# Am I being impatient?



## Salino (May 29, 2014)

Hi Everyone,
I have been reading so much information regarding German Shepherds ears and getting so much conflicting advice I am at a total loss lol.
Ok my puppy was born on the 25 January 2014 and her ears never went through the whole funny flopping everywhere stage. She has always had them down. Occasionally now the one ear stands up usually after she has just woken up. It only stands for a few seconds though. I have started massaging her ears lightly and in the evenings she gets large marrow bones to chew on. She has hooves to chew on during the day but she doesn’t chew much. There also seems to be a fold by the ears where the ear hangs.
Now the all-time favourite question is should I leave the ears alone or should I do something?
If I should do something what is the preferred method?
Apart from taping and gluing the ears together I was also told one could glue a coin in each ear to make the pup work its ears by trying to pull them up due to the weight so by the time the coins are removed the ears stand up. 
I have also been told to leave the ears alone until she is done teething. I am just concerned seeing her ears also never stood before teething. 
I never had to do something like this before and have no idea… L
Any advice would be appreciated.
Obviously whatever happens I will still love her either way but it would be nice if her ears could be up. 
Thanks in advanceJ


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

don't massage you could break cartilage.

don't put the coin on the tip , that is what collie breeders use for the little fold of the tip that their breed looks for.

maybe you have to accept that this is what the ears will be like .

are you able to do that ?


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## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

I would leave them alone. Ear carriage and strength can be a genetic component. My bitch produces a small ear set and they usually stand by 8 wks. I have an 11 week old male here who's head is bigger and ear set is different than the other two still here (who's ears are up). One ear up, one down. Both were up for one day though. The pictures look like mine usually do at this time(3-4 months), not an older pup. If they have never stood, they might not. I wouldnt worry, just leave them be. If they were meant to come up, they will.


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## sehrgutcsg (Feb 7, 2014)

You pup is exactly one month behind Isabella, born; Dec. 25, 2013. Bella's ears have been straight up for more then 4 weeks. Are you certain the dog is purebread > ? Great looking, maybe a few weeks behind. Bear in mind "teeth before ears."

SGCSG


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## Salino (May 29, 2014)

Thanks so much to everyone who repliedJ
Please bear with me I don’t know how to quote lol. 
Hi carmspack,
I only massage her ears very gently as I read it can help with circulation. Can even gentle massaging cause the cartilage to break? The breeder also recommended light massaging to me. 
Ok thanks for that the coin thing did sound very odd to me anyways lol. 
Like I said in my first post I love Ayla to bits and yes if the ears won’t come up I can accept thatJ. 
 Hi dawnandjr,
Ok thanks I have decided not to let them tape her ears. Another breeder I spoke to immediately wanted to tape her ears. She said that she has very little hope Aylas ears will stand at all. I think she might be wrong as she is still teething badly and her ears actually come up more often since I postedJ.
Hi sehrgutcsg,
Yes she is a registered pup. I have allot of people ask me at training if she is a lab cross. I suppose the black colour doesn’t help much lol. Another thing is that in South Africa the black German Shepherd doesn’t seem to be very common and most people have never seen one and then don’t believe me when I tell them she is a pure bred pup. She is teething badly so maybe she just takes a little longer than usual. 

Ok so I have told myself to relax about the ears a little, easier said than done lol. So do you think one should supplement? I read about all sorts of things and thought maybe I can add vitamin c, natural yogurt & hydrolysed gelantin to her diet to help those ears? She currently gets royal canin German shepherd junior or royal canin maxi junior whatever I can get. I would love to feed her orijen puppy but getting this here is such a missionL.
So any thoughts on supplementing?
ThanksJ


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## LookingForTheLight (Apr 27, 2014)

Not the answer you want, but she looks adorable with them down! I would just wait it out, they may or not may pop up. Only time can tell. She will look cute either way, though


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## border57 (Mar 27, 2014)

I can offer second hand advice that people on this board have said, and that's that you only have to start worrying that they won't come up when they are done teething which is around seven months.

It looks to me like her ears want to come up. If you really want stand up ears I'd let her go a little longer, and then go with the Breathe Right strips if you don't see what you are looking for in another month or month and a half. She probably just needs time for the cartilage to get thicker/stronger and they will come up on their own.

By waiting you allow the ears to progress without you fussing over them, and from my recent experience with my pup, they don't always stand for it.  So if her ears keep getting stronger, and you DO end up wanting to do the strips and gluing, it'll be for a shorter time period.

Good luck! Love that second photo, she's a nice one!


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

Whoever gave the "coin" remedy...is nuts.

Exactly as carmspack said....that is used by Collie owners to get the tips of their ears to have the fold and tip over.....I see it all the time...bro in law is a Rough coat Collie breeder.

Buy some ear forms and Tear Mender glue...you can install them yourself....super easy and effective if in fact the ears will ultimately stand. Ear forms is the way to go, if you choose to prop them.

SuperG


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## Salino (May 29, 2014)

Thanks LookingForTheLight for the kind words she does look adorable with those ears but I really would love them up she is a shepherd after all 
Thanks border57 I will be patient and wait and see what happensJ. Yes they do seem to want to come up but they only ever stay up for a few seconds. I would prefer for them to come up naturally so I will give her time and see how she is when she is about 6 ½ months old. I am just worried because there is so much conflicting info out there with people saying that after 6 months it is too late to do something or others saying that one can still do something after 6 months. So hopefully those gorgeous ears will stand on their own. Thanks she was watching me while my mom took the pic J.
Lol SuperG I thought that method sounded odd from the start. For now I will give her a bit more time but I will see where I can get some ear forms and Tear Mender glue. I think that might prove difficult though. The breeder that wanted to glue her ears up said I must bring a 2 litre milk bottle, Elastoplast and contact adhesive. I suppose when I do decided to have them glued up I will go to her as I have never done something like this before. 
So what do you guys think of feeding vitamin c, natural yogurt & hydrolysed gelantin to help those ears? Can this harm her if it’s being fed in small amounts with her kibbles?
I attached a pic of her one ear standing for a second just after waking up next to her half sister and then of her and one of her best buddies my sisters terrier cross:wub:.


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## Ace GSD (May 30, 2014)

you are not the only one .
The more i read the more i get confused... My pup ear have not erect either... I been reading so many different posts/articles about those ears.. ear pad/massage/yogurt/calcium supplement/tampon/breathe right strips...Also some say wait till 8 months to do anything... some say after 7 months is too late.. others suggest i should start doing something at 5 months age.

Another thing is about large breed problem. I have read that i shouldn't have my puppy go up and down stairs, jump in and out cars, shouldn't run and make sudden stop. 

There are many more like mosquito in the parks ... i can keep going...But i should stop , slow down and enjoy my time with Ace, watch him grow and cherish my moments with him and his floppy ears hehe


Pls excuse me , English is not my first language


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## Salino (May 29, 2014)

Hi Ace, it’s so frustrating isn’t it when one reads all this stuff and at the end of the day still doesn’t know what to do…. Somehow I have that feeling they will not stand seeing her siblings ears are up but who knows maybe they will eventually…I hope so at least. It’s odd as I grew up with German Shepherds and never had to deal with this and the time I decided to save up and buy myself a registered pup I have to deal with down ears. I love her dearly and will try to forget about those ears and let nature do its thing.


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## Ace GSD (May 30, 2014)

It is frustrating but dont give up !!! Tape it ! Give up after you tried ! Ace is 3 months old so i got 2 more months to wait and see. But i will do something later


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## Salino (May 29, 2014)

Thanks Ace I won’t give up yet . Have your puppies ears changed in these past few days? 
Unfortunately nothing has changed her ears are still the same. I have started adding gelatine to her kibbles since 2 days. I also managed to find someone that imports the Orijen Large Breed Puppy so I am thrilled to get my first bag hopefully tomorrow so that I can transition her slowly off the Royal Canin German shepherd junior:wild:. I will most probably add some yogurt to her diet and some vitamin C. Regarding the yogurt I read one must add natural yogurt but am still researching what type exactly seeing there are all sorts of calcium levels depending on what yogurt one chooses. I am also not too sure if one must use the fat free, low fat, double cream etc. so will hopefully find some info out there regarding which yogurt is best to use.
Seeing she a week short of being 5 months old I am very tempted to let the breeder tape her ears but on the other hand I worry that the other puppy might injure her when they play. 
Never imagined that ears could make me so concerned and keep me so occupied…
I added some pics because she is so cute floppy ears and all :wub:


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## Ace GSD (May 30, 2014)

I just started trying cottage cheese . Thinking about some chicken neck for natural calcium and get that jaw stronger. Has yours got his ear up before ? Or never at all ?

Ace' right ear was up at 12 weeks for 4 days ish then go back down and now it take turns left and right very briefly .


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## mamajag (May 1, 2014)

Gretchen is about your pup's age (1/28/14), and she's had one ear up for about a month and the other one just started standing. I've done nothing to encourage it. My breeder kept assuring me it would stand. About 2 weeks ago it started standing when she was alert or playing with her tug. Now it's up all the time. Don't give up hope!


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## Salino (May 29, 2014)

No unfortunately they never stood for more than a few seconds at a time. Usually when she wakes up they will stand a little but then flop down again
Thanks mamajag I will try to stay positive that they will stand but what worries me is that her 2 brothers ears are already standing for good over a month now and hers haven’t even really started.
I received my bag of Orijen today and she devoured her food which is amazing as she has never been a big eater. I am introducing it slowly so only had about ½ cup mixed under her usual kibbles, well was enough for her to finish her bowl and wanting more :wild:


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## Ace GSD (May 30, 2014)

Salino i been adding cottAge cheese to his food once a day and add raw egg every other day for 5 days now. I cant tell if thats the cause of Ace' ear now get stronger but they look better now. Today both ear come up at the same time a couple times. Also i switched to A better kibble.


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

At 5 months, I would glue them right away if you want them to stand. You have about 4 weeks for it to make a difference. My border collie pup got his ears glued at 5 months and one finally stood, the other only halfway. 

No harm in trying. I wouldn't rub them.


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## Salino (May 29, 2014)

Thanks Ace that sounds encouraging. I have been adding one tablespoon of plain natural yogurt to my girls breakfast and hopefully this can help her a little. 
Thanks DJEtzel I have spoken to the breeder again that offered to show me how to do it and am waiting for her to tell me when I can come through. I will remind her again today as my little girl will be 5 months old tomorrow. 
She is teething so badly I keep finding teeth all over. I am also keeping a good eye on her 3 puppy canine teeth which are still there even though the new ones are pushing through.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Salino said:


> Thanks Ace that sounds encouraging. I have been adding one tablespoon of plain natural yogurt to my girls breakfast and hopefully this can help her a little.
> Thanks DJEtzel I have spoken to the breeder again that offered to show me how to do it and am waiting for her to tell me when I can come through. I will remind her again today as my little girl will be 5 months old tomorrow.
> She is teething so badly I keep finding teeth all over. I am also keeping a good eye on her 3 puppy canine teeth which are still there even though the new ones are pushing through.


Can you find a fresh beef or lamb knucklebone with some cartilage go give her as a chew? Chewing those helps strenghten the head muscles and the cartilage is beneficial nutrition for those ears. It will also help loosen those puppy teeth....wen fed chilled it will soothe the pain of the teething as well.


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

If her ears were meant to go up they will. My first GSD'S ears only went up when he made them go up. I wouldn't mess with them. They may go up when she's older.


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## Ace GSD (May 30, 2014)

Look what i found today  and i dont mean tha dog.. some of you might not understand how happy i am lol.


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## Salino (May 29, 2014)

Hi onyx’girl, she has been getting smoked beef knucklebones but I definitely will get some fresh ones for her this weekend as I like the idea of chilling them to help her with her sore mouth. Thanks for the tip so simple but I never thought of it.
Hi kiya, I guess you are right but seeing she is a German Shepherd I really would love her ears to be up and there is so much conflicting advice out there that it is difficult to decide what to do. I managed to get hold of the one breeder that offered her advice and on Friday I will take my girl to her for her to see the ears and then to either glue them or leave them. I the gluing causes her any discomfort at all then I will leave it alone and just accept that the ears will be floppy but for now I would at least like to give it a try.
Hi Ace, so happy for you that the ears finally made it. What a cute puppy:wub:.


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## mydogs (May 4, 2012)

Goat cheese and ear forms did it for me. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Salino (May 29, 2014)

Thanks mydogs for your reply. I have been adding plain natural yogurt to her kibbles and I will hopefully be able to see the breeder today that will help me glue or tape my girls ears. I would have no idea where to get ear forms here


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## owens91 (Mar 19, 2014)

dont mean to thread jack but my question is how do i know when my pup is teething


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

owens91 said:


> dont mean to thread jack but my question is how do i know when my pup is teething


Teething usually begins with the puppy's coat change to the adult coat around 16 weeks of age, and lasts until about 7 or 8 months. Keeping an eye on the alignment is a good idea, and offering some cold or frozen fresh raw chew bones(knucklebones) is helpful during those painful times.


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## Salino (May 29, 2014)

I found out that my girl was teething due to her gums being a bit bloody and she was generally sensitive around her snout area. I also founding teeth everywhere lol. When you check in the mouth you will see the new teeth seem overly large compared to the baby teeth. We decided to have the previously mentioned canine pulled by the vet under anaesthetic seeing that **** tooth didn’t budge one bit and the vet also said seeing it isn’t loose he would prefer to pull it so that it can’t mess with the new tooth. It was a quick thing and I feel better knowing it is out


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## BARBIElovesSAILOR (Aug 11, 2014)

*Omg*



Salino said:


> Thanks Ace I won’t give up yet . Have your puppies ears changed in these past few days?
> Unfortunately nothing has changed her ears are still the same. I have started adding gelatine to her kibbles since 2 days. I also managed to find someone that imports the Orijen Large Breed Puppy so I am thrilled to get my first bag hopefully tomorrow so that I can transition her slowly off the Royal Canin German shepherd junior:wild:. I will most probably add some yogurt to her diet and some vitamin C. Regarding the yogurt I read one must add natural yogurt but am still researching what type exactly seeing there are all sorts of calcium levels depending on what yogurt one chooses. I am also not too sure if one must use the fat free, low fat, double cream etc. so will hopefully find some info out there regarding which yogurt is best to use.
> Seeing she a week short of being 5 months old I am very tempted to let the breeder tape her ears but on the other hand I worry that the other puppy might injure her when they play.
> Never imagined that ears could make me so concerned and keep me so occupied…
> I added some pics because she is so cute floppy ears and all :wub:


She is clearly defective and should be donated to the goodwill ASAP. Just kidding hahah! Omg your baby girl is so adorable, I was dying looking at her pics of the cuteness!,! Her ears look like they want to stand up? Regardless she is just a gem. She makes me think of my black gsd I had, but didn't get him until he was an adult. i always imagined what he looked like as a puppy, and now I have an idea. Thank you


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## Salino (May 29, 2014)

Thanks BARBIEloveSAILOR I love her to bits and think she is adorable:wub: She finally has one ear up yay :wild:


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## Ace GSD (May 30, 2014)

Salino said:


> Thanks BARBIEloveSAILOR I love her to bits and think she is adorable:wub: She finally has one ear up yay :wild:


Haha nice


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## Salino (May 29, 2014)

Hi Ace, how is your pup doing? I attached 2 pics of my girl look at that ear


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## Ace GSD (May 30, 2014)

Salino said:


> Hi Ace, how is your pup doing? I attached 2 pics of my girl look at that ear


Ace is doing good thanks for asking  beautiful girl there. So does the other ear also erect sometime ? cause when teething mine take turns on the ears if 1 up the other 1 down.


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## Brandon_kelley (Jan 5, 2014)

Mine is 10 months old and one ear is still flappy. It sticks up for the most part but it is still not strong enough to stay still. Whenever he runs it flaps all in the wind lol. Is there still hope of that ear getting stronger to finally stick?


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## Salino (May 29, 2014)

Thanks Ace she really is a beaut. Both ears are up now. :happyboogie:
Brandon Kelley if I where you I would give it a go with gluing the ears. I glued inner shoe soles into my girls ears and it worked well. Every time the soles fell out and her ear still seemed unstable I glued another sole in. To my surprise she didn’t mind this at all and they never bothered her. I attached 2 photos of how she looked with the soles and one how she looks now.


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## Ace GSD (May 30, 2014)

Salino said:


> Thanks Ace she really is a beaut. Both ears are up now. :happyboogie:
> Brandon Kelley if I where you I would give it a go with gluing the ears. I glued inner shoe soles into my girls ears and it worked well. Every time the soles fell out and her ear still seemed unstable I glued another sole in. To my surprise she didn’t mind this at all and they never bothered her. I attached 2 photos of how she looked with the soles and one how she looks now.


:toasting:
good job !! so happy for you


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## Salino (May 29, 2014)

Thanks Ace 
Shame my poor girl has been at the vet since yesterday. Luckily she is off the drip now but the vet is still not 100% sure what’s going on. I will visit her tonight again and hopefully know more.


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