why some german shepherd has floppy ears?

Answer 1

All breeds have an earset and a range of expression in how the ears are carried, and some standards are very specific about the appearance of ears, like how low or high set they are. Things that affect this are a concert of polygenic (many genes) and nutritional/environmental influences (epigenetics).

There are many things that can go wrong with cartilage development. As pups are teething, there is so much cartilage and bone development going on in their joints that sometimes all the essential factors needed in their ears don't add up sufficiently.

There is a lot going on as puppies grow up. They can go from 10 to 30 pounds at 8 weeks and in one month they are 25 to 50 pounds depending on the breed, the amount of bone they have and the degree of muscling their breed needs to support that bone.

Puppies get can get mild injuries that you never see that don't show, or mild transient spells of being 'off' or a little sore. So it is during this growth phase that there is so much demand to fight inflammation while supporting tremendous growth, that the body naturally sends the resources to the areas in the pup that need the support most. Ears are less important in the whole picture, than correct organ and tissue development. Breeders sometimes supplement with Ester C and other vitamins to help the puppy along. (dogs in normal growth who are healthy make their own vit C, but stressed/injured dogs and puppies may run low when they need it most)

So... creases can develop in odd places like the back of the ears or the sides as the cartilage sets and sometimes massage or a little support like foam and/or tape can help keep a crease from stetting in the wrong place.

You can see some dogs in other breeds that have one ear slightly curled down or tilted back like an airplane wing. Uncropped boxers, danes, etc. can have strange looking ears that look like natural origami gone bad. There are lots of webpages where breeders with purebreds are struggling with the above dynamics and their purebred puppies are coming up with weird earsets so they help each other with more or less natural tips.

Ear shape, size and carriage are complicated and it is polygenic. Shelties, collies, terriers and other breeds that have natural ears can have oddness too.

Dogs with 'wolf type' erect ears, such as GSDs need to have inherited the correct ear size, heaviness or lightness of ear leather (the flap), the correct shape (long triangular shape, not a shorter one), wideness of the base, quality of cartilage, and genetic & nutritional support to be sure that normal cartilage development occurs throughout their bodies.

Sometimes in a great purebred puppy, it just doesn't happen. It can happen out of the blue.

If you have a purebred puppy that is having weird problems with earset, contact your dog's breeder and let them know. If 4 puppies in the same litter have that problem and its never happened before, a good breeder would want to know. This will help them make decisions on that particular mating.

Answer 2

I am a GSD breeder and I can tell you that even if you have a purebred German Shepherd Dog (which have naturally standing ears, by the way, no cropping neccessary) sometimes the combination of its genetics gives a dog ears that hang sideways, fold forward or have curled over tips (called "friendly ears").

A dog born with very large ears but whom has thinnier ear "leather" or basicly the flesh of the ear will most likely have ears that do not stand well or even at all. Generally a dog with thick ear leathers and a normal size ears has no issues with ears standing up properly without taping or pinning, by about nine months of age.

Answer 3

Well there are a few reasons why. One some dogs take longer for their ears to perk then others. I had a rat terrier puppy once that it wasn't until around 8months that its ears were perked all the way. Another is that some purebred dogs might have a few throwbacks that appear every once in a while. No matter, do not crop its ears! Especially if it is a AKC reg. dog. Its cruel; and besides Akc will disqualify your dog (german shepherd) if it has a cropped ears, docked tail and so on.

Answer 4

Depends on the dogs age, as puppies their ears can be floppy & DO NOT PLAY with the puppy ears or it does what is called Breaking the Ears & then they never stand up! This is true of your shepherds, some dogs have to have surgery for the ears to stand -Rotties & Pits, but not so of the shepherds ! Enjoy your puppy :)

Answer 5

either because it isnt a german shepard, or the ears havent quite matured yet, or could be because his ears had gotton broken as a puppy.. When shepards are puppies, your not suppose to touch their ears

Answer 6

some shepards ears will not stand,,, this could be from a number of reasons,,,, injury from other puppies while playing when they are very young, is one of the most common.

they will need to be "pinched" or "cropped" to make them stand upright.

Answer 7

either because the ears have been cropped or because it isnt a pure breed. it could be a mix of a beagle.

Answer 8

Because their ears haven't been "cropped."

Cropping is a technique that some veterinarians refuse to do because there's no medical reason for it.

Answer 9

cause they might not be mature yet or you can crop their ears to make them stand up

Answer 10

you can train their ears by taping them, use a medical tape that won't pull their hair out, it is safe and effective!