Thanks for the info...we took him to the family vet who found a mass in his ear canal. Poor baby...when the vet tried to use an instrument to look at it, my petite rottweiler wannabie tried to chew his arm off! He'll go in next Wed for surgery to remove it. We got most of the masssive mats combed out, and gave him a nice bath with some special doggie soap, so now he looks like a completely different pup! We took him on an outing today, a long haired chihuahua tried to "smell him up", but he took off like she'd nipped him or something...thank goodness for long retractable leashes! He's laying on a carpet with my granddaughter watching 101 Dalmations 2..they're sharing some carrots and seem to be thoroughly enjoying the movie.
Thanks again for your advice!