Is my puppy too old to have his ears cropped?

Question

My Doberman just turned 3 months old yesterday, but I was reading that they ideally should have them cropped at 7-10 weeks, and he's 12. I've been thinking of getting them done, but I'm worried that if i did, it was go to waste.

Also, can someone tell me their personal experience? It would really be appreciated.

Thank you!

Answer 1

There are allot of different opinions on ear cropping for age



However I have boxers all of which have their ears cropped. A pup should be between the ages of 8-16 weeks of age. I generally have mine done at 12 weeks of age due to my vet wanting pups to have at least their 2nd set of vaccinations.



You should contact your local Doberman club as they would be happy to give you referrals to the best qualified and experienced vet who does cropping. The members also would be happy to help with the after care and can teach you how to post the ears yourself once the stitches are removed.



Keep in mind that once the ears have been cropped that they need to be cleaned at least twice daily and then once the stitches are removed they will need to be posted every 10 days until they stand on their own.



Cropping is about $450-$500 where I am with the postings being $15 every 10 days if you do not do them yourself. (Not hard you can be shown quite easily) The posting can be anywhere from 1 month to 12+months depending on the cut you choose and the thickness of the ear leather.



I had a pup of mine have his ears cropped at 16 weeks of age due to his getting kennel cough from the vaccine, so that of course put the cropping off a few weeks. His ears turned of beautiful and is doing quite well in the ring to boot.



Having a pups ears cropped are a personal decision for each owner, just think first and make sure that you can do the after care and keep up with the postings.



Whatever your decision it will be the right one for you.

Answer 2

A puppy is cropped when he/she reaches a certain body weight to deal with the anesthetic- my last Doberman was cropped around 8 weeks (memory). 12 weeks is on the outer bound of what most would advocate - because the ear will be more difficult to train to stand.



My personal experience is the procedure is pretty routine if done by an experienced vet. In my last puppies case the procedure the vet took was:



- crop and have ears standing wrapped in tape for 24 hours (this is to set the cartilage)

- after 24 hours removed tape and let ears fall naturally. This is to allow the ears to heal and takes about 9-10 days

- at 10 days the stitches are removed. At this point the ears are completely healed - but now the process of making them stand begins.

- Ears are taped and remain in tape for a period of months.



My Dobes ears were done in a show crop - it meant taping every week with only a few hours break between taping - I believe they were standing around 9 months. It was a long and tedious process and not something I enjoyed - but it certainly wasn't painful for the dog.



Your dogs ear leather (the thickness of his/her ear) will affect the outcome - and an experienced vet who has cropped many dogs should be able to recommend the best option.



To summarize: Its not cropping that is the issue at 12 weeks - its training the cartilage to stand erect. If you wait much longer, I don't expect any vet would recommend it and personally, I would not do it because I would rather have a natural eared Doberman than a dog that is cropped with ears askew...



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The "old way" of cropping was to tape the ears while stitches were still in. This is NOT DONE now. The ear is left to heal naturally without tape and this ensures there is no ear rot.

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A smaller dog will have an easier time- a Doberman that has very large ears takes more work to stand . I had a female 55 lbs - cropped and stood by 5 months. The dog still had a show crop.

Answer 3

Here's my opinion.



I would have purchased a Doberman from a reputable breeder who crops the puppies ears BEFORE placing them in prospective homes. That way you know the crop will turn out provided it is the same veterinarian who did the parents ears, and thus complications and heartache from a botched crop job are eliminated.



Personally I think you should leave the ears natural. I hate military crops and I only like the show crops which is a cut so the ears are longer and up. Military crops are shorter and more triangular and I don't care for them but that is my opinion. In your case because you have left the ears until 12 weeks and the puppies ears were not cropped earlier a military crop would probably stand better for you.



However, with that being said, I think you should just leave the ears natural to avoid heartache of the ears turning out horrible, going through lots of expense and pain on the dogs part for a crop that doesn't work out.



I'd rather have a Dobe with natural ears (although I prefer cropped) than a Dobe with badly cropped ears.



But my opinion once again!

Answer 4

7-10 weeks is ideal 12 weeks is the absolute latest for this breed. Any later than that and there is a very good chance the ears won't stand. As a couple other posters also stated I would not recommend a show crop at this point, you would have a much better chance of them standing properly with a more moderate crop (commonly called a pet crop) given you are pushing the cut off date.

Answer 5

Most reputable breeders have the puppies ears done before they go to their new homes.



At 12 weeks of age, if you are doing a show crop you may be too late. If you are going to have a military crop done then you may still be able to do it, but you would have to do it immediately.



Contact your local Doberman Club to find the best vet to do this in your area.



Here is some information on Dobermans and ear cropping and the different type of crops.



ADD: Please note that cropping is much less dangerous then spaying or neutering. Spaying and neutering actually shortens dogs lives and is completely elective surgery.



Dogs do not die or have long term health issues from cropping.



I wonder why people who have a problem with ear cropping are the same folks who promote spay and neuter.



Here is some science on the dangers of spay and neuter.



http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf







http://www.dobermanclub.org/Buying_Puppy/ears.html

Answer 6

12 weeks is usually the *cut off* date. (Pardon the pun) If you're going to do it do it NOW. I can tell you for a FACT it's not too late. I purchased my first Dobe from a horrible breeder almost 30 years ago. On top of him being ill when I bought him, he ended up with Parvo, probably from the Vet's office. Anyway, he survived and I got his ears cropped at 13 weeks. It was NOT a show crop but also NOT a terribly short crop. HIs ears stood just fine, but I was diligent on the taping. In the case of cropping a Dobe a little later then normal, it helps if there is a little more cartilage left at the base of the ear to support the weight of the ear leather. So, if your going to do it, do it now. Just make sure you know what the outcome of the cropping will look like. Ask the Vet you choose to show you pictures of past dogs they've cropped or take a picture with you of how you want it cropped. I would NOT go with a show crop at this age.

Answer 7

He's now too old. TECHNICALLY, some will try to do it up until 16 weeks, but you are really pushing it. The cartilage has already begun hardening, and the chances of a bad crop job are extremely high.

Answer 8

12 weeks is on the outside...have them done a little shorter rather than longer to ensure they stand.



I have a cropped and docked breed -- see my avatar. I have them cropped at 7 weeks, but in the past because the anesthestic wasn't as safe as now, they used to do the pups later -- up to 12 weeks.

Answer 9

All of my Dobes had their ears all healed up, stitches removed, bandages off, and ears braced by the age of 11 weeks. I have known people who waited longer but ended up putting their dogs through a lot of pain (you have to clean and stretch the stitched ears every day) and only got floppy ears for the time, trouble and expense.



Unless you can find a veterinarian who is also a truly expert ear cropper, AND can give you some sort of guarantee (very unlikely) AND you are very experienced with cropped ears, too, I'd say: don't do it.

Answer 10

Your dog is not a fashion statement. It is not an extension of your vanity. It's a living, feeling thing and if you are willing to have it carved up just to appease your own vanity, a procedure that does not benefit your dog in any way but merely causes it pain, suffering and poses numerous risks, then you should not own a dog. If you really loved your pet, you'd love it regardless of it's appearance and wouldn't try to 're-design' it as if it were an object. The anesthesia necessary for such a procedure is risky, especially for a puppy. That's assuming you'd even bother with it - you clearly aren't concerned with your dogs welfare. Dogs also communicate using their ears and tails and ear cropping effects their ability to respond to one another. Not to mention the pain that will follow such an operation. There is a reason why ear cropping and tail docking has been banned in many areas, because it's cruel and pointless. I hope you live in one of these areas and your dog is removed from your 'care'.

Please provide me with one justification for this crop that isn't based on your own shallow conception of how a 'show' dog should look? if you had a child - and animals are as vulnerable as children, completely reliant on your care - and you didn't like it's freckles, or the size of it's nose, and you felt the child should look how you believed it was 'supposed' to look, how would you explain that to your kid? Mum doesn't care how much you suffer, as long as you look how she wants? she can modify you how she pleases? there are no arguments for cropping that aren't selfish, or based on the sometimes cruel 'show' dog culture that regards dogs as mere fashion objects. The dog doesn't care how it looks, you do not have your dogs best interests in mind; you have your own, and that makes you a poor owner.



Countries where docking/cropping is banned - Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, the Virgin Islands, Norway and the United Kingdom. Doesn't that tell you all you need to know? Your actions are largely accepted as barbaric enough to be worthy of punishment "This is contested by a wide range of groups and is often considered a form of animal cruelty and torture."

Answer 11

No worries Ive heard of them done at 4 months. I like em cropped better too ;nice breed I love dobermans!

Answer 12

No.



Cropping Ears is for like 4-5 months old.



I love Doberman's to.



Doberman's are so smart, loyal, easy to train, and protective.



But I hate people saying that Doberman's are aggressive and bad dog's.



We have a Doberman for 14 years and it just died in March 5,2008



Thats the saddest day of my life.



Please train and care for your Doberman properly.



You don't know how lucky you are I want a Doberman badly again.



My dog for now is a 2 month old female Chihuahua



And oh if you like training tips just look it up here: http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com/

Answer 13

I think it's usually done between 3-4 months of age.



Ask your Vet.

Answer 14

It is not too late but at this age it will hurt him a bunch and it will take a very long time to heal. If I were you I would just leave them natural and not make your dog go through the suffering.

Answer 15

Too late - just leave the ears natural.

Answer 16

I wouldn't know.

I have never taken a dog to have an OPTIONAL part of his body sliced off.



Unfortunately, the slicing doesn't always take as you would like it and sometimes it lays down.

OOPSIE!

Then what?

Answer 17

It`s NEVER to late.

Answer 18

i don't think you should. LMFAO! ^^^^^^^ your very welcome. :)