I have a pure bred German Shepherd who is now 4.5 months old. Gunner is his name, I purchased him on a non-breeding contract, but plan on titling hime, and showing too, then I might breed him....not sure yet. He is registered with the CKC with a 5 generation pedigree, and a health guarantee till 24 months. He is German Line bred into American lines....he has German Working lines in his pedigree. His one left ear was tattooed and hasn't made any attempt to stand yet....meanwhile his other ear is up. I taped it, and when it is removed it stands halfway then goes back down. I need some advise on what method of taping works. Below are pics of him at 4 months, 7 and 9 weeks old. Serious answers only please...
http://s85.photobucket.com/albums/k57/rubytuesday_16/?action=view¤t=gunneroutside.jpg
http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2995688150100338454OWyTcG
http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2289905010100338454OxTYLV
2007-03-13 19:03:54 · 6 answers · asked by justice_kennels16 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
I just sent a pic of your dog to a well known GSD breeder. Please keep your question open until I hear back from her.
Here is good info about GSD ears> http://www.leerburg.com/tapingears.htm.
More on ears>http://showcase.netins.net/web/royalair/eartaping.htm
http://www.royalair.org/eartaping.htm
http://www.wikihow.com/Tape-up-Those-Stubborn-German-Shepherd-Puppy-Ears
Here is quote from breeder>
tatooing wouldn't damage the ear. genetics is the big one. He needs to tape the ear right away because if it isn't up by 8 months it wont come up. he also needs to supplement with calcium from raw bones or yogurt. To tape it , he needs to get the grey pipe insulation and use water soluble glue to glue
them in, then use surgical tape to tape both ears together.
big ears allways need posting lol, they tend to be too heavy to stand on their own. the short tightly set ears seem to never have to be taped.
Luke's ear had to be taped his lines are pure american show line. the other
4 are a mix of german working and american show lines and they never had ear issues....genetics does weird things some times lol.<<
she also sent me a pic to illustrate the taping she uses, if you want to email me, I will forward the pic.
2007-03-13 20:15:28 · answer #1 · answered by Chetco 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
What a handsome guy!
Now on to the importsnt stuff. I see in all the pictures that ear is down, and in the one where both ears are down that ear seems to be down lower. Was he already tatooed in that picture? Do you know if there was a difference between the ears before the tattoo? It is possible it may have done some damage, but I don't know...it could also just be one of his quirks. My GSD had floppy ears for the longest time. They still don't stand up like they're supposed to. He had a lot of ear probles as a youngster too. (and he's a very poor specimen of the breed, if there's a problem GSDs are prone to, he's got it)
As far as taping, I'm not fmilar with any of the methods. However, you may want to either ask a vet or take him in to a vet and ask about the ear and if it's possible that it's caused by the tattoo. If it is, I would suspect the breeder would include this in their guarantee (I'm assuming he was tattooed before you got him? Perhaps i'm wrong...) If, however, you tatooed him after you got him, and it was not one of the breeder's stipulations, it probably won't be covered, though there may be a very slim chance that it is.
You can always just hope it will stand on its own eventually, or coninue the taping method you've been using since it gets it to stand up a little for st least a short time - this might be a sign of improvement.
Whatever the case, good luck! I hope this guy work out well for you, I love the German lines:)
In response to some other answers - please do not give a calciu supplement, especially before you ask a vet about it! Calcium can cause a lot of problems in large quantities. You can give a multivitamin, such as PetTabs, if you would like to. As far as glue on the ears - I'd be wary here, as some glues can irritate the skin and cause more problems for you and the puppy. Whatever you do, do NOT use superglue! Medical tape would probably be your best bet. Also, do not feed yougurt unless your vet approves of it first. It was cause a lot of gastrointestinal issues, especially in puppies, and milk products generally aren't good for dogs anyway.
2007-03-13 19:18:05 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would wait another few months before you think about taping again. The ears should stand. 4.5 months is too young to tape right now. Look at the links given to you for taping. When you tape an ear on a Shepherd, you should tape both of them and brace them on top of the head. There are some breeders that even glue the inside edges of the ears together on top of the head. If you new that there was even a chance of breeding this boy, then why did you buy one on a non-breeding contract? Does this breeder have a contract where they will revoke the non-breeding contract if he passes hip and elbow certification and gets titled? Just be patient for now with the ears. Also do not give this puppy extra calcium!!!! If he is on a quality food, he will be getting enough from his food. Pups can absorb too much calcium, and it can be detrimental to him.
If Verminator read your question carefully he would of figured out that you meant Canadian Kennel Club, instead of continental.
Added: Extra supplementation with calcium can lead to bone problems! I would not trust a GSD breeder that tells anyone to give extra calcium to a puppy!
2007-03-14 00:46:23 · answer #3 · answered by bear 2 zealand © 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nice looking puppy.. strong bone and nice head.. what are his lines?
What are you feeding him? See if you can get some calcium lactate at Walgreens... they will have to order it for you.. (about 5 bucks)
You will give him a tablet a day for 3 days.. then stop and see what happens.. wait a few days and try it again... be careful with these... always give a couple days break after 3 days..
Now, on top of that i would get him some plain fat free yogurt (has the most calcium in it) and give him some of this every day at meal time... you can mix it with egg a couple of times per week also.
The puppy in my picture is having *floppy ear problems* at this time also... lol
If you are going to title in Schutzhund.. as long as the dog can do the work it can get the title.. floppy ear or not. Guy in St Louis area has real high scoring dog that has an ear that looks just like your guys...
GOOD LUCK
http://360.yahoo.com/sewwoodyou
owner of 6 working line GSD's
2007-03-13 19:16:04 · answer #4 · answered by H.O.T. Dog 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
He is lovely indeed but having looked at the photos I suspect it may never stand up. I know some GSD's have a floppy ear and it never rises. As the one in question looks so completely different to the other ear I think thats whats going to happen here.
2007-03-13 19:10:50 · answer #5 · answered by Tiffers 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
if you have a non breeding contact you will not be able to reg the puppies from a breed. as to the ear wait for chateo answer
2007-03-14 00:02:58 · answer #6 · answered by Skyhoss 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋