# What's the latest your GSD's ears went up?



## Peter.

I was wondering what the latest your GSD's ears went up?

I have a 7.5 month purebred show line GSD who's ears I've been taping up for about 3 weeks.. I know I should have started sooner. 

They never really went up before teething, but then started doing the dance a bit @ 4-5 months.. I figured he just wasn't done teething. I'm told he's very large boned as well, not sure if that would make a difference. 

I unwrapped his ears today (picture below) and they are up and have been up for 20 minutes now.. but, they are pretty floppy if he trots around.. if it's like last week one, or both, will probably flop over by the end of the night.

I read an article, on Leerburg I believe, saying there's pretty much no hope if the pup is 7-8 months.

So.. I guess i'm looking for encouragement that his ears will stay up, and stiffen up.

Thoughts?










Here he is 25 minutes from unwrapping.. sleeping.










And of course, then he rubs up against my leg and this happens...









then.. 5 minutes later.. Surprise!









Sorry.. I'm going insane..

ps. Yes, of course I'll still love him if they don't ever stay up.. but I really, really want them too!


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## Peter.

4 hours after unwrapping...









Still up.. but, still very floppy.. I'm going to leave them untapped overnight and see what they're doing in the morning.

If they're down, I think I should tap them up again for a week.. thoughts?


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## Peter.

They were down again this morning, so I tapped them back up. Luckily he's a very patient boy... A little peanut butter in his bone and he'll let me fiddle with his ears all day!

He doesn't seem to mind.


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## julie87

Mine will be a year at the end of this month her ears are up and down. The latest I have heard they go up is after a year. I used to be paranoid but then I just let it go  Im sure they will go up, the saying is if they went up before they will go up again











and now


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## qbchottu

Give him bully sticks, cartilage/tendon, gelatin, ligaments - ears are weak and do not have enough substance to stand on their own so you need to help it out. Keep taping for another month or so....


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## lily's master

Lily was right at a year when both of hers went up and stayed up. 
They were both up around 2 months then she started teething and they were all over the place but mostly down. After teething around 6 months one went up and was really strong, the other was only ever partially up. 
I thought about tapeing but just decided against it, I know she would have hated it. It really bothered me for awhile, but I just kinda came to terms with the fact that I was gonna have a soft eared GSD. She looked pretty silly with one ear that was up and very strong and then one that was all floppy. But as time went on I noticed the floppy ear getting less floppy. At first the only time it was up was if she tilted her head back to look at me. But then it seemed like it would stand a little more when she was excited, like playing ball or walking. Then it got to where that part was always up and only the very top corner was still laying down all the time. Then around a year that little corner would start standing up when she was excited and playing. Over time it just finally went up. I am not sure exactly the age that it went up probably a little after a year or right at the year mark. She will be two in a few months and they are both up and really strong now 
I was like you I had heard that if they didnt go up by six or seven months that they wouldnt ever go up. Lily may be the exception but hers did go up way after six months and they are fine now. 
Good luck your GSD is beautiful either way.


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## Peter.

lily's master said:


> Lily was right at a year when both of hers went up and stayed up.
> They were both up around 2 months then she started teething and they were all over the place but mostly down. After teething around 6 months one went up and was really strong, the other was only ever partially up.
> I thought about tapeing but just decided against it, I know she would have hated it. It really bothered me for awhile, but I just kinda came to terms with the fact that I was gonna have a soft eared GSD. She looked pretty silly with one ear that was up and very strong and then one that was all floppy. But as time went on I noticed the floppy ear getting less floppy. At first the only time it was up was if she tilted her head back to look at me. But then it seemed like it would stand a little more when she was excited, like playing ball or walking. Then it got to where that part was always up and only the very top corner was still laying down all the time. Then around a year that little corner would start standing up when she was excited and playing. Over time it just finally went up. I am not sure exactly the age that it went up probably a little after a year or right at the year mark. She will be two in a few months and they are both up and really strong now
> I was like you I had heard that if they didnt go up by six or seven months that they wouldnt ever go up. Lily may be the exception but hers did go up way after six months and they are fine now.
> Good luck your GSD is beautiful either way.


Thanks, I'm hoping my pup is just going through something similar.



qbchottu said:


> Give him bully sticks, cartilage/tendon, gelatin, ligaments - ears are weak and do not have enough substance to stand on their own so you need to help it out. Keep taping for another month or so....


He regularly gets bully sticks or beef rawhide chews, frozen turkey necks, frozen beef spare ribs, and other miscellaneous bones or nylabones as well as gelatin, and calcium supplements.

What exactly do you mean by cartilage/tendon.. and ligaments? Is that just things like bully sticks and turkey necks?

I plan on tapping until probably 9 months with 1 week on, 1 day off to monitor progress.

I'll basically do everything I can to help them stand so I don't beat myself up for not trying, and in the end if they don't I won't love him any less.


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## Lilie

My boy's ears didn't go up until he was in his 9th month. He still has soft ears, but they stand.


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## Peter.

Lilie said:


> My boy's ears didn't go up until he was in his 9th month. He still has soft ears, but they stand.


I'm thinking this is how my pup's will end up.. do they ever go down at all, like when he's sleeping?

I'd settle for soft as long as they are standing 90% of the time.. haha


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## Lilie

He is very expressive with his ears. When he's tired, they'll go down. But not like a Lab's ears. He's a long haired Shepherd, so they'll sorta lay back on his head. When he's running (unless he's fully alert) they'll kinda bounce. If it's really windy, they'll move with the wind. 

When he doesn't feel good, they'll fall back. When he's sleeping, they'll fall back. When he greets me they'll be alert until I reach to pet him, then they'll fall back. 

When he's on a leash, they're 100% up. When we are out in public, 100% up. When he's watching something at home, 100% up. When I talk to him, 100% up. Taking pictures, 100% up. 

I could almost say instead of 'soft' ears, he has 'lazy' ears!!! LOL!


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## Peter.

Lilie said:


> I could almost say instead of 'soft' ears, he has 'lazy' ears!!! LOL!


That's great! I kinda joke with my pup, when I untape him and one falls down I'm like "Hey! put that ear back up!".. which is usually followed by a short ear massage that gets it standing again.. haha


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## Mikelia

I had a big, large boned gsd male years ago who had both ears down when we got him at 5 months old. One went up, the other did not go up until he was just over a year old. We did not think it would go up. It was always a weak ear, and would flop a lot when he ran but it did go up, and he was over a year old when it happened. Your boy seems to hold them nice in those pictures, so here's hoping they will strengthen and stay up. A breeder friend of mine tried and tried with one of her dogs to make the ear go up, but as soon as the tape was off he would shake his head until the ear fell back down. She eventually gave up, little bugger lol.


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## Peter.

Mikelia said:


> I had a big, large boned gsd male years ago who had both ears down when we got him at 5 months old. One went up, the other did not go up until he was just over a year old. We did not think it would go up. It was always a weak ear, and would flop a lot when he ran but it did go up, and he was over a year old when it happened. Your boy seems to hold them nice in those pictures, so here's hoping they will strengthen and stay up. A breeder friend of mine tried and tried with one of her dogs to make the ear go up, but as soon as the tape was off he would shake his head until the ear fell back down. She eventually gave up, little bugger lol.


Thank you for the encouragement!


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## Rockythesable.gsd

I have a 6 almost 7 month gsd he has soft ears my boy, one is like not completely erect the other one is slanted one went down after an ear infection but its back up. I used the foam ear forms and osto bond and worked wonders honestly


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