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To crop or not to crop........

2K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  Lexus 
#1 ·
I always told myself that if I got a dobe I would not do its ears. I think they are cute natural, but now that I have the pup I am having second thoughts and I'm not sure what I should do:help_up_2 Dobes are not common in my area so people just think they come in black and no other colors. Now Cedric is red and has natural ears and I have people asking me "what kind of dog is that SUPPOSE to be??" they act like he is just some mutt I picked up somewhere! And when you tell them what he is they don't really act like they believe me either! Soooo I have been thinking about cropping but don't know anything about it. What all is involved with getting his ears to stand properly once it's done? Any info on all aspects of cropping would be great! Also, what age do you think is best to get them neutered? all the vets here say 6 months but I'd like to do it before he learns any bad habits (marking ect).
 
#2 ·
Hmmm, I thought the ideal time was at 9 to 12 weeks. At 6 months, it would take longer for the ears to stand......When I got my girl, her ears were cropped at 9 weeks. We had to have her ears posted until she was almost 8 months before I was comfortable about them not falling. She has a long show crop which takes longer to stand. A shorter crop or military crop, might have a better success with.... standing at that age. I am not sure that at 6 months, if cropping the ears is such a good idea.....Maybe others will have more info on that.
 
#4 ·
We are still posting Duke's ears consistanly and he got them done about 2 1/2 months ago. We have been using the taping instructions on this site http://dobermanpages.com/index.htm and its pretty helpful with the step by step pictures. Everyone in this forum pretty helpful and much more knowledgable then myself but from what ive seen, if your going to go ahead with the cropping then you should be completely commited to the aftercare. I have heard of neutering really early. we are actually getting Duke done this wednesday (im so nervous) and he is only 4 1/2 months. i wanted to wait until 6 months but we will babysitting his sister for a couple of months and dont want he to go into heat while shes here and him not be neutered. anyways im done babeling good luck and congrats on the newest member of your family!
 
#5 ·
Thats good.....I would recommend contacting a reputable doberman breeder in your area to see who crops for them. If the vet is cropping the ears, then you need to make sure what crop they do and how it looks. Taping and posting needs to be down religiously to make sure everything will succeed.

here is some info on ear tapping...
http://www.dpca-breedered.com/ears1.htm

http://bakaridobes.westhost.com/postingears

hope this helps....
 
#6 ·
The people I got him from had my vet do it to one of there dobes, one ear didn't stand but they said it was because one of there other dobes kept biting the others ears. If I have it done I will certainly follow through with the whole thing, my dogs are my life.....only the best for them:) I''ll definitly read the links provided, thanks. Sarahy, the pup on your link looks just like my Cedric:)
 
#7 · (Edited)
Hello and welcome. You have gotten good advice on contacting some breeders and finding out who does their dog's ears, you can even check with some boxer breeders too if you can't find any local dobie breeders. What about where your pup came from? If he was from a breeder, please contact them, maybe they can offer some advice for you, even if they aren't local perhaps they would be willing to research a good vet for you to consult with.

I feel compelled to say though, that ear cropping isn't easy. It is a commitment that can be rather lengthy to achieve success at. But after it is finally said and done and the ears are up, you honestly forget all the energy and aggrevation that went into it. It took my girl about 3 months to stand perfectly, as you've heard I'm sure, it can sometimes take others much much longer. If you aren't comfortable with doing it, don't decide to do it just so other people are happy with your dog.

As for neutering, I don't recommend really neutering to much before 6 months, and generally that is what most vets will recommend to you also.

Best wishes and let us know what you decide!

EDIT: I didn't read your last post about the people you got your dog from, and their ear crop, so omit that okay!
 
#8 ·
poodles&adobie said:
I always told myself that if I got a dobe I would not do its ears. I think they are cute natural.

Now Cedric is red and has natural ears and I have people asking me "what kind of dog is that SUPPOSE to be??" they act like he is just some mutt I picked up somewhere! And when you tell them what he is they don't really act like they believe me either! Soooo I have been thinking about cropping but don't know anything about it.
I think everyone else has done a good job of answering your questions so the only thing I will say is this. Based on your first post it sounds to me like you really dont want to crop your dogs ears but may do it so other people believe that you have a doberman? If I were you I would do what YOU think is best for your dog and not worry what other people think about you or what type of dog you have. My 2 cents.

TD
 
#9 ·
TakirasDad said:
I think everyone else has done a good job of answering your questions so the only thing I will say is this. Based on your first post it sounds to me like you really dont want to crop your dogs ears but may do it so other people believe that you have a doberman? If I were you I would do what YOU think is best for your dog and not worry what other people think about you or what type of dog you have. My 2 cents.

TD
Ditto!

Trust me, when he's 6 months old, 50lbs and starting to fill out, there will be no doubt that he's a Dobe whether you have his ears cropped or not!
We got a lot of "Rott mix?" comments when Chi was very young. I didn't have her ears done and she really does have feet the size of a Rott :) But she's coming on 6 months now and is recognizable as a Dobe to anyone who sees her :)
 
#11 ·
I called around and talked to some Vets today and they are telling me 10/11 weeks is already to old to crop his ears and there would be a good chance they would not stand. The Vets in my area (I live Way out) are basically large animal vets, they do small animals but they don't really specialize in it. Sooo I don't think I'm going to have Cedric done, I don't want a non exsperienced Vet making a mess of him. So I will let him keep his long, soft ears:) and I'm sure he'll be glad I didn't put him through it all:) I do like cropped dobes but I like the uncropped ones also which is why I couldn't decide which way to go but after talking to the Vets they made my mind up for me, they said they do maybe 4 or 5 crops a year, I don't think that is quite enough exsperience. So, Thanks for all of the input, I enjoyed reading your posts.
 
#13 ·
well, i may be getting into this thread late.. I was trying to see any photos of your babies but can't find them.. where are you from and how old is your dog again???I have raised Dobermans since 1974 and most vets will crop till age about 16 week but really don't like too.. between 8-12 is better.. some of the time it is more because they are waiting on them to get a lot of their shots in... Now I have Natural and Cropped Dobermans.. I crop at 9 to 10 weeks.. I keep the ears up for 3 week and have never had one fall but I do not have my dogs in a long show crop. Well, good luck in what ever you do with you dog..and welcome to the forum..
 
#14 ·
I'm glad you decided to do want YOU wanted to do. I have seen a few dobergirls in my area that got cropped from an inexperienced vet and it does show that. The ears were either too long or they look very odd. Its better to have it done by an experienced person and get it done right. Also the religiously posting the ears is a love/hate relationship for a first time doberman owner, which I am. I got my girl with her ears already cropped, so I had to learn this quickly and then do this until the ears would stand. Even though my girl's ears look good, I still think I could have done a better job with them.....

Also, when they do grow up, they will still look like a doberman and act like a doberman. Natural ears give them a softer look than cropped looked, but you still have the same dog inside....
 
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