EARS-: Once up ALWAYS up:TRUE/FALSE?

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by SchHBabe on 03 May 2007 - 00:05

I once a had a young black male GSD with soft ears. They were slow to stand and both were up (but weakly) at 4 months of age. Once he started teething they both dropped and never stood up on their own again. I taped that pup's ears for 3 friggin' months using every technique avaiable but it was all for naught. At 8.5 months old I returned him to the breeder for a refund and he was sold to a pet home. So, I'm afraid that if a pup's ears stand briefly before teething and then drop, there's no guarantee that they will stand again when he gets past that. I was feeding my pup Oma's Pride at the time, which is an excellent raw diet and tried all the fancy supplements I could get my hands on, but to no avail. Best wishes with your own pup! I wish you better luck than I! Yvette

by jdh on 03 May 2007 - 02:05

I believe that if they go up once they are CAPABLE of going up permanently. Nutrition is definitely a factor as well as chewing. I had one years ago (not my breeding) that did not set properly. In some cases the ears are down at a critical point in their development. When they seem to be down for several days at a time after being up I glue them up. The tabs should be removed periodically so that the pup can grow accustomed to holding them up. Dogs whose ears fold or set with a kink can be prone to problems such as haematomas and irritation, not to mention a lifetime of sidelong looks. A truly soft ear will not stand regardless of what you do. Best Wishes, Jonah

by flipfinish on 03 May 2007 - 03:05

So the reality is nobody knows what the heck is going on with ears. Educated guesses galore!

by olskoolgsds on 03 May 2007 - 07:05

GSDLVR, based on the info you gave, and barring no unseen problem, his ear will go up.

by SchHBabe on 03 May 2007 - 15:05

flip, It's just not possible to generalize statements about ears standing. People post based on their experiences, but that relates to a particular dog, on a particlar diet, etc ad nauseum. So it's not a matter of "educated guesses" - there's just too many factors to make broad statements like "once up always will be up". Yvette

by GSDLVR on 03 May 2007 - 20:05

Thanks everyone - I think they'll go up. He's VERY confident and ears up whenever they will go up (ha!) and he chews on knuckle bones, cow hooves and toys like crazy, has a great diet and the genetics are fantastic so I think we will be ok. :)

by DesertRangers on 04 May 2007 - 01:05

No guess here. ears can go up and down several times before they stay pricked. my expereince is females usually stand up earlier than males. i have never owned a gsd with weak or problem ears. i have also observed this in dozens of others pups growing up. has not a thing to do with the dogs confidence. if you have a shy,timid and fearful dog they will lay down ears all of their life. any good trainer or breeder can spot this type of temperment immediately.

by da3breeze on 12 May 2007 - 17:05

I have a beautiful Shepherd with dropping ears. Tapping/glueing won't help. I have given up on the idea of showing her, but still want the ears up. Are there any surgical procedures that work?

by allaboutthedawgs on 12 May 2007 - 21:05

My girls ears were up beautifully at 3 months then up down up down. They had not come back up (reliably) at five months and I was worried. I never planned on breeding but got sick of the, "oh, is she a German Shepherd mix?" questions.

I was told by most people that they wouldn't come up. They came up at 7 MONTHS!

Now, my new boy's ears came up at 9 weeks. He is 13 weeks now and they are still up except for the occasional "pope ears".

Basically it's their way of jerking us around.

Good luck with it,

Dawg

by crhuerta on 13 May 2007 - 01:05

I've heard of a vet , that injects the ears with "calcium shots"...???

Shorecrest Animal Hospital in Illinois.

I don't know if the shots actually work...?....but maybe that clinic could give you some advice.

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