GSD owners! Really, how important is it that I....

[pride&joy]

I would smear a little Viccs vapor rub on the outside of the pups ears you could do both to make it even. Most dogs will not like the taste, this will give them a chance to find something else to pick on (redirect behavior)?

 

[gritsar]

Well right now Jax is laying beside me and Kane is on top of him - you guessed it, chewing on Jax's ears. Jax's ears were up solid when we got him at 13 weeks and he had spent the previous 5 weeks in an outdoor kennel with a lab puppy and they had nothing to play with but each other. Surely Jax's ears got played with at some point during that time.

We don't put our hands on top of Kane's ears and rub, like you would some puppies. I know enough not to do that.
I find it interesting that it seems like men are more concerned with german shepherd puppies ears "standing erect" and that's all I'm gonna say about that.

Thanks for the input.

 

[ChickenFanaticAB]

I kinda thought that their ears standing had more to do with diet and all rather than being tugged and chewed on a little during play? I would think that if it got to the point where any damage was being done, then one of the dogs would complain about it, and give the other a nip or something...basically, what I'm saying is that I wouldn't worry about it. I think the only negative of the ears not standing completely is that the dog may look mixed...but I think they will stand up no problem!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Well, it's muscle development so in a roundabout way I guess you could call it diet related; in that protein builds muscle. Kane and Jax's sire has a slightly off-center ear. You don't always notice it, only if he's standing a certain way. It was from a playing accident as a pup and is not congenital.

 

[Brindlebtch]

As grit's pup isn't American show ring lines, but EU working lines, I don't think there is anything to worry about.

Any reputable, responsible GSD breeder would not breed a GSD whose ears had to be held surgically erect.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Thanks for weighing in Brindle. Yes, I forgot to mention that both of our boys are east German on sire's side, west german on dam's side. I think I got that right. May be the other way around. Anyhow, not show dogs; working dogs.

 

[Slinkytoys]

You will probably notice that their ears will go floppy during the teething stages. Up one moment and down the next. It happens in most of the erect and semi-erect breeds. I think the people who have been advising you are more worried about the cartilage damage that can be done while the dog/pup are rough housing. A "broken" ear is more than an aesthetic problem, it can be more prone to tearing and infection. A soft ear can be helped by bracing it with some tape or moleskin, cropping is not done on GSD.
Slinky

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Get some of that nasty sour orange or apple spray and put it on his ears. I'm sure the other one will leave it alone

 

[Countrywife]

On a side note, the GSD's ears are fine. My son however, as a newborn to a toddler, rubbed his ears constantly. He is now 15 and has no cartlidge to speak of. Someday I will have to post a picture of how he can tuck his ear into his ear. (he will kill me in my sleep if he finds out I posted this) So, I think the pup is fine. However, if you get a human boy child, tape his ears.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Well on my own side note, my older brother was born without any cartilage at all in his right ear. I was born with a double amount of cartilage in my right ear, effectively closing the ear canal off. Doctors have a heck of a time trying to get an otoscope in it. Just one of those things.
Now back to puppy ears. Kane's right ear is trying to come up, just a tad. His left ear isn't trying yet. He eats a great diet, so I'm going to try and convince DH not to worry so much.