# Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone up



## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

Hello, I am a new member, as of today. My friend had forwarded me this link because of a question she had asked her horse group on my behalf. I have two male GSD, brothers from the same litter, they'll be a year old on 3/6/09.
My last two shepherds I purchased from an actual breeder, I had the usual shepherd health problems, but these two pups, the breeder was more a "backyard breeder" Anyway, to my great dismay neither of their ears are up. They were doing everything they were supposed to when they were pups, going up & down & I know that teething affects them, so at eight months all of a sudden I realized they weren't up, even though they CAN hold them up outside, but they flop back down when they come into the house. I've started putting cottage cheese in their food, but I know it's too late. I wish the vet, someone had told me sooner so I could have tried taping. My husband said I was anxious with the last two, so I dismissed it as my being over anxious. The breeder takes no responsibility whatsoever, which is more infuriating. I don't expect any money back, but obviously there were floppy ears in their background. She said either I didn't give them enough calcium (I fed them the food she recommended!) or they played too rough & damaged the ears.
Hard to believe, two dogs, four ears, all down. I was devastated at first, these will probably be my last two, my dream was two big male GSD. Anyone else have this problem? 
Their names are Harley & Brody, I love them as much as ever, even though sometimes I'll call them Floppsy & Mopsy.


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## Cooper&me (Dec 18, 2007)

It could be because they rough housed together and damaged the cartilege. Iknow it is disappointing but at least it is only cosmetic.


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Can we see Harley and Brodie pics? Of them holding the ears UP outside.. and flopping DOWN inside?

Just thinking aloud here-- wonder if the ears may still come up? Or, if these dogs "from a breeder" are actually mixes? Or if perhaps the ears ARE actually up, but that you have two extremely good dogs who are submissive to you, and mainly signal submission when near you (indoors) and not so much when distracted by cool stuff (outdoors)? Just wondering! We'd love seeing pics of them with their ears down and if possible, a bit up outside, too.

We have a whole thread "Dealing with your GSDs ears NOT standing erect"... and we even had a thread once, "The flop ear fan club!" 

We have some AWESOME dogs here with adorable, expressive faces and soft ears!


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## angelaw (Dec 14, 2001)

You can still try gluing them to see if they'll stand.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

Floppy-eared fraternity REPRESENT!!!

Woot woot!

I can't tell you how often people say, "Oh I just love his ears!"


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## Ishta (Feb 16, 2009)

One year is still young and you could try taping them, but frankly if they have good temperment and you love them why does it matter!

I have seen lots of gorgeous shepherds with ears that don't stand erect and they are still beautiful dogs!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

byb, the root of all evil, most of the time. you said you used an "actual breeder" the last time you had Shep's. you experienced the usual health problems. what health problems did you experience? the only thing my dogs ever had was pano and i think pano is an all breed issue.

don't be discouraged about the GSD because of the breeders you selected. before you buy you're next GSD puppy do some research on the breeder. this forum can help you with any questions you may have. 

so, you have two Sheps with questionable ears. i think you should get another Shep from a reputable breeder. wait untill the two you have complete some training. you're dream was to have two big GSD's with the correct conformation. if you get another one from a reputable breeder i bet it will satisfy that dream of wanting two big GSD's with the correct confirmation. then you'll have Floppsy, Mopsy and Upsy. add to the pack. get another one to satisfy that dream. you'll have a nice looking pack with three (3) dogs.


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## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: Ishtabut frankly if they have good temperment and you love them why does it matter!
> 
> I have seen lots of gorgeous shepherds with ears that don't stand erect and they are still beautiful dogs!










absolutely


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i can understand where it does matter how your dog looks. i have a GSD because i like the way they look (ears up), versibility and trainability and color. because you want a Shep to look a certain way that doesn't make you any less of a dog person. there's no room to look askance at someone because they want a certain look. when you picked your dog did anything matter? breed, color, gender, puppy or adult, did anything matter? 

there's tons of dogs of all breeds out there that are off standard but they make wonderfull pets. if something didn't matter when it comes to dogs there would be no standard or show dogs. so something matters and it matters to a lot of people. it matters to a lot of people all over the world.


> Originally Posted By: IshtaOne year is still young and you could try taping them, but frankly if they have good temperment and you love them why does it matter!
> 
> I have seen lots of gorgeous shepherds with ears that don't stand erect and they are still beautiful dogs!


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## Ishta (Feb 16, 2009)

doggiedad, I have one dog that is breed for the show ring and conformation, and one from working lines also good for confirmation! If you intend to show, obviously it matters, however if you are hoping for a good companion then just love your dogs and be happy they have good temperament! All to often the show breed pups grow up to be quite shy!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i don't think "all to often the show breed pups grow up to be quite shy" as you said. i don't think it's even close to often that show bred dogs turn out to be shy.



> Originally Posted By: Ishtadoggiedad, I have one dog that is breed for the show ring and conformation, and one from working lines also good for confirmation! If you intend to show, obviously it matters, however if you are hoping for a good companion then just love your dogs and be happy they have good temperament! All to often the show breed pups grow up to be quite shy!


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

Yes, I will post the exact pictures I sent to the breeder


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

Hi Michelle, I thought that myself, but when they play they usually grab the thick fur around their necks, also, their ears DO go up, they just don't stay up. Brody had an injury in one ear when we got him, he has a few little nicks & had a healing scar, but we fell in love with him, so what can you do?


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

even though the breeder said when she googled GSD who's ears didn't go up, she saw "tons" of them, myself, I've never seen a purebred with the floppy ears. They aren't mixed, they had papers & they sure cost enough


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*



> Originally Posted By: Lara I've never seen a purebred with the floppy ears.


it definitely happens, and is quite cute when it does, although i understand your disappointment.














































and for what its worth, my females ears crossed over at 9mos when i adopted her and were not straight & erect til about 11mo or a year.


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

by an actual breeder I mean one who just deals in breeding GSD, not like the current one who just had the mother on premises.

My first shepherd had to be put down at 4 due to advanced kidney failure. It was either genetic or something he could have gotten into when we moved & he was staying with my stepdaughters, they said he wandered, of course I didn't hear that until later.

My second boy, Rocky, had pannus, the eye disease, at two we found out from xrays that he had the beginning of hip dysplasia AND arthritis. He turned ten last February, on the evening of April 11 he was restless, but since he neuropathy, I don't know if I spelled that right, he dragged his back legs, so he had three bad things going on with his hips. I had him on good (& expensive) meds to at least make his life more comfortable. April 11th, after rushing him to the emergency vet found out he had bloated, something I'd been so careful to watch. The vet said if he survived the surgery, he probably wouldn't walk again, due to how bad he was dragging the back legs. I had taken him myself & had to stay with him when he was put down. I'm sure that's an experience many of you have had, I still get teary thinking about it.


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

My last shepherd's real name from the breeder was Rocky Road!


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

How do you post pictures here? thanks


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

I get puppies because my cats would never tolerate a bigger dog introduced into our home, it was hard enough with the pups, Harley has designated himself the "cat sheriff", when the male Cheetah picks on his sister Bunny, he runs & breaks it up, it's funny.
when I post the pictures you'll see Harley is standard coloring, by which I mean black, white, tan, whereas Brody is darker, but he's so smart, I'll catch him just looking at me like he can read my thoughts. But I don't need to tell any of you how smart these dogs are. I've loved the breed ever since I can remember & even though I had a rescued black lab with my last shepherd, like I said, it was always my dream to have two of them.


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

can you pull pictures in from Facebook? I don't have a website, I always just upload my pictures


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

i upload to photobucket, then copy the [ i m g ] code.


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)




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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

I'm still trying to figure this out, I apologize if these are too large
The first picture if Harley with ears up, obviously
Brody with one ear up, it's hard to catch them with those ears up, when they see me at the door they get all excited & come running & down go the ears.
then two of their baby pictures, it seems like only yesterday, boy do they get big fast


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

its weird, from their baby pics, i would have thought that Brody's ears would have gone up first and/or better. they appear smaller and thinner... but he seems to be the one struggling right now. Harley's ears in my opinion still have hope in standing although they may not be the strongest ears. i believe that taping can still help these boys.

my boys ears are erect, but they're really big and he's a longhair so anytime they're wet or he sleeps on them wrong - he'll get a soft ear for a few hours. the tips also flip/flap when he runs. my girl on the other hand... nothing can get hers down.


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

The second last picture, Brody at probably between 3-4 mths. I have so many pictures of them growing up & from having shepherds, I knew that what was going on with their ears was normal. See how their "pinned" to Brody's head? Then after teething, they both have the most beautiful sets of adult teeth, don't miss those baby teeth, the ears stopped moving. It's almost like their bodies used all the calcium for the teeth?


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## chuckstar158 (Sep 8, 2004)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

Oh they're adorable with their floppy ears!!!









(I'm partial to the floppers since I've got two GSDs both with floppy ears!)


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

I definitely feel better about their ears since posting & reading the posts here


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

BTW, I absolutely love your picture


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## chuckstar158 (Sep 8, 2004)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

Thanks!









(Personally, I find the floppy ears make them look more approachable and less "scary" to some people but I totally get the "why aren't they standing" thing.)


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

I've resigned myself to their "floppers", what I don't understand is why people can't understand why I would be upset about this. Even my husband doesn't get it. I told him it's like getting a zebra with no stripes, how do you describe it?

Ever since I was a kid I fell in love with the German shepherd and the big, pointed ears are one of its recognizable traits. My brother always used to tease my last GSD Rocky asking him if he was wearing "ear extensions" because his were so big. It doesn't make me love them less, but I do feel sad when I see pictures of some of the gorgeous dogs that are posted here.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

even if you think its too late for taping to help - whats the harm in trying?


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

Honestly I don't think the tape & whatever you put on, I think I've read a foam hair roller, would stay in for two seconds, they'd be pulling them off each other. I have posted also where I can't even keep collars on them, because Brody got caught in Harley's. 

We took them for a walk in the woods earlier and when they're outside they'll hold them up and they look so cute. I was looking at some of their younger pictures, Harley was maybe 4-5 months old and his one ear was up, the other slanted and they just looked so strong that I would never have thought they'd both be "floppers" LOL

BTW, I'm still trying to figure out pictures, I'm going to post them for my boys' first birthday next week, but how do you get one under your name? I can't for the life of me figure that out, thanks.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

have you checked out the Ears Up section here on this board? when "taping" a GSDs ears, it is not the same as you see with doberman, boxer or dane pups (with an insert, tape going around the ears, and a bar across the top or the base). if you used something like Breathe Right strips - there is no way for the boys to get caught, tangled or hurt from each other.

here is a photo that i found:










and also a quote that i took from a previous thread that shows before and afters. good luck! its definitely worth a try imho. i understand your disappointment in their ears, which is why i wouldnt stop trying yet.



> Originally Posted By: miche1968I bought some of the breatheright strips here in the uk and put them in an hey presto they were up i will include a couple of befor and after pics for you to see but so far so good
> 
> http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w213/miche1168/2007_0518april20070011.jpg
> 
> ...


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

Thank you for the links, you're right, it's worth a try.


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

are these your current dogs? that first picture, just the way he/she is looking at the camera, just melts your heart.....


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

I think they are adorable with the floppy ears. My first dog's ears flopped at the tips and she was the absolute best so now i find the floppy eared dogs are the best. 

Gsds come in lots of different colors and sizes and I think the floppy ears just give them more character.


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## Fafhrd (Dec 3, 2008)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

Since they sometimes do hold their ears up, I think I would try switching them to a higher-calcium kibble, such as Taste of the Wild. I know higher-calcium food is considered risky before the dog is full grown, but since they're a year old they must be getting pretty close to their full bone growth.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

This is such a common problem we have an entire thread on this site you can go to Ears Up ? (click here)


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

I've been told the food I've been feeding them (Pro Plan now & Beneful when they were babies) isn't the best food, that could have been a factor.

I've been giving them each about 2 tbs of cottage cheese mixed in with their dry food. They love it & they can use the extra calcium. I have to say though, they both do have the most beautiful mouthfuls of teeth


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: MaggieRoseLeeThis is such a common problem we have an entire thread on this site you can go to Ears Up ? (click here)


Thanks, I will check it out. I wish I had done all these earlier, but when they were younger, their ears were doing everything they were supposed to do, Harley's in particular looked nice & strong. I'm going to be posting pics of them for their first birthday on Friday. After they were done teething all of a sudden I was like wait a minute, they're 8 months old, why aren't their ears up? But my husband said I was anxious with our last two GSDs, so I kind of relaxed. If someone, like my vet had said something sooner, I could have tried taping. Oh well, they're adorable the way they are.


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## Ishta (Feb 16, 2009)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

Harley and Brody are beautiful dogs!

Love the pictures!


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

Thank you, their first birthday is Friday, so of course I'll have to post birthday pictures of them.


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## MustLoveGSDs (Oct 31, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: Lara I've been told the food I've been feeding them (Pro Plan now & Beneful when they were babies) isn't the best food, that could have been a factor.
> 
> I've been giving them each about 2 tbs of cottage cheese mixed in with their dry food. They love it & they can use the extra calcium. I have to say though, they both do have the most beautiful mouthfuls of teeth


Definitely not quality dog food at all! Check out dogfoodanalysis.com and check the reviews and ratings for the kibble you feed..you'll be surprised.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*



> Originally Posted By: MustLoveGSDs
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: Lara I've been told the food I've been feeding them (Pro Plan now & Beneful when they were babies) isn't the best food, that could have been a factor.
> ...


i wouldnt go as far as to say _definitely_. Pro Plan has good formulas and bad formulas (ie, corn gluten meal in the top 3 ingredients)... so w/o specifying the formula - we don't know what she's feeding. Beneful is awful no matter how you look at it... (top 3 = Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal). certainly a poor diet doesnt _cause_ the ears to droop, but it (here comes the word...) definitely doesn't help a dog with weak ears.


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## Ishta (Feb 16, 2009)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

I know shepherds from excellent breeders whose ears don't stand up! A woman I train with has two! She certainly paid a lot for them!


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

We paid nearly as much as if we went to a "reputable" breeder

Since my photos were deleted I do have pics of them posted under the Birthday link, two parts, Harley & Brody, one year 3/6/09, my "Floppers"


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## crazyboutdogs (Aug 26, 2007)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

hello, from the floppy eared fan club, the love of my life, storm....17 months, never went up.....


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## TxRider (Apr 15, 2009)

*Re: Newcomer with two GSD whose ears haven't gone*

Dunno if my girls ears were ever up, but they sure aren't now.

Major long term ear infections and bad hematomas, she's got matching cauliflowered ears now...

I get a lot of "she's not a pure GSD" from folks, though the shelter said she probably is as does the vet, rescued from a breeder etc. I certainly don't see any mix in her. I get a lot of "oh how cute" as well, seems a lot less intimidating to people with the ears down.


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## wildwolf60 (Apr 13, 2001)

You can still try feeding Clovite, it's a powder that my vet always told me to use, and it worked great on my pups! They love the taste as well. I also used to gently rub the ears from base to tip and try to get them a bit stronger. Good luck!


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