# Do I need to shave her ears?



## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

It will definitely make them lighter! You may even like the look! But hair always grows back, she'll be pretty either way!


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

She sure IS pretty, love the photo you posted


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## kukukachoo (Jul 26, 2012)

I love that 'do'! In the attachment, is her topknot freshly brushed or is that how it looks all the time? (I've never seen long poodle hair first-hand... my spoo only has 2 months of growth everywhere right now and I'm DYING for a topknot, long ears and maybe a mustache.)

Oh, and sorry- I'm no help with your original question!


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

Thanks kuku, no she was not just brushed. I was taking photos of my grandson and she was laying there looking so sweet and I snapped a few of her. I love her big full TK, but it changes all the time , her hair grows so fast and is so thick. I don't blow it dry either, just let it air dry. I am new to grooming, I would love to know how to do some of the harder clips. But I am so lucky that she is pretty even with me grooming her...lol


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

Air movement is very important for those long, moist ear canals. Oxygen is anti-bacterial . . . and fungus and yeast will not thrive in dry areas.

Best of luck!


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

You could try clipping just around the ear canal, and maybe the whole underside of the ear, but stop just above the edge of the leather. That will open it up and may get enough airflow going to help.

Keep in mind that if you shave her ears it will be 1-2 years before they are back fully. Maybe more, depending on their growth rate. Ears grow sooo slowly!


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## Ms Stella (Aug 16, 2010)

Stella's ears are cleaner now that her hair is short on the ears. I actually love the sporty look of it too. She never had an infection but would get wax..not anymore. Id try it for sure if you are having problems with infection. Good luck


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

What I do with my long haired floppies is tie their ears back (just use a nice hair band and pull the ears either behind the neck or over their heads for a few hours every few days. You may want to try that daily for a while. For really full ears (like Carly's) you can even try using the little banana clips, just get some TK caught in it, too. It takes a few tries for them to get used to it, but now, it's just another weird thing they put up with. 

We had a lot of trouble with a Lhasa apso's ears when I was a kid. Chronic ear infections that eventually led to his ears swelling shut and needing surgery. We knew nothing about feeding and grooming growing up. Poor little dog suffered so. 

Now that I know better, I air out ears a lot, I do keep some of them trimmed underneath, but my oldest floppy dog just turned 9. He's a Shih tzu with full furred ears and *knock on wood* never had an ear infection. I do regular 'ear sniffs' daily (when I hold them, I flip up their ears and sniff. If they smell dirty, I wash them out. I get laughed at a lot, but my guys have clean, healthy ears.


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

I just groomed Carley, took some of the weight off her ears and tk. She looks a bit funny... maybe I just need to get used to it. Thanks everyone!


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## Zmyjka (Sep 16, 2012)

Carley's Mom said:


> I just groomed Carley, took some of the weight off her ears and tk. She looks a bit funny... maybe I just need to get used to it. Thanks everyone!


Have you some photos of her new look? I believe she is still very handsome


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## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

I've never had a problem with Atticus' ears, but they would feel kind of moist and he'd get wax build up when he had longer ear hair. Now, I keep them shaved with a #5 and the air flow keeps them dry! I love the look too.

The spoo I fostered a couple years ago always had stinky ears, although she never had an infection, they just always smelled and felt dirty and were very heavy. I didn't do my own grooming back then or else I would have shaved them right off! The short ears really do help, plus the look of them is cute too! 

I hope her ears get better soon! She's a very pretty girl, we don't see enough pictures of her!


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

Thanks Michelle, most of the time I can't get my photos to upload... I took a photo to show what I did to her ears yesterday, but it would not upload. She still looks pretty, just differant... but as I am always saying,"What makes Carley pretty is how she moves." Which is a great thing with me doing her grooming. lol


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

As a complete diversion from yr thread, Carleys Mom . . . try resizing yr pix to something smaller. My first guess as to why they won't upload for u is that they're too big. 640x480 is great, will upload quickly, and fill the width of the thread. *My 'Frank's Gang' tag is 640 pixels wide.* Twice that (1280x960) will upload... but very slowly. Anything larger than that may not upload at all.

Best of luck!


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

temperance had a yeast infection in her ears recently. what i do is to shave the inside of her ears to remove some of the weight of the hair. it's not that noticeable and she can still keep a bit of ear fringe length.


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