In the US, an ethical breeder will crop and dock the puppy before sending it home. In rare situations they may choose not to crop the litter - usually if it's a working breeder and they know at least some of the puppies will be competing in Europe.

Since I prefer an ethical breeder, one who breeds to the written Standard, any puppy I get will be cropped and docked per the Standard.

 

I think it was originally done to make them look more intimidating for when Doberman was going around collecting. Now I believe its mostly for the same reasons and for the standard, some people think it prevents ear infections, having owned a floppy eared dog and a prick eared dog, I have to say prick ears are wonderful for no ear infections, in her case anyways.

 

It might have had a purpose in the beginning of the breed, but it's mainly cosmetic now. As far as the whole "upright ears are healthier" that you frequently hear, my German Shepherd, with nice, upright ears, has had more ear infections in her ten years than every other dog I've owned, combined.

In the US, good breeders will almost always have their puppies cropped before sending them to their new homes. There are a very few who will leave a puppy's ears natural. Pretty much the only good breeders who will also leave the tails are going to be working line breeders, where there is the likelihood that some of the puppies will be sold either to someone overseas, or to someone who is hoping to compete overseas, since there are some places where cropping and docking are banned.

 

I agree that it is cosmetic. In terms of ear health, floppy eared hairy dogs have been the worst in my experience (infections), then cropped short haired dogs (constantly dirty), and then flop eared short haired dogs (cleanest).

 

This is the best response to the question you could find.

Ears | DPCA

dpca.org

 

As far as cropped ears being "healthier"--sure hasn't been my experience. In general my Dobermans don't often have ear infections but the dog that never had ear infections was my Afghan Hound--drop ear with lots and lots of hair--he never had an ear infection.

And as far as why cropped ears--there is some evidence to support the belief they were originally cropped because it made them look more dangerous. Docking was a long standing way of identifying "working" dogs (exempt from some kinds of taxation),

dobebug

 

I have known of many "natural" dogs that have broken their tail and had chronic problems or had to amputate it. I have also known of many with uncropped ears that got hematomas and they had to install drainers and eventually they cauliflowered. Also, I prefer the cropped and docked look and since I am the breeder, I get to choose.

 

Dobebug, that might be the first I'm hearing of the tax benefit.

Anecdotally, the only dog I've ever met with happy tail was a Lab. My first Dobe had an ear hematoma - allergies seem to be an often cited cause. I also know of a Mal and a GSD that developed ear hematomas. So. . . .

 

I have heard that the original idea of cropping and docking was to give the dog fewer "handles" for a bad guy to grab if the dog were set on him.

 

I had a dog with an ear hematoma. She was an Australian Cattle Dog mix, who managed to somehow break the cartilage in one of her small, naturally upright ears. The only dog I've ever had with a tail injury was Gin, and that was because I accidentally shut the back door on on her tail, and broke it.

 

From owning pits and argentine dogos back home, ears shortened and tail docked were almost always done to limit the ability of being torn in a fight with another animal or human. It has the added benefit of allowing fresh air to the ear which may reduce the chances of ear infections or built up wax.

I used to have a beagle, lab, and weimaraner, all of which had wax build up issues with there floppy ears. No infections but just excess wax.

Lastly my lab was bit at the park one day by another dog and her ear was split from shaking away. The ear carries a decent amount of blood there and when torn she was bleeding out a lot. (Luckily i was able to clot and have stitched) this can be fatal.

Now a days i would say its for looks. There are folks who still get them cropped for working reasons or for the “standard” when showing them for judging.

Does anyone have a book or some historical info on dobermans? Might be something there to read

 

From owning pits and argentine dogos back home, ears shortened and tail docked were almost always done to limit the ability of being torn in a fight with another animal or human. It has the added benefit of allowing fresh air to the ear which may reduce the chances of ear infections or built up wax.

I saw the reason for the short crop in fighting dogs myself when 2 neutered Rottie males I fostered got into a fight. The loser's ears were basically skinned. He had to have the ears amputated shorter than any crop.

However, in the decades I had Rottweilers, I never had one that had an ear infection. Even my allergy girl, who had an unusual build up of brown gunk in her ears that needed weekly cleaning (until the allergies were controlled), never actually got an infection. We had one in rescue that had recurring problems. Taking her off the high protein food the foster was feeding fixed that. So some breeds or individuals may be prone, but I don't believe all drop-eared dogs are prone to ear infections.

As to cropping ears in protection breeds like Dobermans, I really believe it's cosmetic. They look more intimidating and that's the purpose. Heck, IMO a Rottie with a tail loses half its intimidation factor.

 

"I mostly see that people crop the ears of their Doberman dog. I asked many owners, but everyone told me different reasons."

If you asked this owner , I would give you only one reason: Our dogs all have had cropped ears, because.... Currently, in the US, the overwhelming percentage of breeders that I would consider buying a puppy from, send their pups home cropped, docked and with their dew claws removed. And while I actually prefer the look of a cropped Doberman, if and when reputable breeders start offering Dobe pups with natural ears, and if I end up with one, I would probably leave it that way. Tail and dew claws? Those, I would prefer "disappeared! LOL

John L
Portland OR

 

All reputable breeders crop ears before puppies leave for their prospective homes in the USA. As someone mentioned in working dogs going to Europe, the breeder may opt leave the pup natural.
It’s in the AKC standard for Doberman. Until the standard is changed my Doberman will have cropped ears.
Any breeder allowing a puppy to leave their home uncropped.. and allowing the new owner to decide and ferret out a cropper.. is NO REPUTABLE BREEDER!

 

Why are they not reputable if they make the decision to leave it to the new owner.?

 

On this site all you will see over and over again is that if a breeder lets you keep natural ears then that breeder is a total loser from the backyard. If you are not showing your dog and you prefer natural ears, you as the owner should have the final say. I've had 3 Dobes with natural ears and no ear health problems whatsoever. The only dog I've owned with ear problems was a German Shepherd who developed a hematoma. Just my experience, nothing scientific. You may see claims about witnessing many natural ear Dobes with ear problems. These claims come from the same people who will tell you that only cropped Dobes are acceptable because no acceptable breeder would let a Doberman go uncropped. Where did they witness all these ear problems? Been hanging out with a bunch of people who own natural eared Dobes? Seems unlikely. For myself, I think the docked tail is necessary because the Doberman tail is rather spindly. Natural ears are not a health issue. If you should keep natural ears the Dobe looks less fierce for sure and many people will not realize they are looking at a Doberman if you are out with your dog. Depending on the situation this can work both for and against you. I love the look of a well cropped Doberman but I adopted one natural and raised a couple more with natural ears. The real issue with Dobemans is DCM.

 

On this site all you will see over and over again is that if a breeder lets you keep natural ears then that breeder is a total loser from the backyard. If you are not showing your dog and you prefer natural ears, you as the owner should have the final say.

....

The real issue with Dobemans is DCM.

I have to disagree with you that this is what you will read on the forum. If you follow these threads, you will find that yes, MOST reputable breeders in the United States (and, to a lesser extent, Canada), do crop ears. However, there are some that will leave a natural ear, and that number is growing. What many of us caution is that it is difficult to find those breeders and one must be cautious and use the tools available to first find good quality breeders, and THEN, if you are committed a natural ear, further screen and find a breeder amongst them who is willing to work with you.

Do I agree with you that natural ears on Dobermans are not the biggest issue in our breed? Absolutely. I, for one, would love to see more breeders willing to leave ears natural for owners who prefer that choice. I think things are moving in that direction, but it is absolutely a very slow move.

I agree that DCM is a huge, huge problem in the breed. Other health issues are problems, too. We have a lot of cancer, for example. But those issues aren't relevant to a discussion about ear cropping.

 

All of the Dobes that I've raised I've had the vet crop at 8-10 weeks. All of the Dobes I've rescued had natural ears and I never had an ear infection in either. Long ago when Herr Doberman invented the breed he docked the tail and cut the ears because he was a tax collector and he didn't want anyone to have anything to grab on the dog. Throughout the years the ears have gotten longer

 

Cropped ears and docked tails are part of the written standard for Dobermans in the USA, and it is difficult (not impossible) to finish a championship on an uncropped Doberman here in the states. Most reputable breeders crop the entire litter as they really don't know for sure which puppies will be show dogs and which will be pets at cropping time. Also, if a dog is returned, it is easier to rehome a cropped Doberman than a natural earred one. I personally am fine with natural ears, but have cropped all of the puppies in my 3 litters.

 

The doberman standard is for the ears to be cropped.. A good breeder should be sticking to the standard.

Cropping is an art as well as a surgery--some vets do a better job of it than others. It is assumed that a good breeder will know what vets do a good job cropping the ears to have the dog looking his best (which a breeder also wants, to show off the dogs from his kennel.)

A breeder shouldn't hand the pups over to a new owner until the pups are well on the way to having healed ears--saddling a new owner with the aftercare of a new crop isn't the best thing to do. A new owner has enough to worry about handling a young puppy (especially if this is their first dobe) and shouldn't have to worry about managing a fresh crop too.

A good breeder also requires that if the dog needs to be rehomed for any reason, it is returned to them. They are usually in a better place to find a good new home for them. The breeder wants the pup to go to the best place possible and is pickier about where the puppy should be placed. It is harder to find a home for an uncropped dog--most people want a dog who is cropped because that is the way they are accustomed to seeing a doberman look.

BUT--cropping costs money, and the extra care of a bunch of newly cropped puppies can a lot of work also. A disreputable breeder typically is trying to cut their costs in raising the puppy, and wants to get them out from underfoot as soon as they are old enough to go to a new home.

 

Cropping or not cropping ears does not determine if a breeder is reputable in my opinion.
To crop or not crop …opinions vary for different reasons.

 

I agree that it is cosmetic. In terms of ear health, floppy eared hairy dogs have been the worst in my experience (infections), then cropped short haired dogs (constantly dirty), and then flop eared short haired dogs (cleanest).

I have heard that the original idea of cropping and docking was to give the dog fewer "handles" for a bad guy to grab if the dog were set on him.

According to historical accounts, Louis Dobermann, the founder of the Doberman Pinscher breed, likely cropped his dogs' ears to protect them from potential injuries while performing their guarding duties as tax collectors, as the belief was that cropped ears would provide less surface area for an attacker to grab onto; however, today, ear cropping on Dobermans is primarily considered a cosmetic practice with no proven functional benefit and is often done to conform to breed standards in dog shows.

 

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