What a beautiful little boy. Thanks for posting this because my daughter has a big ol’ lab with persistent allergies and she has stated he gets ear infections so I am going to show her this post because she has a 5 year old (another beautiful little boy) and I want to make sure they stay on top of it.
Btw, I understand your passion but even though of course other breeds of dog do attack, it is well-known that Pitts are known to deliver a more vicious attack, with more severe injuries, than most other breeds according to statistics.
Persistent ear infections are usually caused by yeast overgrowth which can be a symptom of hypothyroidism.
Couldn’t hurt to have him tested.
Hypothyroidism is epidemic in dogs, now.
FYI, in the 70s, Dobes were The Big Scary Dogs to be feared.
*However*, the exact same “segment of society” that tends to [irresponsibly] own Pits is scared snotless of Dobes so the hysteria died out when the DPCA made a concerted effort to change the image of the breed via heavy focus on responsible breeding, socializing and training.
A Pit will tolerate its owner “beating” it to “make it mean” since the breed was created to be docile to humans but ferocious to bulls.
Dobes are the only breed created specifically to be solely a guard dog and attack people.
[bandits and thieves intent on robbing a tax collector, specifically]
Most Dobes will not tolerate being beaten and will tear you up if you abuse them.
A Pit bites and holds.
A Dobe bites, releases and bites again, repeatedly, relentlessly and -extremely- quickly.
It’s nearly impossible to grab hold of it to try and control it during an attack.
If I ~had~ to be attacked by one of the two, I’d choose the Pit.
Please check the Lab’s thyroid and his food.
Ear infections and “allergies” can also be caused by food sensitivities, most often a grain but sometimes a particular protein source.
“Limited ingredient” dog foods are a good way to detect sensitivities by the process of elimination.