Ear Cropping....your opinions?

[andiesdanes]

RE: Ear Cropping....your opinions?

>... preserves what the
>breed originally stood for. the great dane was orginally
>used for hunting wild boar. & the ears were cropped to
>protect the dog from the underbrush in the thick forests.
>so, i like cropping for show dogs or pet dogs. but it is
>hellish work to tape ears. if taped well & consistently the
>end result is beautiful! >>

I disagree with cropping preserving the boarhound look....look at any old pictures from when Danes were still used as hunting dogs..the crop they had was VERY VERY short and stubby, kind of like you see on Pits now, not at all regal. Also have to disagree that if taped well nd consitently it will end up beautiful...lots of dogs have crop failures even with a proper cut and proper taping...

That said, it is hard for me to not love a lovely cropped Dane...they do look so regal and beautiful. And the vast majority of American Breeders breed for a crop....longer ears. I love the look of a Natural Eared Dane if they have the right ear and ear set....not at all "houndy or dopey" with the correctly bred ear.


All of mine have been cropped. Given the choice I would go au naturel, but my breeder crops the pups before they go to homes....so more taping is in my future......ugh.

[danemaybe]

RE: Ear Cropping....your opinions?

this is almost too funny. since you know i like cropped ears so much, dont you think i would have had it done???? read my first post on this topic. no i will make it easier for you...i will quote it: "my dogs ears are natural (i thought there was no reason to crop) and, at 5 months old, he has already had an infection (and yes i clean them)." where in this statement do you hear me trying to "validate" my opinion to YOU??? am i not allowed to answer like everyone else??? whats wrong with you, only your opinions matter??? where exactly do you hear me "bellyaching" and "whining" until your cocky comment????

from my statement, and a few other peoples whose uncropped dogs have had infections, you decide its your duty to, not help us, or INFORM us of how to clean ears, but to imply that we have never "heard of vinegar and water, and cleaning your dog's ears weekly?" and no actually, you dont have any reason at all to be "sick and tired" bc you started the problem. the conversation was going fine until YOUR implications. your statement simply WASNT NECESSARY.

[Nicole34]

RE: Ear Cropping....your opinions?

I prefer the look of the cropped ear. Both my dogs have the "short" crop and I didn't have to tape once. They stood on their own, not to say that "all" ears will do that, but it may be the thing to do for the first time cropper.

http://www.nicoleandbrett34.com/danes2.html

[HKDanes]

RE: Ear Cropping....your opinions?

the great dane was orginally
>used for hunting wild boar. & the ears were cropped to
>protect the dog from the underbrush in the thick forests.

No, the ears were cut off so that the boars couldn't shred them with their tusks.
I prefer the cropped look and always will. In my last litter, the ear sets and the size of the ears were such that the puppies could have all been left down eared.
I cropped four puppies in one day and separated them that night. By the next day, they were playing with each other like nothing had happened. They were not drugged (I oppose using sedatives in the after care but that is just me).
I cropped my boy and his ears were standing by the time he was eight months old. I put him in my deep sink to contain him (while I could still lift him) and he sat there for the whole process. When he grew out of the sink, he was "trained" to sit still while I taped him by myself.
If the cropping vet leaves enough bell and the dog has the proper ear leather and the breeder has the correct way to tape, you should have no problem.
It is a personal choice and there is no right or wrong of it, IMO...Jo