It sounds like ear mites, time for a trip to the vet to get the proper drops.
Christine

Mites have to breathe;
you can suffocate them with mineral oil or petroleum jelly.

You can buy solutions for ear cleaning from the vet or pet store. I'm not a fan of using alcohol since it will be painful if your dog has any scratches or tears in its ears. Your pet will not be a good patient if it happens.
A small amount of mineral oil on a cotton ball should be all you need.

If the odor gets worse or he starts scratching and shaking his head it's time to see the vet.

Thanks ..I put a few drops of mineral oil in his ears this afternoon. It seems to be better. I believe it's only one ear that's a problem. Boy, I can see why stuff grows in there..it's so hot and moist.. a real breeding ground. I have to be more diligent. I'm not used to floppy ears. .

If the ear has a bad aroma, don't assume it's just dirty. You just really hit the nail on the head, dogs with pendulous ears have issues with a moist environment. Keeping their ears clean helps to prevent infections but doesn't heal them if they already exist. It could be a yeast infection, or a bacterial infection and both require medication to go heal.

After you get the ears cleaned up, see if the smell goes away. If it persists, please get him checked out. Untreated ear infections are really hard on dogs.

I agree that the black crud sounds like ear mites.

And wanted to add (although this probably isn't relevant for Dachshunds), that my vet told me to be diligent about pulling out the hair which grows out of the middle of my dog's ears (to prevent ear infections). It doesn't seem to be especially painful for her, but definitely bothersome. Never had to do it with my Lab; maybe it's only for non-shedding / fluffy dogs?

The dogs got baths today and their bedding washed . I have been treating the ears and they are clean now. On my walk today we visited a friend w/ a standard poodle. She gets ear wipes at Petsmart which are pleasant smelling but are essentially witchhazel. I just did the smell test on Wally. One ear has no smell and the right a kinda doggie smell, but not a bad smell. I'll keep on top of it and call the vet if it persists.

Glad to hear the ears are clearing up :>)
Christine

Ear mites were the first to come to mind. A short haired dog does not have as much hair in their ears as a long haired dog. Lucky dogs!! I have Bichons and I have to pull the hair out a lot. However, I always think I'm doing such a fantabulous job but the vet said that down deep in the ear there is a tremendous amount of hair that I can't even see. I just do the best I can and it makes me feel like I'm doing something helpful.

I have a border collie and he has the same problem. It wasn't caused by ear mites, but by a yeast infection. The vet gave me ointment to get rid of the problem, which it did. NOW, whenever I notice him scratching at his ears, I grab the ointment and he's good to go until the next episode - usually about once every month or so.

i was told if you think its yeast infection use monistat add some to your cleaner. if you put your 2-3 drops in each ear mix some monistat then suck the drops up and put in the ears.Im gona do this too. back in the day there was home remedies that worked with no vet bills. do research its out there.

pamelajeanharper,

Likely after five years the problem was resolved.