Ear cleaning is a common grooming procedure that is essential to some breeds of dog. The great news is, since chihuahuas typically have upright ears free of ear hair, frequent ear cleaning isn’t as critical for them as other breeds. If you want to learn how to clean your chihuahua’s ears at home, this simple grooming procedure can be done in just a couple of steps.
You will need:
Ear Cleaner (check out these ear wipes!)
Cotton balls
How to Clean Your Chihuahua’s Ears:
Before you begin, visually check your dog’s ears. If they are red, stinky or have a lot of discharge, you need to be visiting the vet instead of cleaning them. It’s better to leave your dog’s ears as is in this case, so your vet can see the problem.
If they appear normal, apply some ear cleaner to the cotton ball, and gently swab everywhere you can see in the outer ear.
The ear cleaner bottle and many websites may also recommend pouring the liquid into the ear and squishing it around a few seconds, than letting the dog shake it out. This is to get any wax lumps in the ear.
We suggest calling your vet before doing that. The reasons being:
- Your dog will hate that
- You may do more harm than good
- Your chihuahua likely doesn’t need it
My vet strongly dislikes it when people go tipping liquids into their pet’s ears, even ear cleaner. Your vet can give you their personal advice on this topic.
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[…] but it can be a genetic quirk in some purebreds. It’s much more common in chihuahua mixes, where long eared crosses such as Chiweenies can be too much for your puppy to hold […]
Have you ever wondered why chihuahuas require such specific ear cleaning techniques compared to other breeds? What makes their ears different and how can you ensure they stay healthy and clean?
Hi Chelsea, interesting question!
I was a dog groomer for over a decade, and the technique is actually similar for almost all breeds. You are right that chihuahua ears are different from other breeds however; Did you know that purebred chihuahuas get fewer ear infections than any other breed? Here’s a cool study on it: https://www.rvc.ac.uk/vetcompass/news/now-listen-ear-new-rvc-research-reveals-the-dog-breeds-most-affected-by-ear-infections