Tanya, yes we do this to Bella and have had to do it to all of our poodles. I don't know if it is just a poodle thing but it is necessary. If allowed to gather, wax mixes in and sometimes there is an odor and even possible infection. We just take a few hairs at a time, not a clump, and they really don't seem to feel it at all. My one poodle, Ashley, would sit in my lap and would love to have her ear hairs pulled as I watched TV. I use a small tweezers and do the hairs that grow down inside the ear canal. That hair is more like fuzz so it probably doesn't hurt like pulling out a regular strand of hair. I think after a while they actually submitted to it willingly because they knew they felt better after it was over. In all honesty, Bella is not comfortable with it yet but she's only had it done a couple of times. We usually do it right along with her grooming which is every 4-6 weeks. If you take Fritz to a groomer, maybe they would do it as part of his grooming. That would get you off the hook!