Puppy ears at 8 wks. - Page 1

I apologize in advance if this is a dumb question! I see a lot of dicussion on ears not standing. I realize it can take some time for them to stand correctly and that taping can help. I'm just wondering if there is any way that you can tell if an 8 wk. old puppy will have problems with its ears? Shelley

You cannot tell at 8 weeks. Cheers Workingdogs-

I have a 7 month old male. His ears started to go up about 12 weeks - but they were really goofy. When he started teething they flopped down. Then went back up at 5 months or so. One of them had a crease in it so the tip was floppy. At 6 months we glued a cardboard-type form in it and left if there for about 3 or 4 weeks... took it out and now it's *perfect*! So, your puppy is way too young to tell. Hope my timeline helps you :) good luck and have fun with your puppy!

Melissa- I don't have my pupy yet just wondering if there was anything in particular to look for when I go get her. I will keep your timeline in mind though when she does come home. Thanks, Shelley

May as Lewis said 8 weeks is a little young to tell anything. Usually the ears go up and down when cutting teeth so just give them a chance

The only thing I could suggest you look for in an 8 week old puppy is a little bit of lift at the base. Some puppies will actually have there ears in some stage of erectness at 8 weeks also. Most of the time if the ears are up or going up they will eventually go up and stay up. But they can go through alot of up, down, and sideways for quite some time, usually until 5 months of age when teething is about over. Some take longer.

some up at 4 weeks. some still down at 4 months. please wait.....and be patient before trying all the tape methods. my last girl didn't have ears totally up until she was 7 months old. and that's with no help of tape & cardboard.

Thanks for the replys. I just wondered as I have not had any experience with this. I see so much discussion about ears but didn't know if you could tell anything that young. I am learning so much on this site just by reading other peoples posts. Shelley :)

Good luck with your pup :)

There is no SERIOUS concern due until the puppy is nearly six (6) months old. Personally, I like to see them standing firm by sixteen (16) weeks of age. If they do the flip-flop because of teething, then that is fine. The natural way is still the best way. Short thick ears stand much easier and quicker than long thin ears. That seems to be a fact. Sometimes a long ear needs a bit of correction since the puppy has a favourite sunny side when it sleeps, and of course they sleep a lot when they are young. My advice; wait and see. While I think the best "ear propping" scheme has been bestowed on me, I still like to see nature do the job. A puppy who needs a TREMENDOUS amount of help making the ears stand is possibly not a good breeding candidate later in life. Bob-O