Why crop a dog's ears?

Question

OK, I admit I am instinctively against the idea of ear cropping, (so this IS part rant - lol) but have to admit also that I know very little about it.

Why do it? Why are some breeds cropped? Ear cropping has far more to do with surgery than breeding, surely - so that argument doesn't seem to hold water.

Is there any benefit to doing this?

I can't help but see it as unnecessary surgery at best.

Unless you know different. Can anyone enlighten me?

Anthropomorphism = attributing human emotions, characteristics or behaviour to an animal, deity or inanimate object.

Thanks GitEmGang, but I already knew that and I'm well aware that there are differences between dogs and humans.

That doesn't help me to understand the reasons for ear cropping. Thankfully other people have taken the trouble to explain.

You're fairly certain that I'm "uneducable". Ever tried looking that word up? You'll find it doesn't exist. I believe the word you're looking for is "ineducable". However, as this section is for people to ask about dogs and not vocabulary, unless you have anything further to add, I'll leave the English Language there. Stop pretending to be more educated than you are!

If you'd bothered/managed to read my questions properly, you'd have realised that they were requests for information. Information that you either wouldn't or couldn't provide.

Note that I admitted a lack of knowledge on the subject in my original posting!

P.S. LMAO.....smooch!

How odd. Whilst I consider ear cropping to me more offensive than docking, I have given the "Best Answer" to my docking question to someone obviously anti-docking, and I'm about to give "best answer" to this question to a pro-docking answer.

I didn't expect that, but those were the answers I learned most from.

Thanks to those who took the trouble to answer, in particular Erin7 and someone whose name I don't remember. I learned from you too and I'm sorry I couldn't have given out more "best answers".

Answer 1

I actually own an uncropped doberman but i wish she was because she has managed to break the cartilage in her ears 5 times (clumsy dog :-) she also broke her tail which was bad enough to require removal of over half her tail. Some hunting breeds had their ears and tails done to minimise damage by animals or chasing quarry thru rough bush. As a child my parents owned a great dane (uncropped ) who had extremly weak veins in her ears. She died of an infection after she burst a vein in her ear. The ear had to be drained after it blew up with blood but because of the weak veins it continued to bleed for 2 weeks and infection set in because the wound wouldnt heal and stitches would have only made it worse. In some larger breeds ear and tail cropping is done as a preventative measure for many reasons although admittedly as the dogs often arent used for their original purpose (hunting) its now largely cosmetic but problems do occur.

Answer 2

Dogs who show with cropped ears are dogs who traditionally had their ears cropped for their jobs. Originally, ears were cropped so that whatever they were trying to get (badgers, rats, other dogs) couldn't get a hold of them. They were cropped a lot shorter than the way we crop them today. Dogs that are bred to fight will have cropped ear similar to how they were cropped 100 years ago: done at home by the owner with no anesthetic. It's more or less "tradition" these days.
Some people say that cropping ears helps decrease ear infections, but we've had 4 schnauzers and only one (the 1st, it was the 70s, you didn't NOT crop back then) had cropped ears. None of the others have ever had an ear infection.

Answer 3

Ear cropping originated for the fighting breeds: boxers, pit bulls, etc, like tail docking. A dog with cropped ears can't get dragged around the ring by them and lose tons of blood from all those blood vessels. Eventually the cropped look came to represent ferocity, and it made the jump to guard breeds like Dobermans and Great Danes. All these breeds are required to have cropped ears if they are to compete in the show ring, keeping the style alive even for owners who don't show.

Answer 4

depends on which dog it is thats been cropped. the dogs that were used for fighting like the pit bulls, staffies etc had ears cropped and tails docked so that the other dog had less to grab and bite whilst fighting (less to grab=easier to win) also they make the dog look more fierce. its only the UNEDUCATED people that still believe it should still be done and as for the hunting dogs well to be honest i cant see the point and everybody ive known who have hunting dogs havent cropped or docked there dogs and it hasn't hinderd there performance in the slightest.

Answer 5

I personally have owned dogs with cropped ears and docked tails, but not by my own doing. The reason for the cropping of ears and docking of tails goes back to the original use of the breed. Fighting breeds and bull baiting breeds had their ears cropped and tails docked to minimize the chance for injury to those parts of their body. Terriers had theirs done for very similar reasons. Some breeds had their tails docked because they curl when they grow long and can cause hygiene issues. Most of it continues today to show purebred breeds in the capacity that they were originally intended for.

Many of the breed associations are going to looser requirements because unless the dog is being used in the same capacity, there is no reason to have them cropped and docked. I know Boxers (my current breed) are allowed in the show ring with cropped or uncropped ears. It is just a matter of time before it is a matter of personal choice instead of breed requirement and I think it will start to dissipate. Many breed associations in Europe do not allow cropping and docking for the very reason that you don't like it.

Answer 6

I agree with all of the above answers. It is not necessary and is one of my pet peaves. As far as I'm concerned ear cropping is inhumane. I think the practice came about more with people who show dogs, at first, then others picked up on the look. I have bulldogs and that is one breed you see a lot of dogs with their ears cropped. If there is no benefit to the dog there is no reason for it.

Answer 7

Cropping tails and ears were done originally to help a dog do its job. That said, dogs no longer have "jobs". The rottweiler that used to have its tail cropped to keep it from being stepped on by the animals it was herding doesnt need to have it cropped now. Unless of course you are one of those awful people who would force your dog to have unnecessary surgery so it can meet the breed "standard" to win dog shows.

Answer 8

Why? So the people who own the dog can project "hardness" onto themselves, as docked ears and tails tend to be done on dogs with unsavoury reputations, eg Dobies, Staffies, Rotties, etc. I have lost count of the retarded nylon-clad trash who own such dogs, usually named "Tyson". It's not the dogs fault, as I know from experience they can be gentle and loyal, but dafties will always try to find a way of compensating for their sense of inadequacy.

Answer 9

I have Great Danes, and traditionally they had their ears cropped as they were used for hunting wild boar, so that their ears didn't get torn during the chase.
I live in France and nowhere in Europe allows Danes to have their ears cropped now (I think it is horrible anyway!) but in America they still crop and this can only be for cosmetic reasons, it is totally unnecessary.

Answer 10

When we got my chihuahua her ears were down and our vet recommended cropping her ears. But he said another alternative was just to rub her ears like and hour a day while she's a puppy, and they should go up. But we never did.

It is mainly for people who want their dogs in dog shows. It isn't a big deal. I'm all for a dog's feelings or whatever but yeah. It really isn't.