how long do i wait to clip my doberman pinchers ears?

Question

my doberman is 2 months old..

Answer 1

is that even necessary?

Answer 2

Dobe's ears are usually done when the dog is between 7 and 9 weeks of age. The ear cropping procedure should not be performed after nine weeks because the ear cartilage is already "set" to lay flat and the blood vessels are too large.

However, I've cropped one Dobes ears at 12 weeks of age, and while it took some time to get them to stand (partially because of age and because the vet cut too deeply into the cartilage of one ear), they did ultimately stand.

FYI -- there are three types of crops. Those are:

Military/Pet Crop:
This ear is shorter in length and has a wider base (bell). Usually quick to stand. Not seen on many Dobes today.
Medium Crop:
A longer ear with a little less bell.
Show Crop:
This crop is longer and a little narrower than the other two crops.

Hope this information helps.

Answer 3

You should wait until your pup is 16 weeks old. By that time, the vet will be able to better determine how large your dog will be at maturity and can size the ear length to the head size...etc.

I've seen dobies who have had their ears cropped at 8 weeks of age and grow into huge dogs with tiny fighting pit bull type of ears!(pitiful looking) Like a Dane, the dobe should have a long and wicked looking ear crop.

Discuss Dobie ear crops with people who know the breed and have experience with vets. Ear cropping is not a medically necessary procedure....but is done for aesthetics and not all vets have a good eye for ear crops, just as all plastic surgeons are not skilled. ( look at the hideous work that has been done on Michael Jackson)

I work for a vet who is well known for his beautiful crops....when a dobe or a Dane comes in that have had the procedure done by an unskilled vet....it is apparent.

Answer 4

As others have said there should be little to no bleeding from a crop. Were your Dobies checked for vonWillebrands before the crop? vW is a common genetic disorder in Dobermans which causes a problem with the blood clotting. If their parents were not checked prior to breeding (a resonsible breeder would have checked) and an affected or carrier was breed to an affected or carrier then there is a chance that your puppies have it. Regardless this type of bleeding is abnormal and your puppies needs to go back to the vet immediatly. If if is vW the bleeding is not the vets fault (though if they were familar with the breed they should have suggested the test before any surgery) and yes you will be held responsible for the bill if it is not vW you can hash it out with the vet later.

Answer 5

Ear docking should be done when the dog is very young. Unless this dog is a show dog or used as a professional guard dog I would recommend not getting the ears docked. When docking the ears you are removing a very important means of communicating between your dog and others. The same goes for docking of tails. The original reason why tails and ears were docked in that breed was so that professional guard dogs had no extra extremities for burglars to grab onto when fighting off the dog. Tails were also docked in hunting and game breeds to prevent damage to the tail as the dog ran through the brush to flush out game. If your dog is not used for hunting, guarding or show I would strongly recommend re-thinking getting your dogs ears or tail docked.

Answer 6

The vets I have talked to say that 3 months is the right age to do it. Unless you are going to show your dog tho, it would be lots more humane to leave the natural. Cropping the ears is a major operation and quite expensive, plus it is very painful for your dog.

Answer 7

the age is based on the vet's recommendation. the ears are cropped based on the AKC's standard for a Doberman.

Answer 8

Unless you are planning to show the dog in competition there is no reason to clip the ears at all. While many people will try to convince you that this is a perfectly normal and humane thing to do, it is a very painful and traumatic experience for the dog. My dobie is now 18 months old, and has natural ears and is adorable just the way she is.

Answer 9

A lot of people in North America have stopped cropping a dobie's ears. Dobies with uncropped ears are even winning in dog shows now. It's really not necessary to do it and there are now vets who won't crop ears. Why not leave them natural?

Answer 10

It is cropping not clipping. Cropping involves a lot of time and commitment and it requires a lot of taping.Taping can be as short as a matter of weeks to as long as over a year. Also it is very, very hard to find a vet who is good at cropping or even a vet that does cropping any more.

Answer 11

I don't know how long you should wait, but you should have the vet do it if you insist on having this done. There is no physical need to have this done...and unless this is a show dog, you really shouldn't do it. That's probably why many vets won't do it anymore.