I don't have a solution, but have to smile at how clever he is to figure that neither one of you poses a chance of ear cleaning, so he only has to avoid the two of you together. I had a dog who would run and hide when I took the ear cleaning solution out of the cupboard, and one of my current dogs will leave if I take out the nail grinder. So I don't think the behavior is unusual, and I'm not sure it's fear. There are some things I avoid myself, not because I'm afraid but just because I don't like doing them.
Does he appreciate treat after the ear cleaning? That helps with some dogs that are gung ho for treats. I have one now I give a shot every two weeks, and she focuses so hard on the treat sitting waiting for her on the counter she accepts the shot without restraint.
Other than that, in your shoes I'd see if I could find a way to stop the ear infections instead of constantly treating. That's not always possible, but it might be worth investigating. When I was having rescue fosters coming and going, it seemed that too rich a food could cause ear infections in some dogs, so something with a lower fat content might be worth trying. One of my current dogs was having skin problems, so I had allergy testing done and changed to a food without any ingredients her test showed she reacted to. She didn't have chronic ear infections, but I cleaned her ears at least once a week because they always had so much brown gunk in them. To my surprise not only did she stop having constant hot spots, but the food change improved her ears to where I clean them every month or so and even then they're never as bad as they used to be.
Does he appreciate treat after the ear cleaning? That helps with some dogs that are gung ho for treats. I have one now I give a shot every two weeks, and she focuses so hard on the treat sitting waiting for her on the counter she accepts the shot without restraint.
Other than that, in your shoes I'd see if I could find a way to stop the ear infections instead of constantly treating. That's not always possible, but it might be worth investigating. When I was having rescue fosters coming and going, it seemed that too rich a food could cause ear infections in some dogs, so something with a lower fat content might be worth trying. One of my current dogs was having skin problems, so I had allergy testing done and changed to a food without any ingredients her test showed she reacted to. She didn't have chronic ear infections, but I cleaned her ears at least once a week because they always had so much brown gunk in them. To my surprise not only did she stop having constant hot spots, but the food change improved her ears to where I clean them every month or so and even then they're never as bad as they used to be.