# Ear Hair



## Diann (Apr 25, 2011)

Okay, who can tell me about plucking the hair from inside Lucy's ears? I think I watched a YouTube video about grooming long haired dogs and they suggested that it didn't hurt them to just pull it out. Is that true? How hard do you need to pull if that's what you need to do? How often do you need to do this?


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

Whimsy doesn't seem to have much hair inside her ears at all. She has never had any ear infections or problems so I just keep them clean and she's just fine. I occasionally use an ear cleaner that I got from my vet. No plucking here...I leave well enough alone.


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## DonnaC (Jul 31, 2011)

Great question! Baxter has lots of long, hobbit-like hair that ends up looped around inside his ears. I haven't had the guts to pluck it. When I bathe him, I gently loop it around my fingers and pull on it to get the "loops" out. I was going to ask the vet and/or groomer when I take him in.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

There seem to be mixed opinions on this once. Soem people find their dogs get ear infections if they DON'T pluck, others seem to get them if they DO pluck... others it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. 

My guess is that it depends on HOW hairy the dog's ears are. If they are so hairy that they trap a lot of gunk and don't allow good air flow, I imagine you can breed a lot of germs in there. But if their hair growth is light, it's probably not a big deal.

My vet showed me how to do it when Kodi was a puppy, and I did it regularly until I read more opinions from different people. I can tell you that HE didn't seem to really mind it. He put up no fuss at all. (unlike nail clipping, where he was a horror child when he was younger, and I KNOW we didn't hurt him!:biggrin1 I haven't plucked his ears in more than a year now, and I can easily see down into them and they stay nice and clean. He had his annual a few weeks ago, and the vet didn't have anything negative to say about his ears so he thought they were fine too.


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## Lizzie'sMom (Oct 13, 2010)

I take Lizzie to a homeopath vet and she commented on how hairy Lizzie's ears are. She did not recommend plucking it.


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

krandall said:


> ...I did it regularly until I read more opinions from different people. I can tell you that HE didn't seem to really mind it. He put up no fuss at all...
> ...and I can easily see down into them and they stay nice and clean...


Same here.

Once in a while if I see a long hair that is obstructing the ear I plug it out, but other than that, I don't mess with it. He doesn't really have hairy ears.


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## nancyf (Nov 6, 2007)

I use an antiseptic powder that numbs the area. I find that if the ears are clean, the dogs don't scratch the ears. That keeps away ear irritation and infection in our two dogs.


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## heatherk (Feb 24, 2011)

I asked my vet when Cey was smaller and he took a look inside Cey's ears and said that he wouldn't recommend it. He said that a few dogs do need ear hair plucking, but that overall he has seen as many problems with plucking as without. I just make sure that Cey's ears are dry after a bath and such, and the 'smell test' is a good way to check on the overall health of the inside of the ears (if they smell bad or funny, there's probably reason for concern). There is a powder you can use, as nancyf said above, and I have heard that with or without the powder, it doesn't really seem to bother them. I would just check with your vet and follow their recommendation.


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## Diann (Apr 25, 2011)

Thanks. Lucy has her next vet appt in a couple of weeks so I'll ask her then.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

heatherk said:


> I asked my vet when Cey was smaller and he took a look inside Cey's ears and said that he wouldn't recommend it. He said that a few dogs do need ear hair plucking, but that overall he has seen as many problems with plucking as without. I just make sure that Cey's ears are dry after a bath and such, and the 'smell test' is a good way to check on the overall health of the inside of the ears (if they smell bad or funny, there's probably reason for concern). There is a powder you can use, as nancyf said above, and I have heard that with or without the powder, it doesn't really seem to bother them. I would just check with your vet and follow their recommendation.


When I DID pluck his ears, I used a powder, but mostly because it made it easier to grasp the hair. Kodi doesn't do much scratching anyway, so that's not a problem for us.


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## atsilvers27 (Jul 5, 2011)

I always use ear powder when plucking dogs' ears in the salon. It helps to grip the hair otherwise the ear wax really makes it impossible to pull out. It really seems to depend on 1) the temperment of the dog and 2) how firmly the hair is "attached" and 3) how hairy the ears are. I find that dogs who are groomed monthly don't have a lot of hair growth in between and so really don't mind. Some just sit there like a statue and just blink occasionally, some scream like I'm stabbing them. Dogs who have a lot of overgrowth of ear hair have a higher tendency to not be happy while ears are plucked, and the skin may become irritated. I have seen more dogs with ear problems that have hairy ears than dogs whose ears are pucked regularly, but I don't think it's by much. If my dog only had a little bit of ear hair I would leave them alone as long as she doesn't develop irritation. If a dog has another dog in its ears, I really don't look forward to pucking them because the dog is likely to have a fit, so I can see where leaving them alone as long as the ears are healthy makes sense. My breeder doesn't usually pluck his dogs' ears but I pluck my little Hanna's ears. Last time I did it she didn't mind nearly as much as the first few times.


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

We always did with our poodles and they never even flinched. We (DH!) did Abby's a couple of times but she doesn't have much. I noticed that McGee has quite a bit so his might need it. He's so wiggly right now we will wait and see if it seems to bother him. If he starts scratching then we will do it. He is such a hairy little monster!!!


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

When Jack was a pup, the hair in his ear was thick and he would not let me near his ears. As he has grown older, the ears have opened up more and I can actually see which hairs to remove. And Jack is a little...more tolerant. I usually remove only 2or 3 hairs at a time and those are inside the ears. It is a slow process...

If I did not try to remove the hair some from the ears they would be a big mat inside the ear. 

If you are lucky, you might be able to keep the ears hairs a little short instead of plucking.


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## Becky Chittenden (Feb 4, 2009)

Many of mine have hairy ears, so I do pluck. I use ear powder and have pullers made especially for this. Only one complains, and she is the only one to have had an ear infection. I also fairly regularly use ear wash. If the ears look (and smell) fine, I use a vinegar based was, if they look the slightest bit red, I use an aloe based (as recommended by my vet) for this. Since that one ear infection (which was mild), I've had no more in my dogs.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

I use an ear wash after baths to be sure they are dried up.
and then maybe every other month or so I will fold her ear back and trim the hair down as far as is comfortable to allow for better air flow. THEN I stick my stubby little fingers down as far as I can and just pull out the loose hairs. I don't "pluck" per say. We do have the special tool to get the ear hair out, but rarely use it as I find just getting what I can with my fingers is enough to keep them healthy!


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Maddies ears don't have much hair. Zoeys I spend a short time plucking she did have some waxi looking hair that I just cut out. Neither have had ear problems or scratch. 
I'm glad to hear that doctors are saying plucking isn't necessary one less thing I'm burned out on grooming.


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Augie had an ear infection as a pup and the vet cleaned out a massive quantity of yucky hair. He hates his ear hair plucked. If it looks like it is matting or getting thick, I try to just grab a few out at a time, but I have to be quick and rather sneaky. 

Finn doesn't have a lot of hair in his ears, and although he is a stinker about being brushed and combed, he will tolerate having a few ear hairs plucked out. 

When I bathe them, I try to hold the ear flaps over the ears so water doesn't get in and I try to blow dry them well - not down into their heads, but under the flap and around the ears. 

But dogs who swim must get water in their ears. Do they have issues?


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