Just received your first package of dog earplugs? We’re here to help you get the most out of them! Whether your dog is suffering from noise anxiety or you are just trying to avoid ear infections from water in your dog’s ears, we want you to have the best experience possible. Knowing the tips and tricks to inserting dog earplugs can help you get the most calm for your dog.
Training is a Must
Before you begin inserting dog earplugs, know that you will have to train your dog to use dog earplugs. Humans know that using earplugs means less noise. Dogs do not inherently know this. It can take some time for a dog to understand that dog earplugs are helpful. They can feel really strange in their ears at first! Your dog make try to shake the dog earplugs out. Just like boots and harnesses, it will take some training before your dog accepts dog earplugs.
It helps to start with getting your dog used to having their ears touched. If your dog is not comfortable with this, do not try inserting dog earplugs. Start with touching or massaging your dog’s ears (and rewarding them for allowing you to do this) until they are comfortable. Then, slowly make your way through the steps to inserting dog earplugs one at a time until each is comfortable.
3 Steps to Properly Inserting Dog Earplugs
Properly inserting dog earplugs ensures that your dog gets the most benefit from using them. It also ensures that the dog earplugs will stay in. There are 3 simple steps to proper insertion:
- Roll the dog earplug
Place the dog earplug between your thumb and forefinger. Roll the dog earplug into a cylindrical shape. Do NOT twist the dog earplug as this could cause ripping and tearing. - Pull up on your dog’s ear flap
With your free hand, pull UP on your dog’s ear flap to elongate your dog’s ear canal. Dogs have L-shaped ear canals, so it can be tricky to get the dog earplug in around the bend without this step. - Insert the dog earplug and hold for 5 seconds
While continuing to hold your dog’s ear flap up, insert the rolled dog earplug into your dog’s elongated ear canal until it is flush with your dog’s head. Only the tab should be sticking out. Continue holding the dog’s ear flap up and the dog earplug in the dog’s ear canal for 5 seconds while the dog earplug expands to fill the dog’s ear canal. Give your dog lots of treats and praise for a job well done!
The combination of the dog’s ear canal going back to its original shape and the dog earplug expanding are what forms a lock for the dog earplug to stay in place. To remove the dog earplugs, simply pull up on the tab and they should come out easily. Remember to clean your dog earplugs in between uses and allow them to air dry.
A Few More Tips and Tricks
It can take a couple of weeks for your dog to get used you inserting dog earplugs. Keep trying, but if your dog seems frustrated, take a break for a while. Don’t make the experience a negative one for your dog. Here are a few more tips that may be able to help you:
- Insert one dog earplug right after the other
Once you have inserted the first dog earplug and rewarded your dog, go immediately to insert the second dog earplug. Waiting too long between insertions can cause your dog to hyper focus on the first dog earplug. - Reward your dog with lots of treats
High value dog treats are your best friend when inserting dog earplugs. Use them generously. It is a good idea to reward your dog for successfully completing each of the step in the section above. Treats both make the process of training your dog for dog earplugs more rewarding for your dog and they can distract your dog from the feeling of the earplugs in their ears. - Use a tight-fitting hood or a snood
Some users of dog earplugs have found that using a snood or a tight-fitting hood over their dog’s ears during training was helpful for keeping the dog earplugs in their dog’s ears. You can purchase a dog snood or make one yourself. For smaller dogs, cutting off the cuff of an old sweatshirt may be sufficient (see this example).
Staying Calm with CrittEar Calm
Once you have mastered properly inserting dog earplugs, your dog will love the calm that they bring! CrittEar Calm dog earplugs have a Noise Reduction Rating of 31 dB. That means that they can buffer loud sounds down the level of a quiet conversation. What a relief for dogs suffering from noise anxiety! They also help to repel water away from a dogs ear canals when bathing or swimming. CrittEar Calm comes in a convenient 3-pack so you have dog earplugs for home, your car, and your purse for noises on the go.
