Doberman puppy - ears cropping.

[poser765]

It's nature, they have to be like that, so parents would take care of them, as with human infants, as with tiny little cute PIGS

No no...I get that...but why are they that way to US? I mean we aren't even the same species. Do baby animals of any form just seem cute to all species? Is that just a common denominator?

[Nirawen]

I will admit that I love the appearance of cropped ears on a doberman, but I would never, ever do that to a dog. I'll also say upfront that the tail cropping doesn't bother me; it's done pretty much the instant they are born and from what I've seen while helping do it, the whole process is much less traumatic than the ear cropping surgery (which is very rough to see and to witness these lovely dogs recovering from).

My problem with tail docking isn't the risk of pain/trauma (as you mentioned, a decent vet can do it very painlessly) but the loss of expression for the dog. Seems like removing someones lips and then asking them to smile .

[Ohmygonzo]

No no...I get that...but why are they that way to US? I mean we aren't even the same species. Do baby animals of any form just seem cute to all species? Is that just a common denominator?

I think it is, that's why you see different species taking care of different species young.

It's a common thing between mammals, I think. But also, among some other animal species.

[poser765]

I think it is, that's why you see different species taking care of different species young.

It's a common thing between mammals, I think. But also, among some other animal species.

That's very interesting to me.

[Gheld]

Ear cropping is illegal here. As it fucking should be. Docking tails is still legal somehow, but most vets won't do it for ethical reasons.

Stop mutifuckinglating fucking dogs.

[Ammeg]

In nature (naturally/when born) they would have floppy ears, humans dock them if they are using them for hunting/work so they can hear better, apparently it helps with infections too.

I think they look beautiful either way, so it is up to you

[Brienna]

Hello everyone,

I am to pick up a black Doberman female puppy tomorrow, as I had to put my previous dog to sleep, a few months ago, i think the time has come to bring a new family member in.

My previous dog was a Staffordshire, and I didn't want to crop his ears, he died after almost seven years with us, and it was like losing a family member, which he was.

My question, and concern is, does ear cropping on dobermans, (since I can see that most of them are with cropped ears ) have any beneficial thing to it, except for them looking more pretty?

What are health benefits of ears cropping, I know the downside, it bothers them cuz of the bandages, and it probably annoys them, I think it doesn't hurt them too much, because the ears aren't properly formed yet in young age, so i think they don't feel any pain in the process of healing.

Is it worth putting the dog, and myself through all this trouble? Does it have any other effect except the dog looking more like a Doberman?

I don't want to abuse the dog if it just helps with her looks.

This probably isn't the best forum to find out information about dobermans and cropping. I'm a Doberman lover myself and we currently have two. Both are docked and cropped. I agree with everything Lysah said. It does improve hearing for working purposes and can decrease ear infections. However, as a pet, leave them how you prefer them. If you're worried about ear infections, just be sure to keep them clean. There are lots of ear washes on the market for dogs. Even with our two being cropped, we clean their ears every few days (especially since ours like to roll around in the dirt!).

There are even taping methods for uncropped ears to make them lay flat and pretty. Sometimes uncropped will try to stand and they won't lay flat. I recommend finding a friendly doberman forum. I personally am a part of doberman-chat.com. They're very friendly and welcoming of cropped/uncropped docked/undocked and are happy to provide feedback/input on any questions or concerns you have. They also have information about the uncropped ear taping.

Congrats on your new puppy. Dobermans are amazing creatures.

[Ammeg]

Ear cropping is illegal here. As it fucking should be.

Shame that in North America and Canada they still declaw cats, which is a shit load worse than changing the shape of a dogs ears. (not a dig at the quoted person, just an observation)

[Gheld]

Shame that in North America and Canada they still declaw cats, which is a shit load worse than changing the shape of a dogs ears. (not a dig at the quoted person, just an observation)

Yeah that's another practise that ought to be illegal

[Brienna]

Also, the argument that their ears are floppy in nature so they should stay that way is an interesting one to me. Dobermans are 100% man made and wouldn't even exist in nature if man hadn't created the breed so the entire doberman existence is "un-natural". The breed was created with the intention of it having cropped ears and docked tails.

[Lysah]

Also, the argument that their ears are floppy in nature so they should stay that way is an interesting one to me. Dobermans are 100% man made and wouldn't even exist in nature if man hadn't created the breed so the entire doberman existence is "un-natural". The breed was created with the intention of it having cropped ears and docked tails.

Better not say that around these parts, don't forget that animals are people, too.

[Gheld]

Also, the argument that their ears are floppy in nature so they should stay that way is an interesting one to me. Dobermans are 100% man made and wouldn't even exist in nature if man hadn't created the breed so the entire doberman existence is "un-natural". The breed was created with the intention of it having cropped ears and docked tails.

You're 100% man made to, lel. Your parents should be able to mutilate you until they are happy with your appearance.

[Ohmygonzo]

Shame that in North America and Canada they still declaw cats, which is a shit load worse than changing the shape of a dogs ears. (not a dig at the quoted person, just an observation)

Declawing the cats sounds worse than killing them, to me.
I have two cats in my house, and they have a scratcher, so they can go all out on it

The dog is going to my parents house, so the cats will not be in contact with the baby dog

[Deleted]

You're 100% man made to, lel. Your parents should be able to mutilate you until they are happy with your appearance.

and many parents do

circumcision anyone?

also his point was that people were hardly artificially created, while dobermans were in a way *flies away*

[melkesjokolade]

Wtf, you wanna cut of a little baby dogs ears? You sick person.

[Treeskee]

I support floppy ears! (even though he's not a doberman)

[Ammeg]

Declawing the cats sounds worse than killing them, to me.
I have two cats in my house, and they have a scratcher, so they can go all out on it

The dog is going to my parents house, so the cats will not be in contact with the baby dog

Declawing a cat means that they then can't climb and stuff, but some places in America and Canada will not rent out an apartment to people who have cats unless they declaw them. Which pretty much makes them unable to do many cat things. Cats usually (one of ours doesn't seem to understand this) know that their claws should be retracted when being held and such.

But yea. Dogs, as long as you are not harming them, are able to have their ears manipulated without a serious effect on the dog, it can even be beneficial too. So I think it is up to the owner of the dog whether they want to crop their ears or not

[Gheld]

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites...l-to-dogs.aspx

[Tulune]

IMHO, it's nothing more than legalized mutilation. It's dumb looking, painful, and pointless. Don't to it.

[pfbe]

IMHO, it's nothing more than legalized mutilation. It's dumb looking, painful, and pointless. Don't to it.

To OP's point, there are no medically aknowledged benefits to the procedures. That's pretty much all there is to it.

It was done historically, for a variety of reasons. That, in itself, lends no weight to the practices, as with any number of historical practices that got dropped through the ages. It is done currently due to: a) the aesthetic preferences of some "breed connoisseurs", who think it should be done because it looks good, and b) because some people still believe outdated and unproven (if not disproven) old-wives tales regarding potential benefits.

Don't do it. Train your dog properly and enjoy it as it is.


As anecdotal evidence for how unintelligent people can sound when they don't let go of those old-wives tales, where I live there is a history of bullfighting, and when bloodletting in bullfights was to be outlawed a few years ago, there were some debates as to its merits and downsides. I remember one such debate where a bull breeder (?) argued that, because bulls were animals so full of rage, bleeding them was beneficial to prevent heart failure. Needless to say, he was laughed into silence, but you can always find people willing to argue dumb points.