German Shepherds And Their Ears
German Shepherds, just like any other dog, are born with floppy ears. New German Shepherd owners often get worried too soon and become stressed about their puppys floppy ears. Its perfectly normal for your German Shepherd to have folded ears at around three to four months.
German Shepherd ears start to perk up and stand up at about six or seven months. Around this time, your puppy would have finished teething and his ears will stay up for good. However, there are always exceptions to this as some German Shepherds are late bloomers or they were never really destined for these iconic ears .
During their first five months, German Shepherd puppies have not yet developed their cartilage, and so, their ears are still not matured enough to hold up its own weight. This breed has very large ears after all. Floppy ears usually happen around teething time because as teeth break through the gums, calcium is extracted, making their ear cartilage very soft.
Its common for your puppys ears to perk up and droop again within a few weeks. But if your pups ears are not up to six or seven months, chances are they are not going to perk up. Dont worry though, there have been many successful cases wherein taping the ears after six months helped their German Shepherds.
There are many other reasons why your German Shepherd pup is experiencing floppy ears. Here are some of them:
Teething
Genetics
Trauma
German Shepherds Ears Are Still Floppy At 9 Months
Does your German Shepherd still have floppy ears at 9 months? If so then this could be a cause for concern if that matters to you. Most of the time German Shepherd ears should be up at 8 to 9 months, yes genetics can be at play can delay or even prevent their ears from standing up.
Remember you can still have a full blood German Shepherd that just happens to have floppy ears.
If this is the case then you should definitely begin more drastic measures such as taping and surgery, only if ears standing up is important to you. The main reason people think it is important is if they plan on showing or breeding their dog which could cause a problem in those unique areas.
Personally, I would not worry about it and rather make sure my dog is happy and healthy above their ears standing up. Luckily this is a rare situation anyways.
Ears In Different Directions
When your dogs ears are tilted in different directions, this may mean that his attention is on different things.
He may be focusing on multiple sounds at the same time.
They might also be tracking movements of different things while being distracted by external noise, directing their focus to multiple places.
This usually happens when your dog is outdoors and there are multiple noises attractive him, such as cars, nature and animals.
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Deciding To Tape Your Puppy’s Ears
How To Properly Care For Your German Shepherds Ears
German Shepherd ears are tall and big which means they get a lot of air circulation going around in their ears. This helps keep the moisture out and prevents ear infections, but this shouldnt stop us from checking our pets ears from time to time.Healthy ears should be pink, dry, and absent of any foul odors. If you see any of those symptoms, its best to take your pet to the right away as he may be experiencing an ear infection. After checking, do the following steps:1. Have a friend or family member assist you in holding your German Shepherd. Its important to make your pet feel comfortable and anxious-free before doing this.2. Pull your pets ear gently and squeeze a few drops of ear cleanser into the canal. Rub the base of the ear to properly distribute the liquid.3. Using a cotton ball or clean dry cloth, gently swab the interior of your dogs ear to remove dirt or debris.4. You can also apply an ear-drying powder afterward if you are concerned about the leftover moisture in your pups ears.5. Lastly, give your German Shepherd a tasty treat for cooperating! This will help him look forward to grooming sessions even more.
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When Do German Shepherds Ears Stand Up
When do a German Shepherd`s ears stand up? Is it bad if a German Shepherd`s ears don`t stand up? These questions and a few other similar ones will get an answer today.
When you brought your German Shepherd for the first time into your home, they were only a puppy. Their ears were probably floppy sometimes. Even if at times they were probably trying to make a stand, they would fall back down, right?
Your canine`s ears consist of cartilage, which has to develop strong enough to be able to hold the entire weight of the ears.
As your little friend gets bigger and received the right kind of food , that particular cartilage will get stronger!
German Shepherd Ear Health
Like all other purebred dogs, German Shepherds are prone to certain genetic health problems. This breed doesnt suffer from any inherited ear problems, however German Shepherds that have allergies can experience recurring ear infections.
If this is the case, the most important thing is to discover the allergen and limit your dogs exposure to it. By doing so, you will also minimize the chance of painful ear infections.
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How To Deal With Your German Shepherds Floppy Ears
Whats the bottom line?
If its been over eight months and your German shepherds ears still arent standing upright at all, then this is an indication that there might be some kind of problem.
At this point, you can start taking steps to fix their ears if you want.
However, unless your German shepherds floppy ears are being caused by some sort of serious medical issue, you dont have an obligation to try and fix them.
Floppy ears on their own dont cause your German shepherd to suffer at all, nor do they cause any sort of hearing issues.
If you just want your German shepherds ears to stand up for aesthetic reasons, there are a few things you can do to help this happen.
How To Tape My German Shepherds Ears
As mentioned above, its very important that you dont start taping your dogs ears too early! Give your dog time to develop and let him finish teething before you attempt to correct his ears in any way.
When it comes to taping there are two methods you can try:
Wrap
For this method, youll need foam hair rollers, thin white surgical tape, and a Popsicle stick. Dont use any duct tape or other similar products and remove the plastic part from the hair roller and use just foam.
Place the foam roller inside your dogs ear and wrap the ear around it making sure that everything is in a vertical position. Next, use the thin surgical tape to wrap the ear around the foam roller starting from the tip and working your way to the base.
Repeat the same for the other ear, and once both ears are taped use the popsicle stick and attach it horizontally across the top of both ear tips.
Keep the ears taped for a week and then remove the wrap to see if the ears are standing up. If the ears are erect you dont have to wrap them again.
But if they arent, give your dog a break for one day and tape the ears again. Continue wrapping the ears until they are standing up.
Your pooch will probably find it strange to have his ears wrapped and will most likely tear the tape several times. When this happens, just re-apply everything again and your dog will eventually get used to having his ears wrapped.
Cut
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Use Breathe Right Strips
McCann dog training trainers advocate a more comfortable and even less invasive method of bracing the dog’s ear.
They suggest cleaning the inside of the pinna and carefully sticking a Breathe Right strip lengthways across the ear’s fold. They report having success with this simpler method. However, it is unlikely to work with dogs that have heavy or very floppy ears.
Why Do German Shepherds Put Their Ears Down
Finally, theres the flat ear position where the ears will appear tightly pinned back and held tight to the dogs head. Many people believe this means the dog is sick. This is not entirely true sickness may coincide with the position but isnt usually the only cause. So, why do German Shepherds put their ears down?
German Shepherds put their ears down because of fear or anxiety. If your dog is afraid of his environment, another person or animal, or occasionally illness, you will notice his ears flattening and pinned tight to the head. Other signs include cowering, a hunched and rigid body, and whimpering.
Check out this dog in the below photo. His ears are down and pinned flat against his head. He is clearly anxious or afraid and hoping to be adopted.
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Is Taping A German Shepherds Ears Bad For Them
If you use the right tape to stand up your German Shepherds ears then, no, it isnt bad.
However, if you injure their ears because youve taped them improperly or inserted anything too far into their ear canal then, yes, this isnt healthy and is bad for them.
When in doubt, get your vet to show you what to do for their ears.
Your puppy might become annoyed with the tape on their ears, so they may need close supervision and even some distraction during the taping process.
What Age Do German Shepherd Puppies Ears Stand Up
Whats not to love about the German Shepherd dog? A typical classic German Shepherd, also known as an Alsatian is characterized by its strong, regal profile, bright eyes and perky, upright ears. However, if youve brought home a German Shepherd puppy, you would have noticed that his ears are droopy and floppy. The ears may stand up at times but fall back again.
Often owners of GSDs are very eager to see their poochs ears stand upright and worry when they see their puppys dropping ears. The often-asked question is, At what age will my German Shepherd puppys ears stand up? or Can I do anything to help?
In this article, we will discuss all that you must know about your German Shepherd pups ears and what you can/not do if his ears are not standing up.
When they are born, German Shepherd puppies have tiny ears that flop onto the side. When the puppy grows older, its ears go up naturally; however, sometimes, they dont. The ears of the German Shepherd, like other dogs, are made of cartilage and to hold the weight of the large ears, the cartilage must be strong. As your puppy grows, the cartilage becomes stronger with the right nutrition and your German Shepherd will have straight, pointy ears for life.
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Keep Those Ears Healthy
Sometimes, you cant just resist playing with your puppys ears. However, dont. Do not fold, bend, or rub those soft ears. But, of course, they should still be regularly groomed to keep those ears healthy and free from infection. Always remember to use the right ear cleaner when grooming your puppys ears.
Brief History Of German Shepherd
The German Shepherd is a medium to large-sized dog breed that originated in Germany in 1899. While originally developed to work as herding dogs, German Shepherds have evolved and become all-purpose working dogs.
Thanks to their intelligence, agility, strength, and loyalty, this breed is preferred by police and military and also used for all types of work including search-and-rescue and as service dogs.
While original German Shepherds were primarily bred as working dogs, the modern German Shepherds are subjected by scrutiny. In the U.S breeders put an accent on looks and started breeding German Shepherds with an extremely sloping back that resulted in poor gait in back legs.
Luckily, some U.S breeders have begun to value the breeds working abilities and traditional appearance and started to breed German Shepherds with a straight back.
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Why Does My German Shepherd Have Floppy Ears
You might wonder a lot about why your German Shepherd has floppy ears. Or just have a curiosity to understand more about your floppy-eared German Shepherd.
There are a few reasons your dogs ears are quite erect yet.
Some you can help and others are entirely out of your control. Theres no way to 100% guarantee if your dogs ears will stand up or lie down.
Some common reasons your GSDs ears might never stand up include:
- Genetics
Some of these you can help prevent, while others are out of your immediate control.
Why Do German Shepherds Tilt Their Heads
A German Shepherd`s mouth can at times block their view when it comes to certain angles. Since a canine of this breed has a large mouth, they`ll often tilt their head to be able to get a better angle of what they are trying to see.
You`ll notice they`ll most of the time be interested in you as their owner, so that is why you might sometimes see them tilt their head while they look at you.
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German Shepherd Puppy Ears Timeline
As we mentioned in the introduction here, when your German Shepherd puppy was a newborn, your dogs ears were floppy. All dogs are born with floppy ears, so this is totally normal.
Bt as Sequoyah German Shepherds breeder explains a German Shepherd puppys ears should start to perk up soon after.
In some cases, your puppys ears might start the process of standing up as early as four weeks old! In other cases, it may take as long as four months before you see signs of the alert ears the GSD breed is known for.
Leerburg Dog Training explains that sometimes it can take until after a German Shepherd puppy has finished the teething process for the ears to begin to stand up on their own.
The American Kennel Club expanse that teething can take as long as six months to conclude and requires a lot of your puppys resources to complete.
The critical period to watch and wait for is the period between five months and seven months. If your GSD puppys ears are still flopping over by the age of eight months, it may be too late to assist the ears to stand up straight.
Read on to learn exactly what to do to help your puppys ears grow and stabilize in the upright position.
How Do You Know If Your Dog’s Ears Will Stand Up
In a perfect world, with ethical breeders who don’t breed for looks but rather for breed preservation and barring ear trauma, your dog’s ears should stand up in good time.
But as a rule of thumb, if your puppy’s ear cartilage has perked up, even a little, this is a good sign that they are developing and the cartilage is getting stronger.
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How To Tape Up Stubborn German Shepherd Puppy Ears
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The ears of your German shepherd puppy can be curious things to observe. His ears may switch between standing up and flopping over for the first year of his life, seemingly without much rhyme or reason. His ears may eventually stand up all on their own, or they may need some help from you to stand up straight. Even though someone with experience should tape up German shepherd puppy ears,XResearch source you can tape your own puppy’s stubborn ears if you feel comfortable doing so.
Proper Diet And Nutrition
If your German Shepherd puppys ears are not standing upright, then the main culprit for this could be cheap, commercial food. Always feed your dog, high-quality food. Often, dog owners recommend giving puppy supplements like calcium to help their ears grow upright and perky. However, this may not be a great idea because too much calcium can affect your puppys bones and joints resulting in permanent skeletal issues.
So, the best thing to do is follow a natural diet consisting of high-quality foods such as chicken feet, yogurt and cottage cheese. All these foods can help to make your German Shepherd puppys ears pointy and perky. Both yogurt and cottage cheese are rich in calcium and chicken feet are rich in glucosamine. These help to strengthen the cartilage.
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