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Should groomers pluck dog ear hair?

Ear hair

Should groomers pluck dog ear hair?

Ear plucking is a familiar part of the groom for many poodle and doodle owners, but the current veterinary advice is more cautious than the habit. This page sets out what that advice says, which dogs it applies to, and the questions worth asking before anyone reaches into your dog's ears.

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Last reviewed October 10, 2026 · by the Dogtown team

Current advice

Current veterinary advice: leave healthy ear-canal hair where it is

The clearest current statement comes from the Merck Veterinary Manual's section on otitis externa, written by a board-certified veterinary dermatologist and last updated in April 2026. It says plucking hair from the ear canal is controversial but may be needed to resolve ear infection in some cases, and that hair should not routinely be removed from the canal if it is not causing a problem, because doing so can induce an acute inflammatory reaction. In plain words: pulling hair out of a healthy ear can irritate the ear it was meant to help.

Merck's alternative is clipping rather than pulling. It says clipping hair from the inside of the ear flap and around the opening of the canal improves ventilation and lowers humidity in the ear, and that when excess hair is contributing to chronic or recurring infection, the hair around the ear should be clipped so cleaning and treatment can reach the canal. It also warns that powders, such as those used after plucking, can form irritating clumps in the canal and should not be used.

Healthy ear, hair causing no trouble: no routine plucking
Hair around the opening: clipping lets air reach the canal
Recurring infections: your vet may clip or remove hair as treatment
Ear powders: Merck advises against them

Which dogs

It matters most for hairy, floppy ears and dogs with a history of infections

Some dogs never grow much hair in the ear canal, and the question never comes up. It matters for dogs whose coat keeps growing, among them poodles and their crosses, bichons, Shih Tzus, Maltese and schnauzers, which often grow hair inside the canal as well as on the flap. Merck lists ear conformation among the factors that predispose a dog to otitis externa, including pendulous ear flaps, narrow canals, a hairy inner flap and excessive hair in the canals, and VCA notes that breeds with large, floppy or hairy ears are more prone to infection.

Water is the other factor. Merck lists excessive moisture from the environment or from swimming as a predisposing factor and says ear canals should be kept dry and well ventilated. On Cape Ann that means the winter swimmers: at the time of writing Gloucester allows dogs at Good Harbor on even-numbered days from October 1 to March 31 and at Wingaersheek on odd-numbered days from October 1 to April 30. Allergies matter too; Merck notes that breed tendencies to ear disease mirror those for skin disease, with allergies in retrievers and terriers as its example.

Hair inside the canal: poodles, doodles, bichons, Shih Tzus, schnauzers
Floppy or hairy ear flaps that hold moisture
Swimmers, especially in the off-season surf
Dogs with allergies or a history of ear infections

A wet red goldendoodle with long, curly ears standing on the grooming table with its tongue out as a groomer holds a dryer nearby.

Groomer and vet

Your vet decides what the ear needs, and the groomer works to that plan

A groomer looks at your dog's ears at every visit, which makes the groomer a useful early warning. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics includes identifying problems that may require veterinary attention in its description of a groomer's work. What a groomer cannot do is diagnose. VCA lists the signs of an infected ear as redness and inflammation, a bad odor and often a black or yellowish discharge, and any of those turns a grooming question into a veterinary one.

Your vet is the person who can look down the canal, decide whether hair is part of a problem and choose between leaving it, clipping around it or removing it as part of treatment. Ask at your dog's next checkup what they want done with the ear hair, then pass it on. At Dogtown, plucking ear-canal hair is not on the grooming menu; the $10 face trim tidies the hair around the ears, and anything inside the canal follows your vet's advice, confirmed with the groomer at check-in.

What to ask

Ask your groomer five questions before anyone touches the ear canal

Good groomers welcome questions about ears, because the answers protect both of you. Ask whether they pluck routinely or only when a vet has asked for it, whether they use ear powder, and whether they clip the hair around the ear opening instead. Ask what happens if an ear looks red, smells or makes your dog flinch, and whether they will tell you what they saw. The answers show whether the groom follows the current advice or an older habit.

Bring information the other way as well. Tell the groomer about any ear infection in the past year, any drops or cleaner your vet has prescribed, and what your vet said about the hair. If your dog is being treated for an ear problem right now, wait for the vet to clear it before the groom; a sore ear and a blow-dryer are a poor combination. Put the vet's instructions in the booking notes so they reach the table.

01
Ask: do you pluck ear hair routinely, or only when a vet asks?
02
Ask: do you use ear powder? Merck advises against powders in the canal
03
Ask: will you clip the hair around the ear opening instead?
04
Ask: what do you do if an ear looks red, smells or hurts?
05
Ask: will you tell me at pick-up what you saw in the ears?
06
Tell: your vet's instructions and any recent infections or drops

At Dogtown

At Dogtown: the outside of the ear at the groom, the inside with your vet

Book a bath by weight, from $55 up to 25 pounds to $85 over 90 pounds, or $95 for an extra-large long-haired dog, and add the $10 face trim to tidy the eyes, the muzzle and the hair around the ears. A full service, $75 to $120 by size, shapes the head and ears as part of the haircut. Tell the groomer at check-in what your vet has said about the hair inside the ear; that conversation, not a default, sets what happens. Grooming needs no evaluation.

If an ear smells, looks red or your dog keeps shaking its head, see your vet before the groom rather than after. The City of Gloucester publishes a list of local veterinary offices and emergency contacts, and Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn is open 24 hours. For floppy-eared swimmers, dry the ear flaps after every off-season beach day and ask your vet about a drying routine; Merck notes that topical astringents can help keep the canal from becoming waterlogged in dogs that swim often.

At Dogtown

Ears, faces and the rest of the groom

Baths and full-service grooms in Gloucester, with a $10 face trim that tidies the hair around the ears.

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Asked and answered

Questions people ask about this

Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.

Does plucking ear hair hurt my dog?

It can irritate the ear. Merck's guidance is that removing hair from a canal that is not causing a problem can induce an acute inflammatory reaction, which is why it advises against doing it routinely. How much a dog minds the pulling itself varies. If your vet does want hair removed as part of treating an infection, follow their method and timing.

My groomer always plucked my poodle's ears. Should I stop?

Ask your vet at the next checkup. If the ears are healthy and the hair is causing no trouble, current Merck guidance is not to remove it routinely, and clipping around the ear opening helps ventilation instead. If your poodle has had repeated ear infections, your vet may want a different plan. Pass whatever they decide on to the groomer.

Does ear hair cause ear infections?

It can contribute, but it is rarely the whole story. Merck lists excessive hair in the canals among several predisposing factors, alongside floppy ear flaps, narrow canals, moisture from swimming and allergies. A vet diagnoses the cause of an infection before treating it, and decides whether the hair needs to change as part of that plan.

Should I use ear powder after a groom?

Not unless your vet tells you to. Merck warns that powders, such as those used after plucking hair from the canal, can form irritating clumps and should not be used. If your dog's ears stay damp after swimming or bathing, ask your vet for a cleaner or drying routine that suits the ear.

Can Dogtown pluck my dog's ears if my vet recommends it?

Ear plucking is not on our grooming menu. Tell the groomer at check-in exactly what your vet asked for, and the groomer will say whether it is something the studio can do on that visit; when hair removal is part of treating an infection, your vet may do it in the clinic. The $10 face trim covers the hair around the ears.