To Crop or Not to Crop...

[Dane Happy]

I have read every post here and appreciate everyone's comments.

The current standings are

YES my great danes ears are cropped and I love it!!! 36 votes (40.91%)
YES my great danes ears are cropped but I wish they weren't. 1 vote (1.14%)
NO my great danes ears are not cropped and I like it that way!!! 36 votes (40.91%)
NO my great danes ears are not cropped but I wish they were. 15 votes (17.15%)

88 voters

I think it's interesting that their are more people who regret not having cropped ears then people who regret having cropped ears. I wish I had added an option for people who have (or have had) both and weather they liked it, disliked it, or like both but I can't change it now.

I honestly like both looks so much I don't think I could be happy with one. I like the regal look of the cropped dane. But I like the floppy ears of a natural eared dane too. So I have decided to take the advice of my breeder and not crop this dane since he will be my first dane and I will crop my 2nd. I feel good about that decision.

Don't let my decision stop anyone from commenting. I am sure their will be someone later down the line who uses the search function and finds this thread so anyone who wants to add their opinion to this I think will be helpful.

[HillaryMontana]

I do not mean to offend anyone here, just an opinion.

Almost everyone on this forum comes to here with a big heart for dogs, I hope, and other animals as well. Why would anyone who doesn't have a 'show dane' want to put their dog through a painful surgery and months of healing and having bandages, splints, etc attached to their ears? I have found no research that says there is any reason to crop a dogs ears, it is only for show - correct me if I am wrong. Some people have said it prevents ear mites, or keeps ear infections away, that is all bogus as far as my research is concerned. I just would never want to put my fellow friend through any such torment and pain simply because I think he or she would look better.



But to each their own I guess!

[kayla baxter]

I do not mean to offend anyone here, just an opinion.

Almost everyone on this forum comes to here with a big heart for dogs, I hope, and other animals as well. Why would anyone who doesn't have a 'show dane' want to put their dog through a painful surgery and months of healing and having bandages, splints, etc attached to their ears? I have found no research that says there is any reason to crop a dogs ears, it is only for show - correct me if I am wrong. Some people have said it prevents ear mites, or keeps ear infections away, that is all bogus as far as my research is concerned. I just would never want to put my fellow friend through any such torment and pain simply because I think he or she would look better.



But to each their own I guess!

Well there's the problem, it isn't months of torment and pain. Zephyr was running around the yard playing with my other dogs the day of his cropping, and would fall asleep while I taped his ears. Even now, his favorite thing is having his ears rubbed. He howled when he was microchipped, that was worse than any part of his post-crop. His neuter and later his pexi were both way harder on him than his crop.

[Meatos]

I'm all for everyone having an opinion, but this horse is so dead, it's glue...no sense in getting into it again.

[wyndius]

Weighing in late here. Didn't vote because I have one of each currently. I'm on dane number 4, 3 males all cropped, one female natural, although I also had a natural earred female pound rescue for a few months.

I love cropped! I also love really nice natural ears! I have not regretted any of my choices so far. Everytime I have a puppy I have a little battle with myself desiding if I'm going to do it or not, even when I desided before the pup came home, it's just different once they are in my arms and I can see their adorable ears.

I desided not to crop Iris, at the time I already had Havoc, cropped, and figured why not one of each? And besides at the time I thought it made her look more feminine. To be honest I do not regret leaving her natural, but she also does not have a very good ear set, I did tape them, but they just didn't take. My rescue on the other hand my rescue had BEAUTIFUL ears! She had the ears I'd hoped Iris would have!

It's nice to have experience w/ both and in my experience (Iris (natural) vs. Havoc (cropped), since they were together the longest). Iris's ears were by far cleaner then Havoc's! And for the longest time I'd always considered natural much 'easier', however she has now had two hematomas (first one was around 8, second one was pretty recent), very not fun, and her nice soft ears are now scarred up and rough. Dealing w/ that I was seriously leaning towards all future danes being cropped.

Ironically of my four, Iris is the only one that has never liked her ears handled, don't think it has anything to do w/ them being natural, just an interesting coincidence. Then again, who knows.

No clue what I'll do w/ my next dane, guess we'll see when it gets here in 9 or so years.

[Sparrow]

I was never sure if I would like a crop on a white but whoever that is in your avatar (Havoc?) looks really good.

[wyndius]

Thank you! That's my baby Revel, his crop is much nicer then Havoc's was, and I think it looks great on him!

[Eris]

Sometimes I wish they were, sometimes I'm glad they aren't because they're so fun to play with! Now, with our new puppy... That's the hardest decision. Even harder than her name.

[Dane Happy]

Now that I have my dane i thought I would give an update. I decided not to crop my first dane and I'm glad I didn't. I play with his ears all the time. He loves for me to mess with them and I twist them around in my fingers and he just lays there.

That being said my next danes ears will be cropped. I just love the look. I have to have one of each at least and so that's what I'm going for.

That is all.

[lwrees72]

Now that I have my dane i thought I would give an update. I decided not to crop my first dane and I'm glad I didn't. I play with his ears all the time. He loves for me to mess with them and I twist them around in my fingers and he just lays there.

That being said my next danes ears will be cropped. I just love the look. I have to have one of each at least and so that's what I'm going for.

That is all.

For the record, you can play with cropped ears. I do when Kaos is laying at my feet, all the time!

[Grace and Henry]

Similar argument could be made against neutering dogs, which is far more invasive and painful, increases osteosarcoma risk when performed at the age most vets recommend, and essentially only is a way for the owner to "get out" of the additional training and containment requirements to keep an intact male from having accidental litters. We do procedures on domestic animals all the time that are not technically necessary, but provided that we utilize modern anesthesia and pain management techniques, I'll never understand how it is widely accepted to neuter a dog so that it can be owned by someone with the inability (or lack of desire) to properly train an intact male, but cropping of ears is somehow horrifying when it is creating a flesh wound that is immediately stitched rather than removing an entire organ.

Note: I'm not arguing against neutering by any means, and believe there is nothing wrong with neutering a pet dog in order to make the process of pet ownership infinitely more enjoyable, but it's always the same idiots who believe that their right to alter their dog in the way they see fit for their lifestyle who speak loudest against those of us who choose to do the same.

[Erin B.]

I will never crop one of mine unless it for some reason becomes medically necessary. I have a lot of reasons. A big part of it is, I have had my own fair share of surgeries, both "minor" and otherwise, and it's hard on you, regardless of age or fitness at the time. It's always a risk, and the fewer risks my dogs have the better. Also I like their natural ear set, mine were bred for a nice natural ear set and I like it. So soft and they love to have them rubbed. My first dane was cropped and he looked good but when I saw pictures of him before he was cropped, I did kind of wish they had left them. I've never had problems with my floppy ear danes so to me it's unnecessary, and I keep their dew claws on too. All that having been said, I don't have any issues with people who do crop. It can be a challenge deciding the right choices to make for the best health of these guys, and who am I to say one is right or the other is wrong, as long as it's thought through and done with the puppy's best well being in mind.