Itchy ears and nose

This is a mega allergy time in many parts of the country -- the ears can react badly to allergies (it's one of the primary spots atopic allergies will hit -- because the mucus membranes in the ears are so sensitive.
 
Same thing for runny nose (and runny eyes) -- often atopic allergies.

I agree with callie; it could be allergies (very good guess I think), or a dozen other things. If the condition persists, take the dog to a vet. Before doing that it might be helpful to start writing down how the dog acts and what it does from morning to evening. The point of a little diary like that is, to find possible connections between activities and reactions. So, for instance following callie's example, might the dog scratch more on days where it was sunny and mild outside, and it played a lot in the new grass, while on rainy days, where it went out little, it seems much better. Alternatively, there could be a connection to food, other dogs it meets, people it meets, and who knows what else. Those things are easier tracked down when you write it all down - every single thing that affects the dog, from the water it gets (which fosset, if that varies), to the food it eats (sometimes gets treats it does not get always?), which playground it played on, and so forth.

Good luck []

It is always good to get your dog vet checked when it is believed allergies is the culpret. My old dog (God rest his soul) developed the same signs as allergies. The first vet we went to gave him benedryl that never helped. As the itchiness and sores worsened and he was hospitilized for 3 days it came back that he had a severe cases of dernititis (sp?). Being of 14 years of age he was always a little stiff. The vet put him on Predisone. He became a puppy again. Needless to say he was near death but given back to us for an additional 6 months which were fantastic. He eventually succumed to liver failure. He was one of the gratest pets ever, well the best in my eye.
 
I want to commend the people who started this site, what a great resource.

Just an added bit of info.  You can sign up on [linkhttp://www.pollen.com]www.pollen.com[/link] for your area and they email you daily with the anticipated pollen levels for where you live. I've just recently signed up because I'm trying to figure out if my lab has environmental allergies, but it's also been helpful for my own allergies.  Here's what it looks like (it was rainy yesterday, so they weren't as hgh as they had been)
 
Today's allergy levels for ROSEVILLE, CA:
Sunday - 6.2/Medium
Today's predominant pollen:
Oak, Alder and Cedar/Juniper.

This may sound gross but stick your nose right into the ear and give it a big whiff. Then quickly go to the other one and do the same. If there is a difference in the smell it may be an early ear infection. If there isn't....it is most likely allergies or nutrition related (not meaning you do not feed your dog good food) just that your dog may not agree with the food they are currently on or that they have developed an allergy or similar disagreement with it.