Cocker Spaniels are known to need more ear care than other breeds because of their long ear flaps that limit aeration. But for any breed, cleaning your dog’s ears on a regular basis is part of overall ear heath.
For dogs with long ears that are prone to ear infections, you might need to check the ears daily (for an odor), and clean them once or twice a week.
For dogs with healthy long ears, an ear cleaning once a week is generally recommended
For dogs with short ears, ear cleaning is still recommended, but is probably not as frequently needed
After you've thoroughly flushed the dog's ears out, let your dog shake.
Never ever poke anything down the ear canal like a Q-tip. You can use cotton swabs to wipe out the skin inside of the ear that you can see, but don't push it down into the canal.
Here's a great tutorial (by a vet) on how to correctly clean your dog’s ears:
Please look at our Nutrition Page for information on Cockers prone to ear and skin problems: they often are directly related to the ingredients in their food and treats. Cocker Spaniel owners that make a commitment to reading all ingredients before they give anything to their dog, are generally successful at keeping ear and skin infections to a minimum. Here at Camp Cocker Rescue we have a strict policy restriction to any food, treats or anything made with chicken, which is a common Cocker allergen.