Products in this guide
You have lifted the ear flap, caught a whiff of something, and now you are standing in the bathroom wondering whether the bottle in your hand is the right one, or whether you should be putting anything in there at all.
For a healthy ear the answer is simple. Routine cleaning means a purpose-made dog ear cleaner, cotton pads, and a few minutes a fortnight. It does not mean cotton buds, human products, or anything with a nozzle pushed into the canal. This guide covers what to use, how to do it, how often, and the point at which cleaning stops being your job and becomes the vet's.
What should I clean my dog's ears with?
Clean a healthy dog's ears with a liquid ear cleaner made for dogs, applied to cotton pads or gauze, and nothing else. A dog ear cleaner does three jobs a wet cloth cannot: it dissolves wax so it lifts away rather than smearing, it neutralises the odour that wax and moisture produce, and it dries quickly so the canal is not left damp afterwards. Water alone does the opposite on all three counts, and it is the reason a dog who swims or gets bathed carelessly ends up with ears that smell.
Two things matter in the bottle. The first is that it is non-greasy and fast-drying, because residue left in the canal holds moisture and dirt. The second is the base. Most routine cleaners are water-based with soothing extracts, the ones for a dog whose ears are simply a bit waxy. A few are alcohol-based, which dries the canal hard and fast but stings skin that is already inflamed. That is a specification, not a fault, and it decides which bottle suits which dog.
A fast-drying, non-greasy cleaner that removes excess wax and secretions and neutralises odour, with D-Panthenol and essential oils of mint and chamomile to soothe and hydrate. Labelled for weekly use on dogs and cats of all breeds. Moisten cotton or gauze and clean the area you can see. 500ml.
A non-oily lotion for routine cleaning and drying, made in Australia and labelled for long or lop-eared dogs in particular. It dissolves wax and debris without staining or discolouring the hair around the ear, and the small bottle suits a household with one dog. Suitable for puppies and cats too.
Why do my dog's ears get dirty in the first place?
A dog's ears get dirty because the canal is L-shaped, warm and lined with wax-producing glands, and on most pets it is covered by a flap that keeps air out. Wax is normal, and a small amount of pale brown wax in a healthy ear is doing its job of trapping dirt and moving it outward. The problem starts when moisture is added. Swimming, bathing, a wet walk or a humid week leaves the canal damp under the flap, the wax softens and builds, and the mixture starts to smell.
Breed decides how much of a job this is. A dog with upright ears, such as a Kelpie or a German Shepherd, ventilates its own canals and may go months without needing anything. A dog with heavy pendant ears, such as a Cocker Spaniel, a Golden Retriever or a Labrador, holds the flap flat against the opening all day. A dog with hair growing inside the canal, which covers most oodles, Poodles, Schnauzers and Maltese, adds a felt of hair that traps wax against the skin. Those are the dogs where a fortnightly clean earns its keep.
| Ear type | Breeds | Routine clean |
|---|---|---|
| Upright, short hair | Kelpie, German Shepherd, Staffy | Check monthly, clean only if waxy |
| Pendant, smooth | Labrador, Beagle, Dachshund | Every 2–4 weeks, and after swimming |
| Pendant, feathered | Cocker Spaniel, Springer, Golden Retriever | Every 1–2 weeks, and after swimming |
| Hair inside the canal | Cavoodle, Poodle, Schnauzer, Maltese | Every 1–2 weeks, hair managed at the groom |
How do I actually clean my dog's ears at home?
Wet a cotton pad with cleaner, wipe the parts of the ear you can see, and stop there. That is the whole technique for a healthy ear, and the reason it works is that you never put anything into the canal you cannot see the end of.
Step by step
- Sit the dog side-on to you somewhere with good light. A bench with a non-slip mat is easier than the floor, because the dog cannot back away.
- Fold the ear flap back over the head so the inside of the flap and the opening of the canal are facing you.
- Moisten a cotton pad or a piece of gauze with the cleaner. Damp, not dripping.
- Wipe the inside of the flap first, working from the edges toward the opening. Change pads as they load up.
- Wipe the folds and ridges around the opening of the canal with a fresh pad. Follow the contours with your fingertip under the pad. Do not push into the canal.
- Let the dog shake. This is not a step you can skip, and it is why you do this in the bathroom or outside. The shake brings loosened wax up out of the canal where you can wipe it away.
- Wipe once more, dry, then do the other ear.
Cotton pads rather than cotton buds, every time. A bud pushes wax deeper and packs it against the eardrum, and one flinch from the dog can do real damage. Pads and gauze only reach as far as your finger does, which is exactly as far as you should go.
A hypoallergenic, sulphate-free, low-foaming face shampoo with no fragrance and a no-tear formula, built on native Australian Blue Cypress extracts and Panthenol. It doubles as a gentle ear cleaner on bath day: work a little into the outer ear and flap while the face is lathered, then rinse well and dry the ear thoroughly.
Cleaning ears on bath day
Bath day is when most ear trouble starts, so keep the ears dry and clean them last. Wash the face and outer ear with a face shampoo, rinse with the flap folded down over the opening so water runs off rather than in, and towel the flap dry immediately. Once the dog is fully dry, a wipe with cleaner removes anything that did get in.
Large plant-based wipes, pH balanced for pets at 6.5 to 7.5 and free from alcohol and sulphates, with colloidal oatmeal, aloe vera and jojoba. For the outside of the ear flap and the hair around it between cleans, not for the canal. Australian made, 120 to a pack.
How often should I clean my dog's ears?
Clean a healthy dog's ears only as often as they need it, which for most pets is every two to four weeks, weekly for a heavy-eared or hairy-eared dog, and after every swim. Over-cleaning is a real problem. Each clean strips the protective wax and leaves the canal slightly damp, so cleaning a dry, odour-free ear every second day irritates skin that was fine and invites the very trouble you were trying to prevent.
The check is quicker than the clean. Once a week, fold the flap back, look and smell. Pale skin, a little pale wax, no smell: leave it alone. Visible brown wax, a musty smell, or a dog that has been in the water: clean it. Anything beyond that belongs in the next section.
When is it a vet problem and not a cleaning problem?
Stop cleaning and book the vet the moment an ear is red, swollen, hot, painful, weeping, bleeding, or carries a strong smell, or if the dog is shaking its head and scratching at the ear repeatedly. Those are signs of an ear that is inflamed or infected, and no cleaner sold for routine hygiene is a treatment for that. Cleaning an inflamed ear stings, spreads whatever is in there, and delays the appointment that will actually fix it.
A dog that tilts its head or seems unsteady is a same-day visit. In every one of these cases the products on this page are for afterwards, once the vet has cleared the ear, to keep it that way.
Lisa Leady K-9 Miracle Ear Elixir 8oz
An alcohol-based drying cleaner built on gentian violet, boric acid and essential oils, labelled for maintenance cleaning in healthy ears and for drying the ear after swimming. It comes with an applicator syringe. Two honest constraints: it can stain coat and towels, and the alcohol means it is for healthy skin, not sore skin. Dogs only.
What about the hair inside my dog's ears?
Hair growing inside the canal is a grooming matter, not a cleaning one, and on most pet dogs it is best left to the groomer. Oodles, Poodles, Schnauzers, Maltese and Shih Tzus grow a plug of hair in the canal that holds wax and blocks air. Whether to remove it, and how much, is a judgement call that varies dog to dog: a canal that has always been plucked clean and stays healthy is usually kept that way, and a canal that has never been touched and is fine is usually left alone, because plucking irritates the follicles and can start the problem it was meant to prevent.
If your groomer does manage ear hair, an ear powder is what makes it possible. It dries the canal and gives the fingers or forceps grip on fine hair that would otherwise slip. The same powder, used lightly, keeps a floppy, damp-prone ear drier between cleans.
A traditional iodoform, zinc oxide and boric acid ear powder that dries the canal, helps with odour and makes excess ear hair easier to grip and remove. A pinch is dusted around the inner ear and worked in from the outside. Use it as the label directs, and see your vet if the ear is sore rather than simply damp.
More in grooming aids and cleaning, care and maintenance, and the wider everyday coat care range.
Notes for professional groomers
Ears are the first thing an owner smells when the dog gets home, so they are worth doing properly and worth explaining. Check both ears at intake and note anything red, hot or weeping on the card before the dog goes near water, because an inflamed ear that gets bathed will be blamed on the bath. Clean after the dry, not before the bath, so the cleaner is the last thing in the canal and the ear goes home dry. Hydra Groomers Ear Cleaner in the 500ml suits a salon that cleans every dog, with the cotton in the same tray so it happens by habit. Keep ear hair removal to dogs whose canals are already maintained that way or whose owners have asked for it, powder first, forceps only on hair you can see, and write on the card what you did so the next groomer keeps it consistent. Where an ear is beyond hygiene, the card says vet, and it says why.
Common questions
Can I use baby wipes or a damp cloth to clean my dog's ears?
Not inside the ear. A damp cloth adds moisture without dissolving wax, and baby wipes are balanced to human skin pH and often carry alcohol or fragrance. A pet-pH wipe is fine for the outside of the flap between cleans, but the canal opening needs a proper ear cleaner on cotton, then a dry wipe, so it is left drier than you found it.
Can I clean my puppy's ears with these products?
Yes, with a cleaner labelled for puppies, and the sooner you start the easier it stays. Handling a puppy's ears weekly, even just folding the flap back and wiping with a damp pad, builds the habit before there is any wax to deal with. Skip alcohol-based cleaners on a puppy, keep sessions short, and reward at the end.
My dog swims most days. How do I keep the ears from smelling?
Dry them every time and clean them a couple of times a week. Towel the flap dry as soon as the dog is out of the water, fold it back so air reaches the opening, and use a fast-drying cleaner on cotton after the swim rather than before it. A dog that swims daily with pendant ears is the one case where a drying cleaner pays its way.
Why does my dog hate having its ears cleaned?
Either the ear hurts, or the routine has been rushed and cold. Rule out the first by looking: redness, heat or smell means a vet visit, not a cleaning session. If the ear is healthy, warm the bottle in your hand, stop pushing into the canal, sit the dog on a mat at bench height, and keep the first few sessions to one wipe and a treat.
How do I know if it is wax or an infection?
Wax is pale to mid brown, slightly greasy, mild in smell and comes away on the pad, and the skin underneath is pale pink. An infection is different in kind: the skin is red or swollen, the ear is hot or painful to touch, the discharge is dark, yellow or wet, and the smell is strong. Any one of those signs is a vet job, not a cleaning job.
What to do this week
Fold each ear back tonight and look before you buy anything. Pale skin, little wax, no smell: leave it and check again next week. Brown wax and a musty smell on a healthy-looking ear: clean it with a dog ear cleaner on cotton and dry it, then put a fortnightly reminder in your phone. Red, hot, wet or sore: put the cleaner down and book the vet.