# Floppy Ear German Shepherd



## 4TheLoveOfSheps (Sep 9, 2015)

Hey there, 

I've always read these forums and now I finally get to ask a question since I've recently adopted a German Shepherd Puppy! He's 8 weeks old and the most beautiful puppy I've seen in my life.. My concern is that his ear will be floppy from an injury he just had. I've read a lot about German Shepherds since I was the age of 5 and 15 years later finally got one of my own, so I understand the up and down process of the ears. I recently took my puppy to my grandparents house and my uncle brought his 2 Pitbulls over.. (They are healthy with parvo shots. The backyard was also safe because I also had a pitbull that use to live there before I moved). Anyway, the puppy and dogs were getting along PERFECTLY. Almost as if he was their own puppy lol, but one of the Pitbulls playfully nipped at his ear and his ear somehow folded backyards, he yelped and I instantly picked him up. His ear was up for 5 minutes and has been down ever since (The last 2 days). Which is odd for him because the whole week I had him his ears were up and had no signs of being droopy. I could tell he had very strong ears, but there is now a crease in his ear... This is so heartbreaking if his ear will never go up because since I've been dreaming about owning this breed I finally got him and now something might already be wrong


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Your vet can tell you if there is actually any damage to the cartilage.If so he/she may be able to splint it.Probably should not play with the pitties with the powerful jaws.


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## 4TheLoveOfSheps (Sep 9, 2015)

dogma13 said:


> Your vet can tell you if there is actually any damage to the cartilage.If so he/she may be able to splint it.Probably should not play with the pitties with the powerful jaws.


Thanks for the reply.. I've been reading a lot about taping. If the cartilage is damaged would that be okay to do? Or you wouldn't recommend it?


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## Findlay (Jan 8, 2015)

You came to the right place for your answers to GSD puppy questions. 
I'm a 1st time GSD puppy owner too.

You did a good job of telling exactly how your puppy's ear got injured but I don't think you did a good job of keeping* your 8 week old puppy* safe.
It's your job to keep that animal safe from harm. 

You let your uncle's 2 Pit Bulls have access to an 8 week old defenseless puppy???
Why did you do that? 
One of the dogs playfully nipped...and your puppy yelped. 
Your puppy yelped because he was injured and in pain. And now the puppy has an injury.

What troubles me about your thread is that it will be "heartbreaking" to you if his ear will never go up because You've been dreaming about owning this breed and you've finally got him and now something might already be wrong.

Don't be disappointed in your pup if his injured ear doesn't go up and don't blame your uncle's pit bulls either...you are the only person responsible for your 8 week old pup's injury. 
Grow-up! 
Take your pup to the vet, get his ear checked out, and get his shots and bring a stool sample with you when you go.
Ps. had you done some research before you got a puppy, you would have known not to let others animals have access to him.
I taught high school for 30 years.
It's not too late. Do your home work.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

"This is so heartbreaking if his ear will never go up because since I've been dreaming about owning this breed I finally got him and now something might already be wrong "

so? even if it doesn't come up due to an injury from foolishly letting an 8 week old pup play with two adult or older dogs , let alone two pit bulls that have their own pack dynamics -- it isn't genetic , it doesn't affect the dog's health -- only you having to answer to "what happened to his ear? -- is he a pure-bred" . 

oh boy , it could have been much worse , even if the older dogs fell on the pup by accident when ruff housing. You could have broken bones .

an 8 week old pup with ears up is not the norm, and even then there will be cycles of ears up and ears down , both at once , or alternating between left and right.


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## 4TheLoveOfSheps (Sep 9, 2015)

Findlay said:


> You came to the right place for your answers to GSD puppy questions.
> I'm a 1st time GSD puppy owner too.
> 
> You did a good job of telling exactly how your puppy's ear got injured but I don't think you did a good job of keeping* your 8 week old puppy* safe.
> ...


No need to bash on me man.. Who said I was blaming my uncle's pits in the first place? Also, we've had dogs and puppies all of our lives and always had puppies around adults. What do you think people do that have an adult dog already within the household and want a new puppy? They introduce them to each other don't they? On another note, my uncle and I use to live together with my grandparents so I grew up with these two amazing dogs. I know there exact temperament and they are both very good dogs.. I really don't understand what you mean about the "grow up," part either. What have I done that was so childish? I simply asked a question windering if there is anything I could do for my handsome puppy.. That's it. But you have a good day ma'am or sir. Hopefully there's something that can be done to fix his ear, if not I'll love him the same. I just prefer the German Shepherd look.


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## 4TheLoveOfSheps (Sep 9, 2015)

so? even if it doesn't come up due to an injury from foolishly letting an 8 week old pup play with two adult or older dogs , let alone two pit bulls that have their own pack dynamics -- it isn't genetic , it doesn't affect the dog's health -- only you having to answer to "what happened to his ear? -- is he a pure-bred" . 

[/QUOTE]

If you finally got to drive your dream car and you crashed into the back of someone else for not paying attention, although it was your fault wouldn't you still be devastated? Cars and dogs are obviously two completely different things but I'm sure you get where I'm going. I will always love my puppy. I'm just wondering if this can be fixed.. I grew up with these Pitbulls so I know theit temperament. They've always been good with puppies.. I just didn't realize how sensitive Getman Shelherds ears were. That's all.. I guess this can just be a lesson for me


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## 4TheLoveOfSheps (Sep 9, 2015)

carmspack said:


> "This is so heartbreaking if his ear will never go up because since I've been dreaming about owning this breed I finally got him and now something might already be wrong "
> 
> so? even if it doesn't come up due to an injury from foolishly letting an 8 week old pup play with two adult or older dogs , let alone two pit bulls that have their own pack dynamics -- it isn't genetic , it doesn't affect the dog's health -- only you having to answer to "what happened to his ear? -- is he a pure-bred" .
> 
> ...


If you finally got to drive your dream car and you crashed into the back of someone else for not paying attention, although it was your fault wouldn't you still be devastated? Cars and dogs are obviously two completely different things but I'm sure you get where I'm going. I will always love my puppy. I'm just wondering if this can be fixed.. I grew up with these Pitbulls so I know theit temperament. They've always been good with puppies.. I just didn't realize how sensitive Getman Shelherds ears were. That's all.. I guess this can just be a lesson for me


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## MishkasMom (Aug 20, 2015)

If you can't see real damage to the ear (like swelling, hurting or the redness not going away) in a few days then a Vet visit is the best course of action, if the cartilage is damaged he might be able to tape it up but probably not till much later when since he's so little.....but it is possible that the damage will be permanent and the ear will always be floppy, again your Vet will most likely know. As an example how sensitive the cartilage is when I got mine he had mange on his ears and even though we caught it early his ear tips remained floppy from the scratching. As others said you are lucky it's only an ear that's damaged, 8 weeks old pups are so fragile it could have been broken bones or internal damage. Anyhow I hope it will turn out well, maybe a picture would be helpful


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## 4TheLoveOfSheps (Sep 9, 2015)

MishkasMom said:


> If you can't see real damage to the ear (like swelling, hurting or the redness not going away) in a few days then a Vet visit is the best course of action, if the cartilage is damaged he might be able to tape it up but probably not till much later when since he's so little.....but it is possible that the damage will be permanent and the ear will always be floppy, again your Vet will most likely know. As an example how sensitive the cartilage is when I got mine he had mange on his ears and even though we caught it early his ear tips remained floppy from the scratching. As others said you are lucky it's only an ear that's damaged, 8 weeks old pups are so fragile it could have been broken bones or internal damage. Anyhow I hope it will turn out well, maybe a picture would be helpful


So these are the pictures of him.. There is no swelling or anything but he has.. Well had very strong ears and after that, the right one got droopy and never came up


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## MishkasMom (Aug 20, 2015)

His ears will go up and down when he starts teething, I'm no expert and I will leave the specifics to the very experienced people here but my new pups ears didn't fully stand up till 8 months, and now he's 11 months and one flops sometimes when he's relaxed (mind you he's not a purebred) and I don't care about that anyhow, it gives him more personality. Now I've been told that massaging the ears and giving them appropriate thing to chew on strengthens the cartilage and the muscles making the ears stand up. Just keep an eye on it, go see the vet if in doubt and he's such a beautiful pup that a floppy ear when he grows up won't make him any less of a great GSD.


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## kelliewilson (Jan 1, 2015)

I think you will love your puppy with 1 or both ears up/ thats just cosmetic and german shepards are way more then looks. they have the hugest hearts,


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## Findlay (Jan 8, 2015)

4TheLoveOfSheps said:


> No need to bash on me man.. Who said I was blaming my uncle's pits in the first place? Also, we've had dogs and puppies all of our lives and always had puppies around adults. What do you think people do that have an adult dog already within the household and want a new puppy? They introduce them to each other don't they? On another note, my uncle and I use to live together with my grandparents so I grew up with these two amazing dogs. I know there exact temperament and they are both very good dogs.. I really don't understand what you mean about the "grow up," part either. What have I done that was so childish? I simply asked a question windering if there is anything I could do for my handsome puppy.. That's it. But you have a good day ma'am or sir. Hopefully there's something that can be done to fix his ear, if not I'll love him the same. I just prefer the German Shepherd look.


I agree. my "grow up" remark was harsh. And the "do your homework" remark was also uncalled for, especially on this forum and especially directed to someone who is asking for help.
My remarks were unkind and I apologist for both. 

Let's start over?
If you search through it, this forum is full of information. Just click on the Forum link above and scroll down to the Puppy info section.
I think you will find exactly what you need right there, including info on GSD puppy ears.
Finn's ears went up and stayed up at 4 months.

I wish you good luck with your puppy.
Take care.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

^ very cool of you Findlay!! appreciated I'm sure by the OP but, speaking for myself, onlookers as well 

to the OP... there's a good chance that your pups ear will be just fine. even tho they appeared strong, and even tho some pups ears go up and stay up - they still aren't "set" until much later and minor injuries can cause set backs. I have an adult male who has weak cartilage in his ears yet they still stand 99% of the time. if they are wet, if he doesn't feel well or if he sleeps on it wrong - they can flop for up to a day. 

also keep in mind the rough play that puppies inflict on each other... the ears are often a target yet the majority of them still stand.

just give your little pup some time!


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## yuriy (Dec 23, 2012)

My dog's ears also came up around the 4-month mark. An 8-week puppy has _plenty_ of time to get his ears up.


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## EchoThePuppy (Jul 16, 2015)

So good news. Pup's ears will go up and down. Yes the nip might have helped with that. But at 8 weeks? Its nothing to worry about.

I'd recommend you bring the pup to the vet to check out the ear, make sure no damage or anything like that. But if they say its fine.. It's fine. 

Took 6.5 months for my girl's ears to go up properly. They'll be up and down throughout teething and may not really stay up until teething is done.

Still get the ear checked. But hey, its probably not nearly as bad as you think (or thought in OP)
I'm sure you've already figured it out, but maybe no more play time with the pits until your pup is a little older


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## Findlay (Jan 8, 2015)

Fodder said:


> ^ very cool of you Findlay!! appreciated I'm sure by the OP but, speaking for myself, onlookers as well
> 
> Thanks again Fodder.
> I sent the op a private message.
> S/he was very kind and accepted my apologies.


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## jessicahand475 (9 mo ago)

I have two of the puppies from my females litter and the two could not be any more different in growth if I tried. Where the only significant similarities being, in fact, when the two are teething, their ears are always down and floppy as it is protecting their jaw bone from injury when their teeth come through. I know this sounds strange however it is a fact. Gsd have a form of lock jaw like pitbulls do however as babies it is weak and their adult molars coming through are extremely large for their little jaws so the ear droops to align the jaw bone while the tooth settles.


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Do you have a link to the medical research for this fact?It's news to me


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## drparker151 (Apr 10, 2020)

Weird, both of my working line dogs had fully erect ears as puppies our girl at 8 weeks and 4 days and the boy at 11 weeks. They never went floppy again even during teething.


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## 504288 (Dec 19, 2021)

4TheLoveOfSheps said:


> No need to bash on me man.. Who said I was blaming my uncle's pits in the first place? Also, we've had dogs and puppies all of our lives and always had puppies around adults. What do you think people do that have an adult dog already within the household and want a new puppy? They introduce them to each other don't they? On another note, my uncle and I use to live together with my grandparents so I grew up with these two amazing dogs. I know there exact temperament and they are both very good dogs.. I really don't understand what you mean about the "grow up," part either. What have I done that was so childish? I simply asked a question windering if there is anything I could do for my handsome puppy.. That's it. But you have a good day ma'am or sir. Hopefully there's something that can be done to fix his ear, if not I'll love him the same. I just prefer the German Shepherd look.


There’s quite a bit of this kind of attitude on the site but don’t let it put you off - loads of good info too. It’s supposed to be and usually is a great resource. You will likely continue to be judged unfortunately.

I also would agree it’s a bad idea leaving your 8 week pup to play with adults but I’d find a better way of putting it.

Nothing wrong with wanting your dog to look as it is supposed to either. Just don’t treat him any different if he doesn’t.


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