Soft Ears and leaning inwards - Page 1

Our 8 Month old Puppy's Ears are both standing up but his left ear leans inward especially when he's tired. Is there something we can do to get both ears to stand correctly? His Ears seem to be a tad bit soft also. He is our 4th Shepherd and the first one to have soft Ears. I spoke to our breeder and she said one of his litter mates ears are not ever up yet so I shouldn't be concerned and that I should wait until he's a year old and contact her if they are still leaning inwards. I just want to get other opinions and see if there are other options or suggestions from others that have had the same issue.
We love him very much so if his Ears never stand correctly so be it but he's just so beautiful that I want to do whatever I can to help if there are options available.
Thank you..
K H

Raw beef rib bones to chew on give him a new one every other day or so.  If it is going up it will take about 3 months of chewing

Thank you for responding. We have been giving him Raw Beef Bones since he was 3 months old. We also have him on Nuvet DS Supplements and Unflavored Gelatin sprinkled on his food. His Ears will sometimes be up and straight but for the most part the left leans inwards and actually folds in at bit at the base and middle of the ear. We've never had a problem with any of our past Shepherds ears . Once they went up they would do funny puppy things but this seems a little more problematic ...

Massage his ears for him. The chewing should help with muscle development, as will lots of toys he can carry around, but ears are mainly a cartilege problem, so you fiddling with them might help a bit. I don't know if they are ever going to be the best placed set and that's genetic; but at least they are both standing up now and he is still young. Has he finished teething ?, as getting adult set through (anywhere from 5 months) can cause reluctance to work on holding the ears straight. You have left it a bit late to try a mechanical method like splinting / glueing. (Not that I am a fan / convinced that always works, anyway !) It is not unusual for older puppies to take a while for them to go up and stay up, especially if they are large, heavy ears in the first place - but most do eventually. Whether they will always be a little soft ( and flappy in the breeze / when he is running) varies from dog to dog, and it depends what you want him for, or to do with him, that dictates if it will make any difference. Good luck. I'm sure he'll be a lovely looking dog even if his ears stay a bit wonky.

I suggest that you give him some RAW Chicken with bones...and to massage the Bell of his ears this will help stimulate the blood circulation and will assist in his ears going up...
Is your pup fairly large...?

~Bob~

Yes he's huge. He is 100 lbs already and very large boned. He comes from a Breeder that Breeds for size and Temperament, American Lineage.
I have been massaging the base of his ears but I have not tried Chicken Bones. A reputable Breeder that I'm friends with on Facebook did mention that too, so I will definitely give it a try.
Thank you!!!!

Don't dare touch the base of the ears , unless you are going to tape the ears . If you break cartilage you are going to destroy the ear set !. Never ever touch soft ears and make sure no one while socializing your puppy touches the ears !

If you are not afraid of raw Chicken then I agree totally with Q man.  I feed an all raw diet 90% chicken 1/4s and necks.   Never an ear problem

Thank you ! I will definitely take all advice and proceed with caution. Going to investigate the Raw Chicken Bones too.
Thank you again!

sent you a PM