Keep Your German Shepherd In Good Health
You should also make sure that your German Shepherd is in optimal health by keeping up with your dogs vaccinations and deworming schedule to not only help its ears go up but also to help prevent other potential health problems.
Aside from that, be sure to also provide your dog with proper nutrition by feeding it high-quality dog food.
What About Supplements?
Some people believe that giving their German Shepherd calcium supplements may help with the development of the cartilage in their dogs ears. But in truth, doing so can actually be dangerous to their dog as giving a German Shepherd calcium supplements may lead to long-term problems such as arthritis and joint problems.
So, instead of calcium supplements, choose to give your German Shepherd natural calcium sources such as a tablespoon of cottage cheese or yogurt per meal. You may also give your dog glucosamine instead, as it isnt associated with any long-term health risks and is actually proven to help strengthen and rebuild cartilage.
That said, always consult with your veterinarian before doing so to make sure your German Shepherd wont have any digestive issues should it take supplementation.
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 Put Their Ears Back
Unlike pricked-up ears, this is a more subtle movement and is more noticeable when youre looking directly at the dogs ears. If you are attentive to details, you might have seen your dog put his ears back semi-regularly, especially in your presence. Theres a valid reason for this behavior.
German Shepherds put their ears back as a sign of submission or nervousness. However, this ear position isnt a guarantee of these emotions as your dog can also bring his ears back when feeling social and happy. You should look at the head position and tail for more clues.
If your dog is displaying submissiveness, his ears will go back, and he will also lower his head. In some instances, the dog puts his tails between his legs, which results in the related figure of speech. If other indicators are absent, but your dogs ears are still pulled back, you can assume he is just in a social mood.
Below is another photo of Willow, taken moments after the first one. Notice how her ear positions have now changed from the erect position above, and she has put them back. She is feeling social and happy and is enjoying looking out of the window. I guess the interesting dog in question has passed by!
This is a breath of fresh air if youre outside and around other dogs! The last thing you want is for your dog to be too nervous about socializing.
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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 Might A German Shepherds Ears Not Stand Up
If your pups parents didnt both have normal, pointed ears, the chances are greater that your pup wont either, although dogs without pointed ears are not commonly used for breeding, as this trait falls outside of the desirable breed standard. However, if your dog doesnt have pedigree papers or isnt a purebred German shepherd, even if they look very much like one, the chances of their ears being floppy is a little higher due to the potential for mixed parentage, or breeding lower quality dogs outside of the breed standard.
However, the issue can arise in any German shepherd puppy, regardless of their ancestry, and if your pup is one of those with floppy ears, there are a few things that can cause or contribute to why this happens.
Calcium and vitamin D are both essential elements for the nutrition and growth of a puppy, and both of these things are required in order to support the development of the ear cartilage that ultimately, leads to the dogs ears standing up.
Supplementing your pups diet with a little extra calcium-rich food whilst they are young can help to ensure that the ears will stand erect later on as they are supposed to, as this helps to contribute to the necessary cartilage development of the ears.
It is also of course important to ensure that your pup has a balanced diet and gets all of the other nutrients that they need while they are still growing and developing, which reduces the chances of developmental problems later on.
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What To Do When Your Gsd Pricks Up His Ears
When your GSD pricks up his ears, you should prioritize this ear position above all others because it can mean your dog may be about to become aggressive towards another person or dog he feels threatened by, especially if he displays other body language referred to above.
Use a Leash
If you take your German Shepherd for a walk and notice his ears perk up even momentarily, you should put him on a leash. You most likely already have him on a leash as per dog walking best practices. If thats the case, make sure youre holding it tightly, and he cant feel free to chase or succumb to his prey drive.
Pause and Disrupt
Your GSD might act as an alarm and alert you to something he finds threatening. In some cases, this can be to protect you and your property. But in other instances, it can simply be a false alarm. You can interrupt your dog by engaging him whenever he pricks up his ears.;
I wouldnt advise using treats to hack your dogs alertness, as that only incentivizes him to give false alarms. Simply changing the direction of your walk or bringing up a new activity can interrupt your canines focus sufficiently.
How To Make A Dogs Ears Stand Up Secret Ingredient
The solution for a dogs floppy ears is easy. To help them stand upright, you need a product to act as a guide. You will only need to buy strips for them to breathe properly. Place them on the inside of your dogs ear, that is, the part that has no hair. The breathing strips contain a small metal stick inside, which will help the ear to stay in the position it should be.
Every 2 days or so, the strip will fall due to wear and tear on the adhesive. You simply must put a new one on it, being careful not to miss a single day without a correction strip.
If you are constant, in two or three weeks the ear muscle will have strengthened, and you will also be able to strengthen the cartilage of your dogs ear .
There are people who use headbands to lift a dogs ears, or even tape, but this method is much simpler and easier. This way you will have both their ears raised with little effort, and without causing any type of damage or suffering.
Of course, before placing the breathing strips, make sure to clean the inside of your dogs ear very well. Repeat this process every time you put on a new strip.
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When German Shepherd Ears Stand Up
At What Age do German Shepherd Puppies Ears Stand up? Your puppys ears can stand up anywhere from 8 weeks to 8 months. And generally, they should be standing up by the time your puppy has finished teething.
When do German Shepherd puppy ears go up again? Now, lets look at the typical German Shepherd puppy ear stages. During teething, which begins around 3 months old, its not uncommon for German Shepherd puppy ears to go up then down again. Those ears should perk back up after teething is over.
When do German shepherds start teething? 5 to 6 months: Teething is usually complete by the time your pup is around five months old. By this time, your German Shepherds ears may already be standing at attention. However, if theyre not standing strong just yet, now is a common time for those ears to start perking up.
Can German Shepherd puppys ears stand up? Wait to see if puppys ears stand up naturally. Even with the option of taping, it is preferable for German shepherd puppy ears to stand up without assistance. You cannot wait indefinitely for your puppys ears to stand up, thoughif they have not stood completely up by the time he is 7 to 8 months old, they are unlikely to stand up at all.
What Did My Puppys Parents Look Like
This might be the most important factor that impacts ear position genetics.
It might be hard to outweigh the impact of undesirable genetics.
Every dog is different they have different parents with different genetic material in their bodies.
Different genetics affects individual appearance.
Some GSDs are genetically predisposed to have floppy ears if their parents passed this gene onto them.;
This is particularly true if the German Shepherd is not a purebred or the lines have been crossed.
Look to the parents and breeding lines of your GSD to get an idea of what genes might have been passed onto your GSD.
Its possible non dominant genes can be passed onto a puppy so, even parents with upstanding ears might give birth to a floppy eared dog.
But, two parents with erect ears should have a greater chance of producing an erect eared puppy GSD.
If you havent bought your GSD yet and you want a dog with erect ears it might be a good time to research breeders who have breeding lines of mainly erect eared dogs.
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German Shepherd Puppy Ear Taping And Gluing
German Shepherd puppy ear taping and gluing are both methods that many breeders and German Shepherd dog owners use to help guide their GSDs ears into the adult upright position.
Yet it would be understandable if you are reading the title to this section and feel dismay or even horror. Tape or glue a puppys ears? How can that possibly be a good thing?
But understand we are not talking about doing anything harmful or invasive.
The techniques you are about to read about will not harm or hurt your German Shepherd puppy at all. They will simply support the ears to grow into the upright position without having to work so hard to get there or stay there.
Is There Something Wrong With The Puppy
If the ears do not stand up after 5 months, there might be a flaw in the proper growth of the puppy due to insufficient nutrition. A dog needs a proper food diet consisting of nutrients rich with calcium, proteins, and vitamins A, C, and D.
If you are not providing quality food to your dog, then you need to shift to high-quality food with all the required nutrients. You can also take the help of a vet to know about the proper diet of your puppy according to its age.
Apart from the proper nutrition, the floppy ears after 8 months is also an indication of low-standard genetics. People try to solve this issue by tapping but tapping doesnt work if there is an error in the biological makeup of a breed.
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Have I Myself Already Messed With The Dogs Ears Myself
Have you tried a technique youve read about on the internet to modify your dogs ears such as taping, ear forms or ear padding, and not consulted an expert such as a vet first?
This is particularly common in first time or inexperienced owners who are impatient or panic.
A dogs ears will generally develop naturally, but there are some things that can be done which may influence how they sit.
See a vet for your options.
Remove And Inspect Their Ears Weekly
Pick a day of the week to remove and inspect your dogs ears. Take off the wrapping and foam rollers and see if your dogs ears stand on their own naturally.
Also, look for any soreness from improper taping and if you see any issues dont keep applying the tape.
If your GSDs ears flop over then rewrap them the same way to offer more support for a bit longer. If they stand on their own then youre good to go and you can discontinue the ear taping.
Dont forget to check and change the tape weekly so you can see the health of your pups ears.
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When Will My Pup’s Ears Perk Up And Stay Up
After your puppy has finished teething their ears will perk up and stay up for good.
But as I mentioned, using teething as a yardstick is not ideal because puppy development does vary slightly.
So by all means, keep your puppy’s teething in mind, but don’t start panicking too soon.
Speaking of panicking
Floppy Eared German Shepherd 3 Easy Fixes
A floppy eared German Shepherd dog is an adorable sight to see. With one ear upright and the other down cuteness abounds!
But you might worry about when will your German Shepherds floppy ears stand up?
And
How can you fix those floppy ears?
Dont worry
Its natural and Ill tell you exactly how to help fix a German Shepherd with floppy ears.
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Make A Popsicle Support
Now, take the popsicle sticks and place them at the top of the foam rollers .
You might need another pair of hands to help with this, so ask your family or friends to help.
Take the self-adhering waterproof tape and place a medium-size piece across and around the two foam rollers and popsicle sticks. Youre creating a bridge between your pups two ears to help align and support them together.
This ensures even and symmetrical growth.
Never, ever shove the popsicle stick into your dogs ears or youll injure them! Make a bridge across their ears instead.
Will My Puppys Ears Stay Floppy
All puppies are born with their ears flat against their head. Between 4 and 7 months of age, if your puppy is meant to have prick ears, they will usually stick up. It can take up to a year for a puppys ears to stand. Some puppys ears stay floppy forever, even if prick ears are characteristic of their breed.
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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.
How Come My German Shepherd Ears Not Stand Up
Your German Shepherd needs the right diet for their skeleton and muscles to grow properly. Many German Shepherds ears do not stand up while they are teething. So, if they are teething, be patient and try not to worry. In fact, it is not uncommon for their ears to stand up and then drop when they start teething.
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Reasons For Delay In Ears Standing Up
There are several reasons due to which a delay in the popping up of ears can be observed.
Teething
The most common reason due to which the ears refuse to stand up is teething. It might be because the mind is engaged in the process of teething and cannot concentrate on the ears to stand up. Till the end of 5 months, it is quite normal if the ears remain floppy and do not rise.
Genetic issue
If the ears dont stand up even after the 6 to 8 months stage, then it can be due to some genetic issue. Nothing can be done if the floppy ears have passed through the genes.
Defective Ears
The ears are a sensitive part of a dogs body. If the ears do not stand up after the 8 months, then there might be something that happened to the dog accidentally that caused a defect in its ear. Some other puppies might have bitten or pulled the ears hardly or kid might have hurt the puppys ears while playing with it.