Some dogs experience such anxiety during veterinary hospital visits that drugs like butorphanol are necessary for sedation. The classical acupuncture point An-shen (located behind each ear base) is known for its calming effect in dogs. The objective of this randomized cross-over design study was to compare the sedative effects of bilateral dry needle acupuncture (DNAP) of An-shen for 15-20 minutes to 0.2 mg/kg butorphanol intramuscularly (IM). Twenty-four dogs met the inclusion criteria and were randomly divided into 2 groups. Sedation was evaluated in Group 1 after An-shen DNAP first and after a 7 day wash-out period, re-evaluated after IM butorphanol. Sedation in Group 2 was evaluated after IM butorphanol then An-shen DNAP 7 days later. An adapted sedation scoring system was used with points allocated for criteria in 4 categories: 1) vocalization, 2) interactive behavior, 3) ease of restraint and 4) posture. Dogs were evaluated during routine ear cleaning and points from each category were summed. The higher the total score the better the sedative effect. A 2-sample t-test was used to assess the group difference. A p<0.05 indicated a significant difference. Regardless of group assignment, dogs that received An-shen DNAP had significantly higher sedation scores (p=5.01×10^-8) than when sedated with butorphanol. These results suggest that An-shen DNAP may be useful to sedate dogs in a clinical setting for minor procedures and reduce the need for pharmacological intervention.