Dog ears come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, from the tall tapered ear of a Great Dane, to the tent shaped ear of the Terrier, to the extra large, flowing ear of the Basset Hound. In spite of these differences, all breeds have remarkably keen hearing and rely on their hearing just as we do. Because both the inside and outside of a dog's ear are quite delicate, special care must be taken to avoid problems before they occur.

1. You can prevent getting water in your dog's ear by gently wedging a cotton ball inside the inner ear passage during a bath.
2. Your dog's ears need to be cleaned at least once a month. You can use a cotton swab and mineral oil, diluted peroxide or a variety of products available from your vet or pet store. Carefully swab around the outer and inner folds of your dog's ears, being careful not to push wax deeper in the inner ear. Only use the swabs on portions of the ear that are visible to you.
3. Poodles and some other breeds have excessive hair growth in their ears, which impedes circulation and can cause infection. Daily combing and trimming can help prevent this.
4. After your dog has been for a romp in the woods, always check under their ear flaps for ticks, grass, brush and seeds. Vegetative matter can lodge itself in both the skin and the inner ear membrane and cause serious problems. An undetected tick can lead to lyme disease. Always check for cuts and scrapes, as ears can become easily infected.

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