Welcome to PT. I'm sure you will find this site addictive. I'd love to see pictures of Duke! Zoee has a boxer friend named Tessa she likes to play with.
As for the ears, Bruce (BF) used to have to clean out DJ's (RB Cocker) ears all the time, because Cockers are prone to icky ears. But like others suggested a vet visit would be a good thing to make sure there is nothing more serious than just dirty ears going on.