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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not get a poodle because I’ve just discovered they need their ears cleaned once a week?

116 replies

Hellomotto2 · 11/05/2023 20:10

Please be kind as I’m very torn and ultimately trying to make the most responsible decision!

DH and I are wanting to get a toy poodle, we’ve been doing so much research over the last year or so, and I’m even changing jobs to be able to accommodate getting a dog (DH is able to wfh more than me), all the reading so far indicates that a toy poodle would be an ideal bread for us as we live in a small flat and then temperament etc feels like it would really suit us too, not to mention I’ve met so many on my travels and they are always adorable. I understand it’s gonna be hard work for the first year, the training, the late nights, the yapping etc and it’s took us a while to make sure we understand what we are getting ourselves in for! So I thought I was ready to make the step to start contacting breeders and generally starting to look for our wee guy, when the other day I read that poodles (as well as other breeds with drop ears) need their ears cleaned out once a week!!

Apparently they are prone to ear infections if not cleaned and they give off brown gunk and it’s a very messy job! I’d just about gotten used to the idea of picking up poo and made peace with that lol! But once a week for a messy job? I think I’d be too squeamish for that and worry about the mess in the small flat and the fact it’s so frequent. It’s making me really sad as it’s making me think we won’t be able to get one after all (at least while we are still in this small flat) I was thinking it would be more like a once a month thing, and I could get help with it at the groomers! AIBU? Are there any poodle or drop-earred dogs that live in a flat that could shed some light on this? Is it really as big deal as the internet is making out? Thanks!

OP posts:
Sissynova · 11/05/2023 20:13

Honestly if a small care job once a week makes you question getting a dog then the obvious answer is no, you shouldn’t get one.
There will be much messier things than just cleaning ears.

ExhaustedPigwidgeon · 11/05/2023 20:14

I’ve never cleaned my dogs ears out - i check them regularly and they always look clean. I would clean them out gently with a cotton pad if they needed it. And yes you could ask your groomer to do it as part of their regular groom.

go get your poodle op!

Takethatandparty30 · 11/05/2023 20:16

I love poodles, they are such amazing dogs! Mine was the best, I still miss her. I certainly didn't clean her ears weekly, and she never had any issues. She was miniature rather than toy, I'm not sure I that makes a difference.

Bogggle · 11/05/2023 20:17

Kindly I sort of agree with @Sissynova ears are the least of my worries in terms of messy things with my dog. Especially if you’re thinking of a puppy, there will be a lot worse things you have to clean. We have a breed with big ears prone to infections, he’s never had one and we have very rarely had to clean them

Floralnomad · 11/05/2023 20:17

If you have had to ‘make peace ‘ with picking up poo and can’t face cleaning ears I don’t think a dog is for you .

Calzonepizza · 11/05/2023 20:18

I have a poodle never cleaned her ears and she’s never had an ear infection.
Goes to the groomers every 5 weeks,

givemecoffeenow · 11/05/2023 20:18

I didn’t know you had to clean dogs ears once a month 😮 …

you are not being unreasonable. I’m quite squeamish about this sort of thing, even though picking up poo wouldn’t bother me in the slightest lol oddly enough 🤣

Xrays · 11/05/2023 20:19

Sissynova · 11/05/2023 20:13

Honestly if a small care job once a week makes you question getting a dog then the obvious answer is no, you shouldn’t get one.
There will be much messier things than just cleaning ears.

This.

Dogs are super messy. Sick, poo, rolling in fox poo (that’s a particular favourite of mine), anal glands bluerghhh. They’re yucky. Lovely, but yucky.

georgetheblobfish · 11/05/2023 20:19

If you are worried about cleaning ears... just you wait until you have to clear up after an upset stomach... it's not for the faint hearted Envy

HavfrueDenizKisi · 11/05/2023 20:19

I have a mini poodle. Never cleaned her ears. She's 3 now and no issues currently - did have her ears de-fuzzed when she was spayed and the groomers check them too.

ModerationInEverything · 11/05/2023 20:20

We just use a tiny pinch of thornit powder every few weeks.

alabamathunderpussy · 11/05/2023 20:20

I have a female and male dog and both have had way more grim things to deal with than ear cleaning. To be honest, had i known, i would have found the idea of these things worse than it is in practice - i guess its almost like children - once you have them and their yours its amazing what you do without even flinching

LittleFreakJezebel · 11/05/2023 20:21

I've got two poodles, oldest one I've rarely had to clean his ears and the youngest who is slightly prone to ear infections I clean out when they are getting gunky but that's it. It's not really a messy job either, nothing compared to cleaning up sick/diarrhoea/bathing after they roll in something.

ZellyFitzgerald · 11/05/2023 20:21

Lol! Veterinary nurse here, and I have a poodle! You absolutely don't need to be cleaning your dogs ears once a week. They have a very good natural mechanism for staying healthy all on their own. In fact, cleaning your dogs ears too often or if they don't need it can lead to problems in itself.

My dog is 3 years old and I have never once cleaned her ears. They get checked regularly and they are fine.

Yes some dogs are prone to ear infections, but I wouldn't avoid getting a poodle for this reason.

Thiswasnotpartoftheplan · 11/05/2023 20:23

I occasionally clean our dog’s ears, but it’s nothing compared to the times she has rolled in human poo. 😱
Dogs can be vile (but admittedly the human that shat in the woods was more vile).

FatAgainItsLettuceTime · 11/05/2023 20:24

How will you feel about snipping bits of dried up poo off of the fur around their bum, or cleaning vomit of your carpet, or the days where the poo is funnier than normal and squishes as you pick it up in the poo bag, or brushing their teeth, giving them a bath to remove the cow/fox/rabbit shit they've rolled in on their morning walk.......

Having a pet means that sometimes you have to deal with mucky stuff. If that's enough to put you off then You don't want to be a pet owner enough to do it.

Reallybadidea · 11/05/2023 20:25

It sounds as though you're anticipating needing to perform surgery on them once a week. Our poodle cross has had an ear infection once. It was a case of putting a few drops in, smooshing his ear a bit to work it in and then wiping with a bit of tissue. Took about a minute in total and no more messy than blowing your nose.

wildinthecountry · 11/05/2023 20:27

Floralnomad · 11/05/2023 20:17

If you have had to ‘make peace ‘ with picking up poo and can’t face cleaning ears I don’t think a dog is for you .

I absolutely agree with this statement , I don't think dogs ( or any pet) is for you .

mischlerischler · 11/05/2023 20:31

Floralnomad · 11/05/2023 20:17

If you have had to ‘make peace ‘ with picking up poo and can’t face cleaning ears I don’t think a dog is for you .

100% this. I would really rethink getting a dog if I were you.

IHopeYouStepOnALegPiece · 11/05/2023 20:32

I’ve had to snip and wipe poo out of the dogs fur round her bum, lost a scarf to a mid walk clean up after she rolled in (hopefully fox) poo, clean up her vomit after a nasty bout of lungworm, clean the furniture and pulled poo out of her bum after she spent time with a friend with long hair and had a poo dangling from an eaten hair out her arse…this is since January.

Cleaning her ears is absolutely not a once a week thing infact that can cause more problems but you can’t be Squeamish with things that just come with dog ownership. It isn’t just picking up poo twice a day

Redebs · 11/05/2023 20:33

Hellomotto2 · 11/05/2023 20:10

Please be kind as I’m very torn and ultimately trying to make the most responsible decision!

DH and I are wanting to get a toy poodle, we’ve been doing so much research over the last year or so, and I’m even changing jobs to be able to accommodate getting a dog (DH is able to wfh more than me), all the reading so far indicates that a toy poodle would be an ideal bread for us as we live in a small flat and then temperament etc feels like it would really suit us too, not to mention I’ve met so many on my travels and they are always adorable. I understand it’s gonna be hard work for the first year, the training, the late nights, the yapping etc and it’s took us a while to make sure we understand what we are getting ourselves in for! So I thought I was ready to make the step to start contacting breeders and generally starting to look for our wee guy, when the other day I read that poodles (as well as other breeds with drop ears) need their ears cleaned out once a week!!

Apparently they are prone to ear infections if not cleaned and they give off brown gunk and it’s a very messy job! I’d just about gotten used to the idea of picking up poo and made peace with that lol! But once a week for a messy job? I think I’d be too squeamish for that and worry about the mess in the small flat and the fact it’s so frequent. It’s making me really sad as it’s making me think we won’t be able to get one after all (at least while we are still in this small flat) I was thinking it would be more like a once a month thing, and I could get help with it at the groomers! AIBU? Are there any poodle or drop-earred dogs that live in a flat that could shed some light on this? Is it really as big deal as the internet is making out? Thanks!

You don't have to clean poodles' ears out.
Groomers pluck out hair, but that's becoming less common now because it's very painful.

It is good to keep their faces clean to prevent tear staining, but that's quite a nice job and they seem to like it.

I've never heard of a poodles liking late nights.

Ours were easy to toilet train, but obviously you need to respond straight away when they ask to go out. Occasionally they did need a bum wipe afterwards. We always picked up poop straight away in the garden - trained them to use a certain spot. The only time an adult poodle had an 'accident' in the house was when we were out and she was bursting for a wee, so balanced herself on a pile of newspapers by the door for recycling.

Poodles are lovely companions and would be perfect in a flat with human company. You will need to teach them not to bark, because like lots of small dogs they can make a lot if noise. No dog should be left alone for long of course.

Sailingaround · 11/05/2023 20:35

all these stories about dogs rolling in poo and some dog owners can’t imagine why I don’t want to pet their dog 😩

Bogggle · 11/05/2023 20:37

@IHopeYouStepOnALegPiece we’ve had to do similar for our dog before after he’d eaten some really long grass. Why do they do this to us!?

Poochypaws · 11/05/2023 20:38

I have to echo some of the previous poster comments

  1. I have a shihtzu cross (floppy ears). He's had yukky ears a couple of times. He goes to groomers every 6 weeks and she takes hair out of them. You can get drops for their ears to keep them clean and if it's worse than that just take them to vets and get antibiotics. It's more of an occasional thing. I do give his ears a wee wipe out with a dog ear wipe once a week and sometimes a bit of grime comes out but mostly they are pretty clean
  2. Seriously once you get the dog you will fall head over heels in love and will just do the disgusting stuff without being bothered. There will be some stuff which will turn your stomach but you will just get on with it. A few examples that I've had to do :- pull half stuck poo out of dogs bum when he couldn't get it to come out himself, wash puppy cage and puppy both covered in poo, cleaned up sick which ends up everywhere as dogs tries to clean himself on your carpets, wash rugs constantly as dog food and treats are constantly buried or left or trodden in, had my house look like a crime scene with blood splatters everywhere up walls and over furniture after dog got his ears ripped by cat and rang about shaking his head with blood spurting out, discovered buried food turned mouldy and rotten in various places, yip fox poo, watching dog eat other dogs poo or their own poo, washing peed on rugs, having bed peed on when puppy cos he was territorial when new male entered house. You get the drift
  3. I started off with my wee guy in a flat and it is harder work unless you have direct garden access. I trained him on puppy pads in the flat and it wasn't too bad. It is more work tho if you have to go up and down stairs to the loo with them.

None of the above should put you off getting a dog. They are amazing. They will change your life and give you so much love, cheer you up, be your best pal. They are the best!

Oh and here is the filthy disgusting animal who did all the above things.
He's nearly 10 now. Photo taken couple of weeks ago.

To not get a poodle because I’ve just discovered they need their ears cleaned once a week?
wildinthecountry · 11/05/2023 20:40

Sailingaround · 11/05/2023 20:35

all these stories about dogs rolling in poo and some dog owners can’t imagine why I don’t want to pet their dog 😩

We do wash them y'know . 😄