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

[Hellomotto2]

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!

Wait until you hear about anal glands, OP.

So earwax is a no, but poo is okay?

Poodles are an active breed. Not sure I would want one in a small flat.

With respect you don't sound at all ready for a dog

If personal care of pets is putting you off, don’t get a pet. Ear cleaning isn’t high maintenance as far as dogs are concerned

Dogs are great but they are seriously gross! If you’re going to get one you’re going to have to be fine with poo and sick everywhere and before they’re neutered, ugh! so maybe rethinking. Ear cleaning doesn’t seem too big a deal to me.

😂

and what about female heat or humping?

Why? It's not exactly a compelling prospect, having to pick up poo. I've certainly had to get used to it since getting a dog and still find it unpleasant after several years.

Ears should be checked routinely. Some dogs produce a lot of ear wax without having actual infections. I see it often at work and have one like it myself, I have to really keep on top of her ears or the wax will build up and clog up her ears in a matter of days. I have multiple other dogs, all drop eared, and they're all generally fine although I still have a quick look in their ears daily as part of their usual routine.

Toy Poodles tend to have poor dentition, some of the worst teeth of any breed, so that may be something to bear in mind. They should be checkrd and cleaned if not daily at least 3x a week but even then they more often than not end up losing some or all of them eventually. I see a lot of dogs with absolutely awful mouths unfortunately and dental work isn't cheap.

If your dogs poo is that unpleasant to pick up then you should change its diet . My dogs poo is small , hard and barely smells .

Has anyone told about anal glands yet??

I have had ear infection prone labradors, and had to clean ears/put in those nasty greasy eardrops/wipe out gunk. Trust me, dogs do and produce far more disgusting things than ear gunk on a daily basis.

Nrtft so no idea what other dog owners say, but for me, I spent many years thinking I would never dream of owning a smelly dog, the thought of my house smelling of dog 😷 never mind the poo 🤢 But then I ended up getting a breed of dog that not only smells, but jumps, sheds and has extra large shits. Right now she’s in season and bleeding all over my lovely home and soft furnishings. And you know what, it’s not fazed me at all. Her black hair all over my nice cream sofa is a pain in the arse but I manage it, her bleeding is managed, it’s her second season so not as bad as her first, instead of frantically changing everything I’m letting stuff ride and clean as I need, so what if the blanket on her sofa has a few stains, I will wash every few days rather than 3 times a day. My house dosnt small because I manage everything. I still get shedded hair but that’s what hoovers and lint rollers are for. Eye gunk, that’s what a wet flannel is for. No ear gunk though.

I was cuddling a beautiful but what I’d consider a high maintenance dog today, basset hound, her mum was very nonchalant about her upkeep, it’s just what needs to be done.

in just over 12 months I’ve gone from an anal dog “disliker” to falling in love with my baby and just doing what’s needed, just like I did with the babies I gave birth to, and to be fair, they had far grosser nappies then my pup x

My wee guy has gorgeous floppy ears. They don't need cleaned super regularly but when they do I just give them a wee wipe. I got ear cleaning wipes that I have stashed near the sofa so I can have a look while he's napping on me in the evening. He does many other much more disgusting things. The ears are all good 😂

Some breeds of dog are predisposed to certain health conditions, that doesn't mean that all purebred dogs are, or that they are inherently 'unhealthy'. Well bred dogs from fully health tested lineage are likely to be healthier than poorly bred ones regardless of breed or cross (caveat being that you cannot guarantee health in any living creature obviously).

Crossbred dogs are not more likely to be healthy than purebred dogs. True hybrid vigor is not something you get by crossing a random Poodle with a random Cocker Spaniel to get cute puppies. You take any Poodle/Cocker cross you see in the street - it isn't any more likely to be healthy than any Poodle or Cocker you see just because it's a mix of the two. True mongrels may well generally be particularly healthy and hardy dogs, but designer crossbreeds aren't the same thing. True mongrels, from literally generations of random mongrel breeding, are increasingly rare.

Generally when people prefer purebred dogs it's because they have been created/bred to have predictable physical and behavioural traits. In other words, you know what you're going to get. They like the looks/personality/behaviour of that particular breed. Different breeds have also been bred to fulfil certain tasks. If you have a flock of sheep you need herding you're not going to get a Beagle or a Whippet or a random crossbreed, you're going to get a Border Collie or similar herding breed because they have been bred over generations to herd sheep. Predictable traits. More often in the case of pet dogs it's a case of liking the size/look/personality of that particular breed (obviously it's not good thing when people buy dogs purely for aesthetics).

Ahh this is a lovely comment. Thank you, very helpful and very relatable. How did you end up getting a dog though after actively disliking them?

My puppy is sleeping in her crate beside me and all I can smell all night is puppy farts 😃all night . Just as well she is really cute , my Husband on the other hand..

Ears are easy, honestly. I had never even heard of anal glands until after I got my dog and that is a step too far for me! But the vet will do it if and when he needs, so that’s fine,

Thank you so much for that thorough reply, VetOnCall! My mind is now imagining a link between old school dog pets and the "playing out" thread in relation to children. Maybe old school mongrels from generations of mongrel breeding were more of a thing a few decades ago - when dogs (as well as children) played out on the street a lot more than they would today. 😀So it's about the predictable traits and the look of the dog. And "fully health tested lineage" is important. I see a fair bit of irresponsible breeding where I live, and so many people who couldn't give a fig about health lineage - it doesn't sit right with me that so many dogs are brought into the world as a means to financial profit, and that we have normalised that.

I just google "anal gland expression" based on the number of mentions on this thread. I shuddered.

😂🤣. Do you have covid?!!

And are these experiences putting you off?
Dogs are wonderful but a lot of mess seems to come with the territory.

I have three Pugs and an English Bulldog, I have to clean out face creases for all , check ears for all, check eyes for all but mostly the pugs, check the EBs tail pocket, the only things I cant do is expressing anal glands - the vet does that, and nail clipping!!!!!!!! the EB is fine but my pugs are rescues and have never been ' trained' to like it, they scream blue murder as if they are being tortured Pugs hate having their precious feeties touched so its only one trusted groomer who does that for me (and charges me the earth) Its actually the cats who cause me problems, throwing up over the clean washing and bringing in things like half a slow worm

This ⬆️ x1000

Yes that was the worst - our dog used to love re-eating his sick (he also used to like eating cow pats and sheep poo) 🤢