# Ear notching?



## Koda'sMom (Feb 13, 2013)

Do some European breeders notch the ears of dogs they import to the US? 

I work in a store that sells pet supplies and vaccinations. And today a couple came in to get shots for two puppies and asked what shots I would recommend for their other canine as well.

They claimed that she was a 100% pure timber wolf and that the previous owner had all kinds of papers saying she was pure. Told me that her ear was notched a certain way to tell what "group" she came from. They said that he spent about $4,000 in purchase, shipping, and training costs. All of this to trade her for 2 terrier mix puppies because the "wolf" chose them over him. 

Now here's where the major doubts hit me. The pictures that they showed me of the "wolf" looked just like a working line GSD. It didn't even look like a low content hybrid or anything. 

Now back to my original question. Is it possible that the original owner got fleeced into buying a "wolf" that was actually just a GSD? And that the ear notch is just a breeders mark?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

notching ears is what some rescues do to ferals, to mark they've been spayed/neutered...tattoo in the ear is what breeders may do, but it doesn't include a notch. How would an ear notch prove any identification?
Sad that someone is trading as you describe, regardless...not someone I'd want to associate with.


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## The Wild Bunch (Jun 17, 2015)

In my experience, sadly, Barren females are notched signifying they would not produce puppies and therefore no longer provide a financial gain. 

ETA: This would be applicable to Back yard breeder, or puppy mill type set ups.


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## jschrest (Jun 16, 2015)

The only notching I've heard of is is feral animals. They call it "clip and release" in my area, which means the tip of the ear has been cut off to show the animal has already been spayed/neutered. Then again, I'm not part of any breeding world, so I'm not sure.

But I am sure that anyone that would gladly trade their pets to someone else to get a "better" dog deserves to get taken as a fool.


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## Mikelia (Aug 29, 2012)

When I was a kid we got an older westie from a shady lady. She wouldn't let us see any of the other dogs, and lied about the number of dogs there. The dog we got had a big chunk out of her ear. It was a clean cut, just big enough to have cut out a tattoo. We figured she had been stolen.


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