Labrador Retriever ear issue

Question
I have a 16 month old yellow labrador, male, who loves swimming in our local river. I noticed recently that he seems to have a waxy build up behind his left ear, which forms a type of "dreadlock" that causes his hair to fall out. There is no odor associated with this build up and his ear canal is clean and a healthy pink color. He does not scratch it much or shake his head. Someone told me that labs have an ear discharge that causes this and all that is required is vigoroud rubbing behind the ears and removing the clumps of waxy buildup so it does not cause the ahir to fall out. Can you give me some information on this condition, please? If it is something i can treat at home or with something from a local pet store? Unfortunately cost is a big consideration as I have been out of work for alost 3 years and supporting a teenager alone, too. Overall heis in good health, very active and fun loving. Thank you for your help!

Answer
That clump of hair is a matt and it is caused by either scratching or rubbing the hair into knots.  There are no wax glands on the back of the ear like that. Usually there is something that is itching causing the dog to get matts.  You can shave the hair off of that part of the ear, but you also need to find out what is bothering the dog and have that treated.