There is a lot of information and apparently a lot of mis-information out there about German Shepherds and their ears. I can't even begin to tell you the amount of times that I have been out with one of my dogs and people walk up to me and ask -- "Who did your dog's ears?" Now, I admit, at first I was a little confused as to what exactly that meant -- Did what to my dog's ears? It appears that there is a common mis-conception about shepherd ears. Let me clear it up.......
YOU DO NOT TRIM GERMAN SHEPHERD EARS TO MAKE THEM STAND!
Now, that being said, here is what else you need to know:
· German Shepherds ARE born with their ears down
· They should have their ears up before they each 4-5 months of age. Some puppies have their ears up by 4 weeks of age.
· If their ears are not up by 4-5 months of age, they need to be posted.
· If their ears are up before 4 months of age, they often will come back down, temporarily, starting at 4 months. This happens to also coincide with the time that they begin teething. This phenomenon is thought to have something to do with the calcium levels and re-distribution within the body. It is normal and nothing to worry about AS LONG AS the ears WERE UP before 4 months.
o DO NOT SUPPLEMENT CALCIUM DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME!!! IT IS HARMFUL TO THEIR JOINTS!
· If your Shepherd's ears have problems coming up and have to be posted, this is a puppy with "soft ears". It is generally considered a "flaw" and you must decide whether this is a puppy that you want to breed. If you do decide to breed this puppy, make sure that his attributes out-weigh his flaws, for often (but not always) this trait is passed on to the next generation.
· It is very common for GSD pups to have ears that tilt and flop this way and that as they gain strength to stand on their own. The German Shepherd ears may take all matter of shapes (1 up, 1 down; 1 this way, 1 that way) until they come completely up. Do not panic when this happens - It is completely normal. Yes, your puppy will grow into those ears!
Anatomy of the Ear
The pinna, or ear flap, is covered by skin, and the outer or posterior aspect is covered by fur. Numerous muscles are attached to the curved cartilage located between the inner and outer layers of skin around the ear, and these muscles allow the pinna to move and twitch.
The ear is made of a series of cartilages
The position of the ear flap is largely controlled by muscles that attach onto the cartilages of the ear.
Trauma (pulling of the ear) when a dog is a pup (or even when it is mature) may cause disruption of the muscles of the ear and cause the ear flap to flop over. However, massaging the base of the ear gently may help increase blood flow and improve it's ability to stand
Posting Ears:
German Shepherd ear taping is something that many GSD puppy owners do not take seriously until it is much too late. Shepherd ears can come up on their own anytime between 4 weeks and 6 months. If the ears are not up by 4 months I tell my puppy customers to start paying attention. Also, if you have purchased one of my pups and their ears are not up at 4 months - Please, PLEASE let me know!
I will tell you right now, I hate posting ears. Hate it! If I have a breeding that is producing soft eared pups, I most likely will never re-breed it. It is just one of my pet peeves.
Posting ears is a "head-ache" for the owners, and "ear-ache" for the dog, and general pain for me (if it is one of my pups). The running joke is that if a breeder raises a German Shepherd with floppy ears, it will most likely be sold to some owner that takes him/her everywhere and tells everyone where they got it. And, inevitably that dog will live FOREVER as a testament to your breeding program. ;-)
That being said, there are simply going to be some puppies that need a little extra help with their ears.
Getting Started
First of all, it is very important to make sure that your GSD puppy is in good health. Make sure that the puppy is kept on the proper schedule of de-wormings and vaccinations. It is also very important to make sure that your GSD puppy is on a good quality food. If you are unsure, check with your local vet or German Shepherd breeder for suggestions on a diet that would be appropriate for your puppy.
Help stimulate your GSD puppy to use their ear muscles to help bring their ears up faster naturally, by making interesting noises, whistling, calling their name, etc. This will cause your puppy to use those muscles on their ears to help stand them up on their own.
From my experience, if a Shepherd's ears are not trying very hard to stand and the puppy's ears are taped after 7 or 8 months old it has very little chance of working. At that point in life, the cartilage has started to harden and it may very well harden with a "crease" in it. I usually like to compare it to cardboard -- Cardboard can be very tough but once it has a bend in it, it will never be as tough as it was without the bend (similar to ears that harden while they are down).
There are several techniques that can be used to help your German Shepherd's ears get the little extra lift that they need.
Glue on the Ear Method
What you need:
Tear Mender fabric glue (Skin Bond may also work too)
Another simpler method is the Ear Glue method. It is simple, easy, and does not bother or irritate the puppy to dig at his ears. With this technique, you do not put tape on the ears but instead only glue the ears together. (Tape can cause their ears to get sore.)
Wait until the pup is at least 4 months of age. If puppy's ears are still down like a lab or pointing out to the sides like the flying nun, you can glue them at this point. If ears are at least half ways up, leaning towards each other, or have been up and down, then give them another month to make it on their own. Puppies’ ears can go up on their own as late as age of 5-6 months. But DON'T wait too long. If you go ahead and help them out, then there are typically no worries about them not going up.
Since German Shepherd puppies ears naturally lean in towards each other or even lay clean over on top of their head towards the other ear in the process of going up on their own, this technique attempts to mimic that.
HOW TO GLUE: Use "Tear Mender", a fabric glue. Shake glue well. NEVER pour the glue from the bottle directly on to puppy’s ears! We recommend putting some of the glue on to a paper plate or piece of note book paper, etc. The ears will be glued together over the puppies head like an Indian tee-pee. Using your finger, put a small amount of glue in a vertical line on the outside/back side of the ear - edge of the ear from just slightly above the base to the tip of his ear. (edge on the top of puppies head- over forehead only (not the outside of the ear).
Take hold of the other ear and with both hands press the edges together and hold for 30 seconds even though the glue will appear to hold after about 3 seconds. They should only be glued about 2/3 's of the way down.
Only use a small amount of glue, it doesn't take much. In a few seconds it is dry and holds well.
Your puppy should not be irritated by it at all. The ears still get air - unlike taping.
You might have to keep your puppy away from others dogs to keep them from rough-housing with him. Other dogs can easily pull the ears apart making it difficult to keep the ears glued.
Some people say that using this technique, you can get ears to stand as late as 10 months. It is probably worth a try but don't be too disappointed if they don't stand.
Once you have the ears glued correctly do not take them apart, they will come undone on their own with time. The longer they stay glued the better. If they come undone on their own and are still floppy, glue them again. We have had ears that stayed glued for 4wks at times. Once the ears come undone they will not look perfect, but as long as they are "up" then leave them alone, they will straighten out on their own in the months to come.
After 1-2 months puppies ears should be up but we have heard of one person that had to glue for 3 1/2 months to get a tip up. I'm sure there could be the stubborn case where it could take even longer, but I would not quit - till you talked with your pup's Breeder or call me.
By the way, there is also a glue remover for Tear Mender if you feel you will need it.
Since posting this article, I have been asked several times if rubbing, petting, or if other people touching your shepherd's ears will have an effect on them (keep them from standing). I hear this from breeders ALL the time. I think it is silly. It is just cartilage - if is was really that sensitive why don't we have more lop-sized kids. Remember when parents used to grab their kids by the ears to get them to listen. When was the last time you saw a kid with ears that don't match? Or, what about when those little kids hold their nose to go under water. How come their noses still have holes in them? ;-)
I have to admit there sure are a lot of breeders out there that believe this though - I guess I could be wrong........? My opinion is this - If he has good ears, it doesn't matter what you do to them. I play with my puppies ears all the time. They are so soft and fluffy, who could resist?! Who would want to?! So, If the German Shepherd puppy ears are not up by 7 or 8 months of age they are probably not going to come up. When the GSD ears do not stand on their own there are ear implants that can be surgically added. I have no experience with this personally but if you are unlucky enough to have a German Shepherd whose ears will not stand on their own, this is an option. I have done some research into these implants and most vets DO NOT recommend them. Number one - Downed ears is a cosmetic issue ONLY. It will not affect your dog's quality of life. Secondly, if the implants get infected and have to be removed, the original floppy ears are going to look better than what you will be left with after the implants are removed.
Where downed ears are not the end of the world, however, erect ears are a part of the German Shepherd Dog breed standard. Upright ears are more handsome, tougher, and more regal and the way the German Shepherd was bred to look. While I will try several techniques in order to get them to stand, if assistance is needed, I stop short of surgery.
If you do have questions about the German Shepherd ear taping process, feel free to contact your German Shepherd breeder or the local GSD breed club in your area or your veterinarian.
Information was provided by Sheryle Thompson, DVM, Sequoyah Shepherds