Hi, can anyone give me some tips on how to "easily" remove hair from inside the ear. I am trying to help the groomer by doing a little bit between the 7 weeks grooming sessions. When I can get hold of the hair I find it easy to remove it with my fingers but I just can't seem to get him to hold still and he just wants to run off. Oh, he is a mini schnauzer by the way. Thanks

It's just a matter of time. I pull the hair from my poodles ears weekly so they get used to it. So if you do a weekly routine then your dog should get used to it. Also try uing a little bit of unperfumned talc to help with the hair pulling.

Jesse

Try putting him on a table like the groomer does, or tie his lead to a door handle, with you sitting on the floor, so that you have 2 hands to work with.

Is it usual practice to remove hair from the ears of some dogs?? If so why?
In our breed, in the USofA it IS expected to remove hair, however here in the UK it is not done.


Dawn

Its done for health reasons. When the long coat was selected for breeding from this meant that the long hair grew everywhere including in the ears. If left they can clog up the ear canel in one hard lump and can cause bacteria etc to grow in the ear causing infcetions. Keeping the hair removed helps prevent these problems particularly drop eared dogs like my poodles! lol

Jesse

Its not simply long coat that leads to it, certain breeds need it and not others, my Dandie needs hers plucked regularly but my cocker's ears are hairless in the channel, infact you can see right through to the other side :D

It's the hair from the actual ear canal that is plucked out, not from the ear flap....
:)

Beardies have it done, if you start with just a little bit and build up over time they don't mind, at least mine don't. I bought some Thornit recently and found a pinch of that helped me get a grip
Anne

Poodlebabe, before your dog got used to it, did you have to be quite firm with the one hand holding the dogs head. Perhaps I am not being firm enough because he seems to wriggle out from my one hand. I certainly will try the lead technique that will stop some of the wriggling I am sure.

Hi, On another list (for pro-groomers) this question came up recently, and a couple of the USA based groomers said they used depilatory creams for this - painless for the dog, and both claimed never to have had any problems with reactions, removing the cream and hair carefuly with damp cotton wool.

Never tried it, so cant say from personal experience, but both of those recomening it (and this was fro clients dogs as well as their own) are ver succesful and experienced groomers of many years standing.
bye
Gwen

I'd be worried about cream getting into ear canal by mistake, but I suppose they are doing it regularly so must know it's ok. Think I'll stick with what works for mine, they lie with their heads on my knee so it can't be hurting, woosie boy Cava would certainly let me know
Anne

I have difficulty getting my dogs head in the right position for me to pluck the hair out, so I bet I would have difficulty getting the cream off within the prescribed time. I.e. you can't leave it in place for more than 10 minutes because it starts to burn the skin. That would be an easier solution for someone who knows what they are doing.