Every groom I do includes an ear clean. I wipe the insides of the ear flaps and the opening of the ear canal with a specialist product to remove unwanted dirt and any build-ups of wax.
I also, currently, pluck hair from dogs' ears. Not every dog needs it - only ones that don't shed, like doodles. Plucking removes the build up of hair and allows fresh air to flow through the ear canal.
Zen the French Bulldog doesn't need her ears plucked, only wiped, but who can resist her gorgeous lil pic?
However, since it's a topic under constant debate as to whether it's appropriate for groomers to pluck ear hair or not, I regularly review the advice from the Royal College of Veterinarians. So far, they say it's ok, but it doesn't help customers to know if their groomer knows what they are doing or not.
So, on a routine vet visit for Milo, my cockapoo. I asked my own vet what his recommendation was. After explaining my approach I was told it's absolutely ok for me to carry on plucking ear hair. The only proviso was in if there are signs of infection, or if the ear hair is impacted, in which case, I should refer to a vet.
So there you have it. A little bit of pluck wit.
(Sorry).