earlier and give your boys ears a good old rub.
Be sure that all the cleaning solution has been removed. You will be able to tell if there’s still a little bit of the solution leftover in the ear.
Trimming Your Cockers Ears
Keeping the hair in and around the ear canal trimmed nice and short has a few benefits, most notably, it will keep them aired off better.
The less hair and more airflow keep moisture out meaning less chance of infection.
Other Things To Look Out For
You should always be on the lookout for infections or ear mite infestation. Another thing to look out for, especially in the summer and depending on where you live in the world, is grass seeds.
Grass seeds can easily be picked up by the ears and then find their way into the dog’s ear canal…..excessive ear shaking is a sure sign that there’s something amiss.
If you regularly clean your Cocker Spaniels ears and use a proper ear cleaning solution, you will be pleasantly surprised to find the reputation that Cocker Spaniels and ear problems go hand in hand isn’t always the case.
CockerSpanielWorld.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
