Doberman Ear Cropping, I am Torn, please help!!?

Question

I have a rusty (red) Doberman male that is 12 months; Killer is our guard dog at my car lot. Can anyone out there
share their insights into is age. Is it too late? Contact a vet today, schedule the cropping for 12/8. Going to do me research on the vet and on the whole procedure. Will appreciate if you are a vet, or if you work with a vet.


Any one can recommend the "Best" vet in the bay area to do this.

I adore Killer, that is why I am still debating to go thru. No sure either way. Dont be so rude peopple

Answer 1

First off do not think for one moment that cropping the ears is inhumane. It is a trademark characteristic of the breed that is recognized both by the AKC and CKC. It is a very thorough procedure done with local anesthesia and is completely pain free. That is if you take them to a reputable office. It is however too late to get them done. They need to be done earlier before the cartilage has time to form in their ears. This is key when trying to crop ears because you use that time frame when the cartilage is developing to get them to stand up to the desired style. This is done in stages by taping the ears. Even through this stage the dog is still very much comfortable and active. If you have more questions about it though contact a local breeder and your vet.

Answer 2

I have owned 6 dobermans in my life all were cropped, I would never have another dobies ears done. Its very painful to the dog and silly and vain if your dog is not going to be a show dog. In England you cant show them I'm told if they have been cropped. I will say again Id never do anything like that for pure vanity again ,I have realized how cruel it is to one of the most intelligent loving dog breeds in the world. I have a Chihuahua now and her ears stand on their on and if they didn't well too bad.Think long and hard about the ear cropping people will tell you it doesn't hurt the dog because hes put under to do it but when the feeling comes back they are in pain,and you must clean and change the dressings,we used the plastic tampons to support the ears as they healed.Its not only painful to the dog but very time consuming for you .And they don't always stand up after all that work by vets and you and the poor dog. good luck

Answer 3

If your intention is to have this Doberman's ear stand, then it is entirely too late to ensure that will be the outcome. The surgery is optimal when performed between 7-16 weeks of age.

I live in the Bay Area and all my Dobermans have had their ears cropped through their breeders before, or as part of the purchase agreement. Most Bay Area vets are reluctant to crop ears these days. They've all jumped on the "its cosmetic only" bandwagon.

For those that think it is cosmetic only, note this -- originally cropping the ears and docking the tail of a Doberman was done to prevent an attacker from having some part of the dog to grab on to. For some, this is STILL the reason to perform these so-called cosmetic changes. And contrary to popular belief, many veterinarians agree the incidence of ear infections in breeds with erect standing ears is far less than in breeds with droopy, pendulous ears.

Good luck at finding a vet but I will tell you this -- if the vet you have the appointment with will crop your dog's ears at 12 months of age, I'd be concerned...very concerned.

Answer 4

Cropping the ears is the choice of the owner. I don't like it when others says "don't do it" !!!! No different than an individual who has cosmetic surgery !!!! To each their own !!!!!! I've owned Dobermans for many, many years. I had most of their ears done,but I did keep two dogs ears natural, only because I wanted a couple natural. All the dogs that I had their ears done showed no signs of pain or distress and they all healed nicely. I am sorry to say though that it is too late for you to have your dog's ears cropped. They are to be done around 12 weeks of age. Even though you can't get his ears done now I know he still is beautiful. Right now I have two females with their ears done and one male with natural ears and all three are beautiful.

Answer 5

Cropping should be done between 7 & 10 weeks of age. It's very difficult to get the ears to "stand" properly when the cropping is done later and I've never heard of a vet doing a crop on an adult but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. You should consult the vets in your area to see if it's possible. I would imagine an adult would really resist the taping and would work to dislodge it from their ears.

There are actually valid functional reasons to crop a Dobe's ears. Because yours is a guard dog, cropped ears give attackers less to grab on to and cropped ears are better sound conductors.

Answer 6

Talk to your vet about it. Normally cropping is done as a puppy. The only reason cropping is done though is for cosmetic reasons. It is your choice, but it is a lot of money to put out for a dog that doesnt sound like it will be shown at dog shows and will just be cosmetic. It does hurt the dog...IMHO unecessarily.

Answer 7

Our pit bull champion had his ears cropped before we bought him. He suffered from painful bouts of earaches. I would not recommend cropping if he is not going to be inside a lot. Advice from the family vet.

Answer 8

I don't know your area, but a breeder told me the ears should be cropped by seven months, after 7 weeks there can be no grantee the ears will look right or stay upright.

Answer 9

Cropping of ears is completely unnecessary and is only for cosmetic purposes.

Most people will tell you that any 'cropping' is unnecessary and for cosmetic purposes. However, tail cropping in many breeds of hunting dogs was done to keep the tail from becoming injured in the brush.

The removing of dew claws is done to prevent them from becoming torn off. This sadly happened to my poodle many years ago and was horribly painful to him. He got it caught in my mothers afghan when jumping off the bed and it tore about 1/2 inch. I am a strong proponent of having dew claws removed from puppies.

I added this so that you will know that I'm not one of those people that believes any surgical alteration is cruel and abusive. I believe that necessary alterations for the health and safety of the dog should be made but alterations for purely cosmetic reasons should not.

Answer 10

A year is rather late for the best result but certainly "do-able".

PLEASE....don't listen to the AR/humaniac/peta-NUTZ!!!
Your dog,your choice!!!

Cropping ( or docking either!) is NOT"mean" or "cruel" or any other *B-S* buzz-word the "cry-babies" spew!! They've never even SEEN the procedure,let alone DONE DOZENS!!!