Treating an ear infection

Question
I'm a pet groomer and used to own  cockers. They never had ear problems, but as you probably know, ear problems are a chronic problem with the breed. Over the years, I have seen and heard of all kinds of treatment methods and causes for this ailment. For example, I knew a breeder who used over the counter yeast infection medication in the infected ear. I've heard of cleaning them with apple vinegar. Also, there is the surgery where afterwards only the ear canal is visible. That practice, in my area, is waning though, because it sometimes fails to rectify the problem, and is a drastic surgery for such little sucess.
 I was wandering what your views are on this subject?

Answer
Ear infections are a problem.  One thing is to reduce bathing, relying on brushing to control dirt and odor.  Pet supply places carry over the counter ear cleaning products.  Regular use should help.  In the end, there will still be times when you must haul the dog off to the vet for antibiotics.