A healthy dog's ear should not need aggressive or very frequent cleaning. If the ear is calm, does not smell and does not contain much discharge, unnecessary cleaning can irritate the ear canal. Dogs with recurring ear problems, on the other hand, can get individual advice on cleaning as part of their treatment or prevention plan.
Use a product made for dogs' ears and follow your vet's instructions if your dog has ear disease. Cotton buds should not be pushed down the ear canal. If your dog has obvious pain, marked redness, a lot of discharge, a smelly ear or sudden problems, the ear should be examined before you start cleaning it yourself. Research also shows that extra cleaning does not improve the treatment outcome in every case of ear inflammation.
Ears that keep getting dirty are often a reason to look for the underlying cause, such as allergy or other skin disease, rather than just cleaning more often.