Tickly ear question

Murphy has been shaking his head a lot. He love love loves getting ear scratches so at first I thought the he just wanted them scratched and was trying to be cute. Then I thought he had something in there so I looked and wiped them out with q-tips but I couldn't find anything (anything unusual that is....there was plenty of dirt). So finally I trimmed some of his ear fur in his left ear because I thought maybe it was tickling him and making him shake like that. This worked for a little while but his head shaking is starting back up again and I need some suggestions on other stuff to look for. I don't really like trimming his ear fur because I think it blocks a lot of stuff from getting in there (I've been checking the one I trimmed for buildup) so I need some advice. He doesn't have ear mites and his ears look really healthy. He does get some dirt in there but that's because he goes tearing around the back yard, which has no grass, like a crazy dog.

Synopsis: What other things could cause his incessant head shaking?

It could be an allergy or ear infection. Does his ear have a foul smell? I think you should take him to the vets, if he has an ear infection he needs antibiotics or it won’t go away. Jack gets ear infection periodically so we give her meds for that but for sure I would take him to the vets. Rocky when she was a puppy would scratch her ear until it was bleeding. We had to switch brand of food and puppy treats, if it’s an allergy you have to do a process of elimination so you should also talk that over with your vet.

I second the vet suggestion. You just never know. About trimming the hair- it's actually a good idea as it makes it easier for air to get in and keep things from getting dark and damp. I use a small pair of electric clippers to do Caleb's ears.

I third the vet. It's possible there's an infection or, less likely, mites.

Update! Murph went to the vet last week and they checked out his ears. They said there's nothing wrong and they look nice and healthy. I guess it's just his fur tickling him so I'm gonna try and keep on top of trimming that. Thanks for the suggestions guys!