# So the Ears Up?????? forum has terrified me.



## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

Is it really this common for adult GSDs to have ears that never stand?

I had no idea this breed needed so much help to get their ears up, or the fact that there's a very real possibility they'll never come up at all. Now I'm concerned because our 3 month old who is just starting to teethe still has floppy ears that haven't even shown a hint of wanting to stand since we got her. I really don't want her to have to put up with any taping/gluing so I plan to let things just run their course.

But now I freak when I see her sleeping on her back with her ears smashed against the floor (which I used to laugh at, now I panic) or when people pet her head thinking her ear progression is constantly being set back. I think I need to stop reading this particular forum.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

I think most GSD puppies ears go up on their own without any help. When my boy came home, he had one up and one down, then both went down for a period of time, then back up...this went on until he was about 6 months then they were at full attention. I didn't mess with them but didn't restrict petting or play.

It's important to know if the parents had soft ears or any past off spring. Soft ears that never stand (not due to an injury) I _beleive_ is genetic.

Some pups will need some extra help with taping...but it seems once they hit 8 months plus and the ears are still down that ship has sailed to fix them....in most cases.

I suggest giving safe things for the puppy to chew on (supervised) to help build those muscles. Also when they are teething the ears could drop.


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## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

Courtney said:


> I think most GSD puppies ears go up on their own without any help. When my boy came home, he had one up and one down, then both went down for a period of time, then back up...this went on until he was about 6 months then they were at full attention. I didn't mess with them but didn't restrict petting or play.
> 
> It's important to know if the parents had soft ears or any past off spring. Soft ears that never stand (not due to an injury) I _beleive_ is genetic.
> 
> ...


Well God knows she has plenty of safe things to chew on (plus my hands) and she definitely takes advantage of it as she probably has something in her mouth 75% of the day. So if her ears don't go up then it won't be for lack of things to chew. It just bothers me that we haven't seen ANY sign of her ears trying to stand. Both of her parents had great ears standing at full attention and from the past litters I've seen those dogs seem to have great ears too. So if this pup's ears don't stand with genetics and chew toys to help then I guess they were just really never meant to perk up.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

Your pup is only 3 months old...I would not worry. I know easier said than done Post a picture of her!


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## Kyleigh (Oct 16, 2012)

Your pup is WAAAAYYYYYY to early to even think about it! Ky's flopped all over the place and stood up on there own around 5.5 - 6 months old.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Post a picture! 12 week old pups rarely have perfect ears, during teething they tend to go all wonky anyway. I'm of the "don't mess with the ears" school of thought. Ear carriage is mostly genetic, so if they're going to stand, they will, and if they're not, they won't. But I do understand that everyone wants their GSD to have pointy ears, so some people tape/glue supports in the ear. 

I tried it once, with my first dog. She was sold to me as a purebred GSD, but I think she was mixed with Lab. By 5 months her ears were not standing, so I glued foam curlers in her ears to help support them. I think I only made them fall down more.


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## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

Courtney said:


> Your pup is only 3 months old...I would not worry. *I know easier said than done* Post a picture of her!


That's for sure. A couple pics attached.

Snoozing...









And the one and only time an ear has stood. But her head was tilted back slightly so gravity did most of the work, and it went right back down once she slumped over.











Kyleigh said:


> Your pup is WAAAAYYYYYY to early to even think about it! Ky's flopped all over the place and stood up on there own around 5.5 - 6 months old.


But when did Ky's ears start showing signs of standing? As seen above the only time Gertie's ears have even shown a hint of it were in that one image and that was just a freak instance. I just thought by now we'd see at least some progress. They haven't moved at all yet.


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## Kyleigh (Oct 16, 2012)

I don't know if there's a difference with the LC and SC (I can't see pics at work, so don't know what your puppy looks like LOL) 

Ky's didn't even start to go up until about 4.5 months old - one would go up, then the other, etc. If you look at my avatar, she's 4.5 months old in that pic!


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

It's too early to be worrying. Worry at 5-6 months. Until then, leave her alone - concentrate on training and socialization. No use worrying about a problem that doesn't even exist yet.


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## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

Kyleigh said:


> I don't know if there's a difference with the LC and SC (I can't see pics at work, so don't know what your puppy looks like LOL)
> 
> Ky's didn't even start to go up until about 4.5 months old - one would go up, then the other, etc. If you look at my avatar, she's 4.5 months old in that pic!


Well Gertie is a LC as well, so if those bad boys start showing signs of life at 4.5 mo then I'd be happy.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

She's a *beautiful* girl...love long coats. Their coat colors are always so deep & rich looking.


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## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

Courtney said:


> She's a *beautiful* girl...love long coats. Their coat colors are always so deep & rich looking.


Well thank you, as her colors are starting to show through she's starting to look more like her dad who was a great looking dog. She'll look even more like him when/if these ears perk up though.


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

I think that it is common for most first time gsd owners to worry about if the ears are going to go up and stay. I was one of those people, that is what brought me to this forum. Like everyone is saying try not to worry and just enjoy your beautiful baby, when she is done teething they will more than likely go up and stay.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

1sttimeforgsd said:


> I think that it is common for most first time gsd owners to worry about if the ears are going to go up and stay.


^ This. I think it's WAY more common for people to worry needlessly about whether or not the ear phase their puppy is going through is normal or something to be concerned about than it is for ears to not actually come up.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

My boy is a LC. His ears finally stood at 9 months.


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## Muneraven (Sep 4, 2012)

*One up one down*

Jaeger has one wonky ear, though I know both his parents had erect ears. I taped the ear for three days and then I just decided it wasn't worth it. He is a lovely dog in every respect and if one ear is floppy I can live with that. He is about 7 months old. 

I figure the ear might still go up, anyhow. He is a lanky, floppy guy all over at this stage, lol.


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## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

Well all this week her ears have been flopping around all over the place but most of the time they're still down.

She has one other shepherd in her puppy class whose ears are pretty much all the way up and she's only two weeks older. I have to admit it's a bit disheartening to not see any real progress on these big 'ol ears.


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## Ageizm (Nov 11, 2012)

Give it time, keep her chewing on stuff, my boy likes Dentley's rawhide products. Keeps him busy and working those muscles. Funniest thing will be when they both go up, you'll be like YES!!!...Then one of'em will flop again and you'll be back here asking what went wrong!!! lol Nothing went wrong its a process... just keep the chewing to a maximum! Chew! Chew! Chew! (I sound like a chhoo choo train I know!) Preferably not on your hand! lol

Best of luck!

Oh and I've added two pics of my boy from yesterday I'm proud of his ears and him in general... He's so sexy!  my Avatar pic is from when he was 3 months!


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## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

Well this dog is chewing constantly so if her ears never stand then it won't be for lack of chewing.

It just seems like the top of her ears are too heavy for the bases and primarily the bottom outside part of each ear (that faces away from her head) is the weak point so they just flop outward. I just have a feeling the crease is too deep and they won't be able to stand. There just hasn't really been any progress and only one time for part of a day did both of her ears stand and she looked so good. Hopefully it won't be the only time I see them that way.


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## hattifattener (Oct 7, 2011)

cute pup,normal ears!
relax!


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## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

My pup is four months and also a LC... When I first got him one ear was up but then shortly after that it went down and they both stayed down for a long time, he basically had floppy lab ears. 

Now one ear has gone up and has stayed up for a few days, the other one is trying hard but can't quite do it yet, lol. He gets bully sticks, knuckle bones, marrow bones and has a few non edible nylabones. Stay away from rawhide!

I wouldn't worry about it though! As others have said she is still so young. I had a lady at the park tell me the other day that I should be taping my four month olds ears... Smile and nod, smile and nod. 

I think it's pretty common for the standard stock coat dogs ears to go up before long coats.

This pic is from just last week!

Untitled (2012-12-19 22:29:49) by snowypony, on Flickr


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## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

Carriesue said:


> My pup is four months and also a LC... When I first got him one ear was up but then shortly after that it went down and they both stayed down for a long time, he basically had floppy lab ears.
> 
> Now one ear has gone up and has stayed up for a few days, the other one is trying hard but can't quite do it yet, lol. He gets bully sticks, knuckle bones, marrow bones and has a few non edible nylabones. Stay away from rawhide!
> 
> ...


He's such a good looking dog, and I really like his coloring.


Below is a pic of what I'm currently dealing with.

The flopped ear on the right is the norm while we sometimes get a combover with the other. So like you said, she looks like she has lab ears.










There was one day on a walk where both were up at full attention. They were a bit wobbly but she looked so good with them up. I really hope they perk soon.


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## hattifattener (Oct 7, 2011)

Odi at 3 and a half months.










as you see,ears were quite floppy.
a month later they were up.


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## dazedtrucker (May 2, 2011)

PorkandBeans said:


> Is it really this common for adult GSDs to have ears that never stand?
> 
> I had no idea this breed needed so much help to get their ears up, or the fact that there's a very real possibility they'll never come up at all. Now I'm concerned because our 3 month old who is just starting to teethe still has floppy ears that haven't even shown a hint of wanting to stand since we got her. I really don't want her to have to put up with any taping/gluing so I plan to let things just run their course..


I don't think it's common at all... it happens occassionally. Worry at 7 months, they will be up and down before that. Check my albums... Axel was about 6 mos. before that left ear got a grip!  It's just puppy stuff...I don't know the percentage, but most go up without any help at all... you don't see floppy GSDs all too often...


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

my last GSD ears went up when he was 6 months old. 
before that they did the dance, "one up, one down and 
both all around". the dog i have now ears went up at 5 
months old and before that they did the dance.


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## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

doggiedad said:


> my last GSD ears went up when he was 6 months old.
> before that they did the dance, "one up, one down and
> both all around". the dog i have now ears went up at 5
> months old and before that they did the dance.


My concern though is that I haven't seen a dance at all yet.

I understand that at 3.5 months she's still pretty young for them to go up but what worries me is how little (if any) progress I've seen. Those ears have been flopped for 99% of the time we've had her. Now and then one ear might come up for part of a day but that's it. No teepee, no ear up for a week then back down, no combover for extended period of time. It's just been nothing but floppy ears with the very occasional movement.


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## Renmure (Jun 5, 2012)

PorkandBeans said:


> My concern though is that I haven't seen a dance at all yet.
> 
> I understand that at 3.5 months she's still pretty young for them to go up but what worries me is how little (if any) progress I've seen. Those ears have been flopped for 99% of the time we've had her. Now and then one ear might come up for part of a day but that's it. No teepee, no ear up for a week then back down, no combover for extended period of time. It's just been nothing but floppy ears with the very occasional movement.


Hi there

As most people have said, its a bit too early to worry yet. However I'm sure that you think of gsds with pricked ears - I know I do :wub:.
I just wanted to add that from what I have read if your dog's ears have gone up - even if its just for the 1% of the time that you mention above, then it is likely that your dog's ears will go up and stay up in their own time. 

Some pups ears go up really early, about 8 weeks and never go down again, some go up and down with the ear dance mentioned, some never do the dance but just pop up one day and stay there. 

I think its only if their ears have NEVER EVER EVER  been up at about 7 months then there is A CHANCE that they may never go up even with some help.

By the way your pup looks absolutely lovely! Nzo has a long coat brother who we keep in contact with on facebook and its lovely to see the difference.

Wendy


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Marrow bones really do the trick as far as I'm concerned. I've got two GSD's and one lab mix who's ears are supposed to be down. This is what I got one day when the lab mix was chewing on a marrow bone. LOL 

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/558494_369645886400374_169192571_n.jpg

This is how they are most of the time tho... 

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/401672_386734728024823_366106089_n.jpg


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## Atticus5 (Mar 28, 2012)

I was told by years ago by the breeder of my first GSD pup, to crush egg shells in with the dog food. Something about the shells help to strengthen the ear cartlidge. Kolya's ears went up on their own shortly after this. Who knows if it was related to the egg shells or if it was just timing


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## Yoschi's_Pet_Human (Nov 13, 2012)

Trust me, my wife is really tired of me stressing about Yoschi's ears. I do get relieved a bit when watching him run. When he runs his ears stand straight up for some reason, only to fall right down when he stops.. *shrugs* I'm always lamenting my floppy eared, one testicled high dollar dog...lol


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## GSD2 (Jan 27, 2012)

PorkandBeans said:


> Is it really this common for adult GSDs to have ears that never stand?
> 
> I had no idea this breed needed so much help to get their ears up, or the fact that there's a very real possibility they'll never come up at all. QUOTE]
> 
> I think what is really very common is puppy owners worrying about those ears coming up. LOL I was one of those worried puppy owners, her ears didn't stand until late, 5 to 6 months, almost the cut off point where people said I could worry, LOL. I don't think it's real common for them not to stand at all. Some very good advice from other posters, I really don't have any added advice. As was already mentioned in a previous post, I was told that if they stand ever, then go down, the likely hood of them standing again is excellent. I would bet if you search the threads on puppy ears on this board near 100% have happy endings. Enjoy this adorable puppy stage!


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## Lazawal09 (Nov 1, 2012)

*Ears....GSD Lovers Nightmare*

Hi, i have suffered from this nightmare...day in and day out round the clock i would check on junior if he had made his ear up....i started to get sick. A friend asked me to check on rest of the liter? OK all had done their job less another one..to my horror a week later he also stood his ears...then i was told to make Junior drink egg in Milk after every 2 days...surprisingly..within 4 days his ear was up  it was 8th week perhaps or more
Best of luck to those who suffer from this trauma


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## tacticalseries (Dec 24, 2012)

It is possible for them not too stand up , some say if they haven't after 5 months old then there's a greater chance they won't come up entirely. Taping and gluing I hear alot of, its not as bad as it sounds, try tape first.


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## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

So at 4 months old we're seeing some progress. Over the past couple weeks the ear dance has been in full swing. We've seen just about every stage of it and the most exciting part is that sometimes they stand all the way up, but its only on walks or intense play time. I know we're not out of the woods yet but it's nice to see some progress and gives me a bit more hope that they'll eventually stand at all times.

This is from our walk today. She looks like a completely different dog when they're up.


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## sjackson310 (Dec 29, 2012)

My guy was weird as his were up at 5 weeks. I unfortunately got him at not even 4 weeks old, and he was very sick. I put him on raw and magically, they were up at 5 weeks lol. His left one went floppy for about 2 days and then never again.

Point being, ALL DOGS ARE DIFFERENT. Although I heard feeding raw helps? Maybe it's just another ear rumor though lol.


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## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

PorkandBeans said:


>


So if her ears stand while on a walk (like in the pic above) but are floppy or combed over when she's at home/relaxed is there a decent chance they'll stand for good at some point?


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## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

So we're nearing 4.5 months and one ear or the other will keep going up randomly throughout the day but are still down most of the time. It seems like the only time we can get them both to stand is on walks.

I refuse to tape/glue so at this point I'm just expecting them to pretty much remain floppy. And I'll just have to get used to people asking what mix she is.


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## KayleeGSD (Oct 2, 2012)

PorkandBeans said:


> So we're nearing 4.5 months and one ear or the other will keep going up randomly throughout the day but are still down most of the time. It seems like the only time we can get them both to stand is on walks.
> 
> I refuse to tape/glue so at this point I'm just expecting them to pretty much remain floppy. And I'll just have to get used to people asking what mix she is.


I would not worry about it. Reno (who has passed over to the summerland) her ears remained floppy until she turned 8-9 months old. She had one ear that would always be floppy at times and it finally straightened out when she turned 1 year and 4-6 months old. Kaylee's ears (she is almost 9 months old) are up majority of the time but they have their floppy moments when she is relaxed. When she was 4-6 months they were both really floppy, lol. She eventually grew into them and seem pretty straight and up right now.


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## VanBuren shepherds (Dec 3, 2012)

Wait until she is done teething. The teething process will almost always bring out the floppy ears. When she is done and you don't see any progress don't wait to long before you try to assist her. Some GSD ears come up on their own as late as a year, but some will never come up. I have had one that I waited to long to assist, and at they never came up. If its done right the dog won't even know its in the ear. Usually a GSD with an ear infection or irritated ears will not stand completely erect either, but you should be able to tell the difference between that and an ear that just simply has weak cartilage. Hope you the best!


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## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

VanBuren shepherds said:


> Wait until she is done teething. The teething process will almost always bring out the floppy ears. When she is done and you don't see any progress don't wait to long before you try to assist her. Some GSD ears come up on their own as late as a year, but some will never come up. *I have had one that I waited to long to assist, and at they never came up.* If its done right the dog won't even know its in the ear. Usually a GSD with an ear infection or irritated ears will not stand completely erect either, but you should be able to tell the difference between that and an ear that just simply has weak cartilage. Hope you the best!


Were the ears of that dog ever up at any point? Even for a short while? Or were they always floppy?

Because my girl's ears do come up but only when she's on walks or doing some high energy playing like being chased around the yard. The tops of them are a bit wobbly but they do stay up on their own. It's just the rest of the time when she's relaxed where only one is up or both are completely flopped.

So I don't know if it's a waiting game and they'll eventually go up more and more often til they've up for good or if she just won't have strong enough cartilage to ever make them stand all the time.


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## VanBuren shepherds (Dec 3, 2012)

PorkandBeans said:


> Were the ears of that dog ever up at any point? Even for a short while? Or were they always floppy?
> 
> Because my girl's ears do come up but only when she's on walks or doing some high energy playing like being chased around the yard. The tops of them are a bit wobbly but they do stay up on their own. It's just the rest of the time when she's relaxed where only one is up or both are completely flopped.
> 
> So I don't know if it's a waiting game and they'll eventually go up more and more often til they've up for good or if she just won't have strong enough cartilage to ever make them stand all the time.


Yes, the ears went up on there own and came back down during the teething process. They only came up occasionally after that, but they were always weak and stayed most of the time in the flying nun position. He had tall thin Showline ears. 


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## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

VanBuren shepherds said:


> Yes, the ears went up on there own and came back down during the teething process. They only came up occasionally after that, but they were always weak and stayed most of the time in the flying nun position. He had tall thin Showline ears.


Ah, so the whole "If they ever come up they'll eventually go up again" rule is just another myth?

That's too bad because our pup's ears feel weak and are in the flying nun position most of the time too.


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## VanBuren shepherds (Dec 3, 2012)

PorkandBeans said:


> Ah, so the whole "If they ever come up they'll eventually go up again" rule is just another myth?
> 
> That's too bad because our pup's ears feel weak and are in the flying nun position most of the time too.


It really depends on the situation. Other dogs pulling on the ears, the ear can be damaged by being wedged into a crate, etc. the one I have now I've been working with for about 3 months and no real progress. 
But at least I have found a method of gluing that works for me and him. It last for weeks, its not cumbersome, and his ears look great with them glued. They have a natural appearance to them. He's 10 months now I'm just hoping they will come up late. His went up and down quite a few times before and after teething, but are at Least 90% of the time down at the moment. 



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## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

VanBuren shepherds said:


> It really depends on the situation. Other dogs pulling on the ears, the ear can be damaged by being wedged into a crate, etc. the one I have now I've been working with for about 3 months and no real progress.
> But at least I have found a method of gluing that works for me and him. It last for weeks, its not cumbersome, and his ears look great with them glued. They have a natural appearance to them. He's 10 months now I'm just hoping they will come up late. His went up and down quite a few times before and after teething, but are at Least 90% of the time down at the moment.


Well she does smash her head against walls or the corner of her crate when she sleeps sometimes but it's impossible to watch her 24/7 since I have to go to work and sleep. If that can really damage the ears then I had no idea this breed was so sensitive and prone to damaged ears.

I'll keep hope that they'll stand on their own but at this point I don't see it happening. Her ears are big and flimsy. Two things that really count against her at this point.

I told myself I wouldn't put her through any gluing or taping because it seems kind of cruel plus I don't think there's any way she won't screw with them. But I'll wait a couple more months and see what we're dealing with then.


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## VanBuren shepherds (Dec 3, 2012)

PorkandBeans said:


> Well she does smash her head against walls or the corner of her crate when she sleeps sometimes but it's impossible to watch her 24/7 since I have to go to work and sleep. If that can really damage the ears then I had no idea this breed was so sensitive and prone to damaged ears.
> 
> I'll keep hope that they'll stand on their own but at this point I don't see it happening. Her ears are big and flimsy. Two things that really count against her at this point.
> 
> I told myself I wouldn't put her through any gluing or taping because it seems kind of cruel plus I don't think there's any way she won't screw with them. But I'll wait a couple more months and see what we're dealing with then.


Understood completely! Not every German shepherd will have this problem, but many of them do. Taping is something every professional breeder will tell you do if the ears are not standing up by six months. But I agree with waiting. It's always best to let them do it on their own. Let me guess she is a black and red West German Show line? If she is it will take a little longer for her ears because of the size of them. Taping early can do damage that would have never taken place if the ears were left alone, but not assisting them early enough can cause a crease to form that will never be able to be corrected.
What ever turns out just make sure you love that girl for what she is. One of the best breeds a person can own. Looks don't make for a great GSD. Character, temperament, and health are the most important. Great looks just comes naturally with a GSD. Even one with floppy ears!


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## Poppinfizz (Jan 8, 2013)

Hi my pup Max is 7 1/2 months old and one ear comes and goes, one day up one day the tip is down, he also has pano and eats raw food he is a long coat









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## Poppinfizz (Jan 8, 2013)

Sorry hit send too soon, what I was wondering is does the fact that he has pano affect his ears at all? And what about diet, we had GSD long time ago but they were both adults never had a puppy GSD and we also have a 10 year old golden , what a difference in their breeds, Max is so smart, our golden is a sweetheart but not real smart just wants pets and food... Max is on exercise restriction because of his pano so he is bored and gets into so much trouble, keeps me on my toes, so glad we have him


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## tacticalseries (Dec 24, 2012)

I understand your concern, but that ear gives him some character and being a long haired GSD it looks pretty cool and to be honest it's not as bad as I've seen and those ears came up so don't give up!!!!

Good luck!


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## EmeryGSD (Mar 8, 2013)

PorkandBeans said:


> Is it really this common for adult GSDs to have ears that never stand?
> 
> I had no idea this breed needed so much help to get their ears up, or the fact that there's a very real possibility they'll never come up at all. Now I'm concerned because our 3 month old who is just starting to teethe still has floppy ears that haven't even shown a hint of wanting to stand since we got her. I really don't want her to have to put up with any taping/gluing so I plan to let things just run their course.
> 
> But now I freak when I see her sleeping on her back with her ears smashed against the floor (which I used to laugh at, now I panic) or when people pet her head thinking her ear progression is constantly being set back. I think I need to stop reading this particular forum.


My girls didn't stand til almost 5 months!









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