Alpo Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 Do they always have pointy standing up ears, or do their ears flop when they're puppies and as they grow up the ears stand up? I was reading an article the other day about designer dogs. Labradoodles, cockapoos, schnoodles, all sorts of dogs crossed with poodles. And either in the article or in the comments about the article someone mentioned seeing a Shepherd puppy at the pound. His ears did not stand up, which was a defect with shepherds, so he had been thrown away. I have seen quite a few Shepherd puppies. And none of 'em's ears stood up. Now, maybe all the dogs I've seen have been bad shepherds, but I just figured they had to grow into their ears. Like Raquel Welch. She's got big boobs, but when she was 5 years old she didn't have big boobs. That happened as she grew up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clay Mosby Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 They can be either. They start floppy and stand up as they mature. However during this time they are fragile and the cartilage that holds them up is easily damaged. We have 2 rescued GSD's, one has floppy eatrs from abuse, the other has very expressive stand up ears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 As Clay says a GSDs ears normally stand around 5 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted August 10, 2022 Author Share Posted August 10, 2022 That's what I thought. Thank you, gentlemen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creeker, SASS #43022 Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 We raised German Shepherds for the Michigan State Police when I was a kid and I have rarely in my lifetime not had one in my household. Out of every litter there are a couple who were not "suitable" for the State Police (aesthetics, color, build, etc.) - the steeply raked back (which is horrible for hip displacia), black and tan coloring and tail shape were all components. But that simply meant that those "unsuitable" were sold to others or I got to keep them. I assure you; every shepherd varies. But puppies are usually floppy earred which is a great time to begin "gently" playing with their ears to avoid touch aversion in the future if medicine application is needed. Chopper (from my age 4 to age 18 - don't know if I have ever cried harder than the day I lost him) Blizzard and Snowball (white shepherds), Teddy (deaf sweetheart), Porsche (thats what you get in a car family), Duntov and Zora (corvette family), Lady (Desert Scorpion named her) Chewie (Star Wars and destruction of any unattended shoes) and currently Huckleberry Holliday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rip Snorter Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 Haven't had a GSD in decades, but with all of the breeds since, nutrition is particularly important for proper ear cartilage development. We give our current pup special vitamins in addition to a good diet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawMan Mark, SASS #57095L Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 I've had a half dozen GSD or mixes over the years. All of them had floppy ears until about 5 or 6 months old. My current mutt, a Schnauzer mix, has one ear that stands up and one that flops. The wife says that one ear has a mind of it's own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 Saw a lot of Shepards roaming the airports in Europe. Believe me, I wasn’t paying attention to their ears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 Put Viagra in their Alpo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabez Cowboy,SASS # 50129 Posted August 11, 2022 Share Posted August 11, 2022 Check his Passport ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, He might not Be German Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.