# Not touching the ears - fact or myth?



## PorkandBeans

Is there anything to this? Both of Gertie's ears are still down at 3.5 months and we've only had short spurts where both with stand or one will stand but it doesn't last more than part of a day before they both flop.

We do touch her ears when we rub her head or tickle behind them, and when we roughhouse we'll rub her face but I've been reading a few places you're not supposed to touch them at all. How is this even possible? I mean she sleeps with her head smooshed up against a wall or her crate sometimes. I can't keep her from flattening her ears against stuff when I'm asleep.

And is there any truth to this? I try to keep my hands off them from the most part but if GSD ears are really that fragile I'm surprised any have ears that stand.


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## MaggieRoseLee

MYTH! 

Heck, if you've seen a litter of pups play you'd know GSD's would never have standing ears if that was true


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## qbchottu

If they were so fragile that the slightest touch made them crumple, no GSD ears would stand 

Some ears stand because the cartilage is good and there is good structure that helps the ears stand easily. Some dogs have issues with ears standing, this is due to genetics and not enough cartilage/strength for those ears to stand - a fault and these dogs are pulled out of the breeding pool. No amount of touching will shift the ears one way or another.


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## Yoschi's_Pet_Human

My Yosch's are still soft at 4.5 months,, if they never go up I'll just blame my wife because she could never keep her hands off 'em lol


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## MaggieRoseLee

Yoschi's_Pet_Human said:


> My Yosch's are still soft at 4.5 months,, if they never go up I'll just blame my wife because she could never keep her hands off 'em lol


That's too funny


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## GusGus

Myth. I ALWAYS played with my dogs ears. They came up perfectly. They had the normal up, down, one up, down, then both up perfectly. I don't think my dogs came up til 5 months? Maybe 4.5


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## KZoppa

MYTH! I made sure to play with Shasta's ears when she came home. She's a great deal more managable when she needs to have her ears checked by anyone than one of the fosters I had. Her ears stand just fine, except for that one tip but thats not genetic. Its due to damage from one of her litter mates. If the ears are going to stand, they'll stand. if they aren't...well you get the idea lol. Some pups ears are also heavier/larger than others so it can take a bit longer.


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## PorkandBeans

That's what I thought. I've been reading about ears and came across a few sites that I assumed had credible info until I come across the "Don't touch them" rule which makes zero sense to me. I guess I understand that not touching them would help reduce chance of accidentally injuring the ears but when it says not even to pet their head it seems a bit ridiculous to me.


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## m1953

Absolutely a myth.


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## Ayla

I've never heard that, though I can see why it'd become a myth. Lol Keira's ears came up for good about 13 weeks. Before that, one was up and down. IMO puppies are like babies/children every one is different and they hit their milestones at different times. =] 


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## doggiedad

i didn't play with my dogs ears untill they were up and
i didn't allow other people to play with his ears untill they
were up.


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## PorkandBeans

doggiedad said:


> i didn't play with my dogs ears untill they were up and
> i didn't allow other people to play with his ears untill they
> were up.


And how did you deal with the situations that I mentioned? i.e. sleeping up against a wall or his crate with his ears smashed against it? Surely your pup did this at some point, did you physically move him? Get up in the middle of the night to make sure his ears were free and clear? Because it seems like those instances where their ears are held down in an awkward position by a wall or crate during extended sleep would do more damage than just petting the dog.


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## zzena

I think it is a myth. This is my first gsd and she is 17 weeks now. I have had her since she was 9 weeks and she plays rough with my basset hound all the time.My basset is always tugging on her ears. When I got her at 9 weeks, ears were down. They both went up at 13 weeks and then back down at 14 weeks and then both back up at 16 weeks.


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## Gretchen

doggiedad said:


> i didn't play with my dogs ears untill they were up and
> i didn't allow other people to play with his ears untill they
> were up.


Same here. Our breeder gave us a booklet to take home with us and there is a long paragraph about not handling the ears until they go up. There were other things to consider, chewing and teething and calcium and more but I am a work now and cannot remember everything. Our dog has some big beautiful, upright ears so I'd say this advice works. Molly is a bit sleepy here so she has airplane ears.


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## TommyB681

Iv never heard this before and I think that speaks for itself  myth


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## Jericho2007

I think the longer the ear the longer it takes for them to come up. I think unless you are handling your pup's ears to the point you are damaging the cartilage then it's a myth. Mine sleep up against them a lot and it doesn't change them or damage them. I can see if they were held in a certain position for a solid week or longer then you may see some change or damage.


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## martemchik

It's a myth. Some breeders that know their lines have softer ears will tell you this to give them more of a chance to stand. It's the same as when some breeders recommend you start taping at 3 months just to make sure they stand. Breeders that know they breed soft ears still want the ears to stand, so their customers are happy, and so that when others see their dogs they aren't questioning "where did you get that dog?" so they know to avoid said breeder that has GSDs who's ears won't stand.


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## zivagirl

Has to be a myth. Otherwise, the Divine wouldn't have made them so pleasingly fuzzy.


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## blackshep

Myth, I maul my puppy's head all the time, ears are just fine


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## Neko

Weird I was also told not to touch puppy's ears and to tell everyone to please avoid his head. Yet I know people who have GSD's and kids and their dogs ears are fine. How to you tell a kid not to play with the dogs head? you don't. Hmmm


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## Shade

I think it's bologna, I played with Delgado's ears all the time and he played with other dogs who tugged his ears as well. They were up at 9 weeks and never went down


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