Keeping your cockapoo ears clean is a vital part of caring for your cockapoo. It can sometimes appear a daunting task, but cleaning dog’s ears is key to preventing ear infections in cockapoos and other floppy eared dogs. If you’re wondering how to clean cockapoo ears – don’t worry it’s actually quite simple!
To clean a cockapoo’s ears all you need to do is get hold of some gentle ear cleanser and a cotton pad – then you’re good to go.
Cleaning cockapoo ears is really important because floppy eared dog (also known as pendulous ears) are prone to all sorts of infections: their ears act as little blankets, helping to keep bacteria and yeast warm, which then leads them to grow and spread!
This is one of the things we wish we knew before owning a cockapoo puppy!
At this point, we would like to point out that the below advice is not a substitute for veterinary advice, and we advise everyone to check with their vets about how to clean their cockapoo’s ears if unsure. Also, if you think your cockapoo has an ear infection please go to a vets to get it treated!
Consider using the Joii Pet Care App, which is free to download, gives you a free symptom checker, and lets you book a video call with a vet for just £24! So, so, handy for when you want a little peace of mind – 24 hours a day!
A step that isn’t included below, but is crucial to cleaning ears is getting your cockapoo used to having its ears touched and fiddled with. This is important for two reasons:
- First, it means that the steps below will be a lot easier to carry out;
- Second, it means that if your cockapoo ever gets an infection, the vet will be able to treat it without distressing your little buddy!
We could probably write a whole other article on how to get your cockapoo used to having its ears touched. But to make a long story short, all you have to do is be positive and patient. Start off with food or toy rewards every time you touch his/her ears and give lots of praise. If you regularly bathe your cockapoo, you’ll also find that any sensitivity to touching their ears soon goes.
Start small at first, by only briefly touching, then make the ear touching more random, and finally increase the time. This can easily take a couple of weeks, but much better to have a calm cockapoo than a nervous, jumpy one!
If you want to know how to clean cockapoo ears, here’s how to do it in 4 easy steps:
Step 1: Apply a gentle ear cleaner
Choosing the right ear cleaner is key to ensuring that you’re not going to damage your cockapoo’s ears. There are some ear cleaning products on the market that contain potentially harmful substances such as alcohol and chloroxylenol.
We recommend getting Pro Pooch’s safe and gentle vet recommended ear cleaner.
With the correct ear cleaner, lift up your cockapoo’s ear and squirt a small amount of liquid into your pooch’s ear canal.
This is the worst part for your dog so remember to be positive and patient (how would you like to have something squirted there?).
Step 2: Massage your cockapoo’s ear canal
Once you’ve applied the recommended amount of ear cleaner, simply massage your cockapoo’s ear canal.
This is located down from the ear opening, toward’s your cockapoo’s jaw.
Often, this is the best part for your cockapoo, as if they were having any discomfort this will feel amazing to them! It will be like finally scratching an annoying itch you can’t get to.
Step 3: Allow your cockapoo to shake, shake, shake
Stand back for this one! Let your cockapoo do the customary shake and head scratch.
Sometimes, you might get a few splashes on you … which is a little bit gross!
If you’re cockapoo is like ours, your pup will also attempt to roll and rub their head on a rug or carpet. Let them!
This process helps to dislodge dirt and other bits of grub from deep inside their ears. It is an essential part of cleaning cockapoo ears.
Step 4: Wipe the ear with a cotton pad
Often, ear cleaning solutions, like the one we recommend come with a few extra cleaning pads and large “doggy ear buds”.
Please don’t use the ears buds! This is because even if you’re super careful and only apply the ear bud on the outer ear, your cockapoo might move or flinch at any point. This could cause huge damage to your cockapoo’s ears!
Instead, use circular cotton pads. Using them is really simple:
- First, push a finger into the centre of the pad, making it into a little tepee.
- Second, lift your dog’s ear up and wipe away any dirt that has become dislodged (you may get through a few pads!)
Wiping the ears this way means that you can clean the dirt away without having to worry that you’ll injure your pooch.
To save you hassle, Amazon stock purpose made ear cleaning pads that don’t fall off your finger – we use these, and they are pretty good for a fiver.
Finally, once you’re done, towel dry your dogs ears and you’re good to go!
And there you have it – hopefully these 4 simple steps have helped to to understand how to clean cockapoo ears!
How often should I clean my cockapoo’s ears?
After reading how to clean your cockapoo’s ears you might be wondering how often you should do it. Well, there is no hard and fast rule to this and it does depend things like how often your cockapoo swims, and gets muddy.
Generally speaking, you should clean your cockapoo’s ears every month or so. This is because their floppy ears help to keep all sorts of germs and nasties warm and comfortable. And regular cleaning helps to prevent ear infections.
That said, you don’t always need to use ear cleaning solution – you can sometimes just wipe their ears with a cotton pad if you just want to do a “light clean.”
Why do my cockapoo’s ears smell?
If your cockapoo has smelly ears, it is likely to be a sign that he has an infection. Generally there are three reasons for a “normal” cockapoo ear infections:
- Bacteria
- Yeast
- Ear mites (common to puppies)
Another cause of ear problems is when something like a piece of dirt or a seed gets lodged, which can cause an awful lot of discomfort.
Of course, from time to time your cockapoo might just have smelly ears, but if you notice that they are worse than normal, or one is smelling more than the other, it is always best to go and check with a vet – even if just for peace of mind.
If you want to learn more about doggy ear infections, we recommend this article from the PDSA it has lots of helpful advice on symptoms and treatment options.
- If you’re interested in your cockapoo’s health, please check out our cockapoo weight chart and you can see if what your cockapoo’s growth is likely to be!
- If you’re new to the cockapoo breed, we answer lots of common questions about cockapoos in our list of 19 cockapoo FAQs.
- Stop cockapoo separation anxiety with four different methods.
- Learn how to trim your cockapoo’s face
- Or, check out these common reasons for why your cockapoo might be a little bit smelly, and what to do about it!
