Golden Retrievers are very energetic and playful dogs. Because they love to swim and roll around on the ground, they may end up trapping dirt, dust and other irritants in their ears.
Because of this, it is important that you inspect and clean your Golden Retriever’s ears on a regular basis to prevent the development of ear infections, which could be irritating and painful to your poor dog.
Let’s take a look at the proper procedures on ear inspection and how to clean Golden Retriever ears.
Why Golden Retriever Ears are Prone to Infection
As we have mentioned earlier, Golden Retrievers love nothing more than to play and act silly. You may notice them zooming across a field and then plop down on the grass or ground, rolling to and fro and getting their coats dirty. If you take them to nearby dog pools or lakes/rivers, they may even jump into the water and swim to their heart’s content.
Unfortunately, the anatomy of Golden ears makes it susceptible to ear infection. For one, unlike other medium- or large-sized dog breeds, Golden Retrievers have ears that are flapping down. Whatever dirt or water that goes through their ears ends up getting trapped easily.
In addition, Goldens have a deep L-shaped ear canal. If you don’t clean their ears as part of their regular grooming, ear wax and dirt tend to accumulate in the deepest part of the canal. Ear wax is moist, making it an excellent breeding ground for bacteria, thus leading to infection.
When Cleaning Your Golden Retriever’s Ears Might Be Necessary
You need to consider cleaning your Golden Retriever’s ears if it begins to exhibit the following signs and behaviors:
- Frequent head shaking
- Frequent scratching or rubbing of one or both ears with its paws. In some cases, your dog may drop down and rub its ear/s on the floor or carpet.
- Your dog whines or cries when you touch their ear/s (Ears are sensitive or painful)
- Foul smell coming from the ears
- Redness, swelling, or lumps/growths outside or inside the ear
- Ear/s warm or hot to touch. In some cases, your dog may be feverish
- Presence of crusting or scabbing in the ear/s
- Presence of a yellow or brownish-black ear discharge
Getting Your Dog Used to Ear Inspection and Cleaning
As early as a puppy, you should already get your Golden Retriever used to regular ear inspection and cleaning. While it is preferable to get your dog used to your touch and the cleaning tools that you will be using as a puppy, you can still teach them even when they are adults through positive reinforcement and treats.
Here’s how you do it:
1) Teach your dog to sit and/or lie down beside you. Give it a treat when it obeys.
2) Begin gently touching or caressing its ears, exploring in and out. If your dog pulls away, tell it to sit or lie down and give it reassuring noises. If it obeys, give it another treat.
3) Introduce items that you will be using for ear cleaning one by one (Ex. Cotton balls, scissors or trimmer). Touch these items to your dog’s ear to show them that it won’t hurt.
4) In the following days, use these items on their ears one at a time. In the case of trimmers, you can keep them switched on so that your dog will get used to the buzzing noise and vibrations.
5) Always reward your dog with treats if it remains calm throughout the procedure.
How to Clean Your Golden Retriever’s Ears
Let us now go through the procedure of cleaning your Golden Retriever’s ears:
1) Start by inspecting your dog’s ears for any redness, foul smell, or discharge.
2) Only use vet-approved cleaning or ear flushing solutions. Do not use alcohol, vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. Also, do not use cotton buds or Q-Tips as these will only push dirt, ear wax, and bacteria deeper into the ear canal.
3) Trim away any excess hairs. Clean the outside of the ear flap first with a moist towel. Gently wipe away any dirt, crusts, or scabs that are sticking to the skin and hairs.
4) Next, lift the ear flap and, with your moist towel, clean the outer edges.
5) Squirt cleaning solution into the ear. Be careful not to let the bottle’s nozzle touch the ear to prevent contamination with bacteria.
6) Gently massage the base of your dog’s ear for 30 seconds so that the cleaning solution can dissolve ear wax, dirt, and debris inside the ear canal.
7) After 30 seconds, let your dog shake its head to remove the dirty cleaning solution and other debris from its ear.
8) Wipe off the ear and ear canal with a cotton ball.
9) Do the same with the other ear.
After cleaning your dog’s ears, make it a point to reward him with treats. Ideally, ear cleaning should be done once a week or whenever your dog gets its body or ears dirty after play. Do not clean your dog’s ears frequently as removal of too much protective ear wax may lead to irritation.
If your dog is showing signs of ear infection and you are afraid to cause it pain, it would be best to leave the ear cleaning to a vet, who may also prescribe antibiotics.
Just follow these procedures on how to clean your Golden Retriever’s ears and you are sure to keep your dog free from ear infections.
