| Hi there - We had 2 of each (now just one cropped , the other 2 natural) -
in the US, if you're going to show a Dobe, you better have cropped ears, because they just barely even look at natural ones - but most of the rest of the world either has now banned cropping, or will accept either - and in many places, they no longer dock the tails, either. You can look at my gallery, and see that they are wonderful either way. The cropped ears give that traditional serious and intelligent Doberman air, while the natural ears give them a softer, kinder, more approachable demeanor. Of course, they are the same in reality. Personally, I can't see any reason to crop their ears if they aren't going to be shown - unless they are a serious working dog who might get the ears caught in something, bitten or mangled, or used as handles to incapacitate them. People are genuinely less fearful when they're natural (sometimes rightly so, sometimes that's a mistake! Depends on where you meet up with them, right?) lois |