To clean your dog's ears, assemble your supplies, which should include a dog- specific ear cleaner, cotton balls or pads, gauze, and a towel

. It is best to use saline eye solution to clean the ear

. Avoid using cotton-tipped applicators, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or other harsh chemicals

. Steps for cleaning your dog's ears:

1. Make sure your dog is comfortable and relaxed, and keep them in a familiar environment if possible

2. Look inside the ear, checking for any signs of redness, discharge, or bad odor, and consult with your vet if you notice any of these symptoms or a large amount of wax

3. If your dog doesn't tolerate the ear solution, saturate cotton pads or balls with the cleaning solution

4. Lift your dog's ear with your thumb and index finger, and hold the ear flap up vertically to straighten out the ear canal

5. Squeeze enough ear cleaning solution into the ear canal to fill it, being careful not to insert the nozzle too deep

. Avoid touching the tip of the bottle to your dog's ear to prevent the spread of bacteria or yeast

6. Gently massage the base of the ear for about 30 seconds to help the cleaning solution move through the ear canal and loosen any debris

. You should hear a squishing sound as the cleaning solution moves around

7. Allow your dog to shake their head to help loosen the debris

. You may want to do this in an area that is easy to clean

8. Wipe away any debris from the inner part of the ear flap and upper ear canal using a cotton ball or gauze, going only as far as your finger can reach comfortably

9. Use a dry cotton ball to wipe out any debris and excess cleaner

10. Reinspect the ear canal and repeat the procedure if you still see a lot of dirt and debris in the ear