Ears

Cockers have very long beautiful ears, and sometimes they may get an infection or mats in them.  That's why you need to take good care of them.  Depending on your dog sears you might have to clean them daily or weekly.   Cleaning dogs' ears are very simple, and this is what you will need:

	Cotton balls
	Q-Tips
	Baby oil

First wet the Q-tip with baby oil.  Go into the dog's ear and wipe the ear out thoroughly, you can use as many as needed.  Then take the cotton ball and put baby oil on that.  Stick the cotton ball in the ear and twist it inside the ear to clean it, and that’s it, your done!

Some Cockers have frequent ear infections and others just have one in their lifetime.   If your Cocker gets an infection you can use this "folk remedy" which is highly effective in treating ear infections instead of emptying your wallet at the vet's office.

Blue Powder Ear Treatment

	1 16 oz bottle of rubbing alcohol (pour off an inch to make some room)
	8 to 16 drops Gentian violet (it's real cheap, but hard to find - try next to the Iodine at a Mom & Pop Pharmacy or ask someone to order it)
	4 Tbs. Boric Acid Powder (also cheap and found at the pharmacy)

Shake the bottle really well to distribute the powder and fill the ear canals once a day. Let the dog shake the excess out. Best to do this outside since the gentian violet can stain.

Snoods

Some mats are caused by the ears dragging on the ground and picking up all kinds of garbage. But the majority of them are due to food. And this is easily prevented by using a snood at mealtime. You can buy them for about $5 from many dog catalogs, or you make one. It's really easy!

For two snoods, get 1/4 to 3/8 yard of a washable fabric (45" or so) and some soft 1/4" elastic. Stitch a 3/8" sleeve in the top and bottom of the piece of material, then cut the piece in half (from top to bottom) for two snoods. Measure your dog just behind the ears. Cut the elastic to this length, thread it through the sleeves and tack it on both ends. Then seam the edges together, and overcast them. This will give you about the right amount of "stretch" and the elastic is held tightly in the seam.

The dog may protest at first about wearing it, but he will soon learn to exept it and it will become part of their routine.

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