crop or not?

Question

I am getting a boxer pup this week and I am trying to decide when it gets old enough if i should crop the ears or not. I heard mixed reviews on it.

Answer 1

Unless your boxer is going to be a WORKING dog (ie: He'll be trained to take down thieves or potentially dangerous people who may possibly rip his ears off to escape from him), the ears should NOT be cropped.

When a pet has its ears cropped it is purely for cosmetic (aesthetic) purposes. Why submit your dog to such a painful procedure all for the sake of 'looking' more aggressive/intimidating (which is what people associate a cropped ear with)?

Also, after-care for cropped ears is a very labor intensive and time consuming process. The ears must be taped at certain times or else the ears will fail to stand.

It's an unnecessary procedure for ANY non-working dog.

Answer 2

Many people say it's cruel, many say it's the breed standard. I have 2 boxers I did not cropped their ears and I'm glad I didn't. It becomes such a part of their personality! One as an ear the kinds of twists like a cork screw when she thinks she's in trouble. The other on has great big ears which makes him look so much more inquisitive. I wish I could convince you not to do it. But in the end I think it's all a matter of personal choice. Their tails were already docked when I got them. I could have been happy with tails but I think it looks cuter without. Their whole body wags when they are happy. I think it adds to their extremely goofy and sweet demeanor. I just love Boxers!!!
And I am sure you will too. With or without cropped ears.

Answer 3

The cropping that is done now is mostly for aethetics. Many European countries and England it is illegal to crop, dock, or even declaw (for cats). Even in the US the American Kennel Club DOES NOT require that cropping takes place. It is permissible to show a dog with natural ears with no additional penalties. I personally dont think that it is needed but it does come down to personal preference. If you do decide that you want to crop your pups ears...MAKE SURE THAT YOU GO TO A KNOWLEDGABLE VET. I have seen many ears that were just plain butchered by vets. It almost takes a 'plastic surgeon' vet to do a nice looking crop. Some puppies end up with ears that wont stand up anyway. In the end the choice is yours but if you would like to read a Dane breeders input check out this link. It also goes over the things to know about cropping. http://www.keymasterdanes.com/crop.htm
It may help you with your decision

Answer 4

Cropping a dog's ears has no real purpose other than to satisfy the owner's appeal for a certain appearance. This is true regardless of what breed the dog is.

In the case of pit bulls, the main reason I didn't want their ears cropped is because it enabled people to more readily identify what kind of breed my dogs were. None of my dogs were a threat to people, and I didn't want anyone to shoot my dog if it accidentally got loose, just because it was a pit bull.

The fact is, most people never knew that my dogs were pit bulls until I tld them.

Then and only then, they became experts on the breed and told me how dangerous they are, and then they'd tell me how to make them mean.

Whatever.

In any case, unless you plan to take your dog around to conformation shows, there is no need nor benefit to cropping their ears. If the conformation standards for your breed of dog do not demand that the ears be cropped, then there is absolutely no reason to do it.

It doesn't really do the dog any harm as long as it is done when they are at the appropriate age. But if the vet who does it messes up, you will be stuck with a very goofy looking dog. He won't care, but you might.

Answer 5

North Americans are the only people who have boxers ears cropped - take a look at European boxers, their ears are natural. More and more people here are also not mutilating their boxers ears (cropping is painful and uncomfortable during healing). Judges are even getting educated now and boxers shown in the natural state are winning at dog shows. If it was my dog, I'd leave the ears alone.

Answer 6

Cropping the ears is a COSMETIC operation. No need to do it for the dogs health. The only reason to do it is to make the dog look like other boxers.

Answer 7

I dont have a Boxer but I know someone that got thier dogs ears crop and they regret ever doing it, she said that it she looks mean and people think she bites. i think boxers look much better with normal ears. But compare looks check out pics and the answer will stare at you in the face.

Answer 8

NOT---- They look sooooo cute with their ears. I have seen what the puppy goes through when they get their ears cropped and it is not pretty and it is very sad! They r uncomfortable and shake their head alot and blood goes everywhere. The whole reason that it is done is only for the owner or breeder not the poor puppy who has 2 suffer for a couple of weeks while it heals.

Answer 9

No!!! I have a boxer and I didn't get her ears cropped. A lot of boxer owners are choosing not to crop anymore. I think their cuter without.

Answer 10

i think it's simply a matter of what you would prefer to do. the only advantage to cropping the ears is that you severely cut the risks of horrendous ear infections that floppy eared dogs are prone to. this is not to say that your dog won't, it just decreases the possibility, and maintenance of the ears is minimal once the healing process is over. it's entirely up to you what you do. it's your dog, do what you want. as long as you don't abuse it, who cares? yes, i think you should do it if your willing to spend the money. no, i don't think you should do it if you're that concerned about what other people will think of you if you do. it's your dog, it's you decision. it's not cruel. no more than docking tails, removing dews, spaying or neutering.