Dog Ear Cleaning Training Study

Do you have a dog or puppy who you would like to train to be cooperative during ear cleaning? We are looking for dogs who have never or rarely (<5 times) had their ears cleaned to join our dog training study. The study is prospective and virtual, meaning that owners will perform the training in their own homes.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to test an owner-performed training protocol focused on increasing dog cooperation with ear cleaning. This includes both wiping the inside of the ear as well as, optionally, getting ear drops into the ear.

How it works: If you and your dog are eligible, you will be provided with a specific set of training instructions. Instructions will include training your dog to perform a chin rest, allow you handle their ears, cleaning the inner ear with a dry or wet cotton ball, and (optional) putting drops into your dog’s ears. Training will use treats and/or toys as the main reinforcers. Owners will be provided with $25 gift cards to Petco or Amazon upon completion of the study and data submission. Given the varying medical needs of different dogs, owners will be responsible for providing their own ear cleaner.

To be eligible, dogs must:

have been in the current household for at least 6 months
have no history of biting or trying to bite people for any reason
have little experience having their ears cleaned, meaning they have either A) never had their ears cleaned or B) had their ears cleaned 5 or fewer times and did not do well but did not have a severe reaction. For example, it's acceptable if they ran away, pulled away, acted scared, or were generally stressed by the experience.
enthusiastically eat treats
be current on rabies or rabies titer

To be eligible, owners must:

be at least 18 years old
own the dog or have permission from the owner to enroll the dog in the study
be willing to consistently engage in many training sessions and follow protocol directions. The protocol could take several weeks to several months.
be willing to videorecord and submit every session performed
be willing to engage in muzzle training if necessary for safety
be willing to purchase the ear cleaner

Funder: This study is funded by Fear Free (Fear Free Research | Fear Free Pets).

The study is full at this time

Study Team:

Mindy Waite, PhD, MS, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (waitem@uwm.edu)

Tiffany Kodak, PhD, BCBA-D, Marquette University

Audrey Whang, DVM, Shorewood Animal Hospital