opinions please!

[newdaner]

hello! been lurking around here for the last few weeks and haven't said too much since i believe my pup came from a byb. i know i know not good to support them but if i would have found this website a little sooner i would have known. but i guess i know now and will do better next time. anywho, maizey is my little black beauty, first dane and first dane crop. (obviously) i have had pitbulls growing up so i've been down the cropping road before just haven't dealt with ears so long, so i'm turning to all the seasoned vets here for opinions. let me know what you think and what i should try and change. stitches came out today and the pictures are about 3 hours after removal. let me know what you all think!

thanks!

[oceanbluedanes]

Welcome! Your puppy is very cute.

The crop is too short and has way too much bell for my personal preference. But the good news is that you should have no problems getting them to stand with very minimal taping.

I assume this is a pet puppy and not show? In which case the crop should be just fine. It would probably not be ideal for the show ring.

Who did the cropping?

[kayla baxter]

Did your vet have experience with dane crops? The ears look a little short and really wide with a lot of bell. They should stand easily, but will have more of a pitbull look than a dane look when full grown. The ears don't really grow in proportion to the head, that's why puppies look so silly with huge long ears so that they look right as an adult.
This is my boy's show crop at 11 weeks


My other boy has a wider crop


As an adult he still has that bat dog look when focused on something in front of him

[Meatos]

I agree with the others. Did you have her cropped by the same vet who does your pit crops? It's important to find a vet who specialises in cropping your specific breed (pits, dobes, danes, schnauzers, etc.) and can make the crop correct to the head and breed type. She has a really pretty face and her ears should stand very easily but as others mentioned, the ears don't really grow past a certain point but the head keeps growing for a long time, so they will always look out of proportion. Doesn't make her any less of a great pet though, she looks like a sweetheart!

[thisiscyndi]

hello! been lurking around here for the last few weeks and haven't said too much since i believe my pup came from a byb. i know i know not good to support them but if i would have found this website a little sooner i would have known. but i guess i know now and will do better next time. anywho, maizey is my little black beauty, first dane and first dane crop. (obviously) i have had pitbulls growing up so i've been down the cropping road before just haven't dealt with ears so long, so i'm turning to all the seasoned vets here for opinions. let me know what you think and what i should try and change. stitches came out today and the pictures are about 3 hours after removal. let me know what you all think!

thanks!

Welcome to the board, what a pretty girl you have there! And dont worry, many many members purchased from a byb before they know better. We are here to support you going forward.
Yes your crop looks a little short but your girl will still be a lovely pet Dane!

[HarlequinHorror]

For future reference its best to go with a Vet with cropping experience as those are far too short for a Dane. We've nearly all bought from BYBs though but there's no need to feel ashamed or like you can't talk about it as long as you've learnt from it.

[newdaner]

oh no she's all pet! no showing for me! between railroading, a 14 month old little boy and being a husband there's not time for the ring! dr maher did the crop. i thought was a little short but like everyone said won't be a problem getting them to stand. she's got pockets on the inside at the base of the ear was what i was worried about. they seem to pull the ear in. any suggestions on getting them out? it's like the cartiledge there is already super strong. and then how much should i roll the ear around a post? should i go for a smaller diameter to wrap them around to slim them up a little bit? seems to me they face forward too much. but anyway thanks for the replies and yes she is a sweetie! already has me wrapped around her little (not so little anymore) paw!

[oceanbluedanes]

oh no she's all pet! no showing for me! between railroading, a 14 month old little boy and being a husband there's not time for the ring! dr maher did the crop. i thought was a little short but like everyone said won't be a problem getting them to stand. she's got pockets on the inside at the base of the ear was what i was worried about. they seem to pull the ear in. any suggestions on getting them out? it's like the cartiledge there is already super strong. and then how much should i roll the ear around a post? should i go for a smaller diameter to wrap them around to slim them up a little bit? seems to me they face forward too much. but anyway thanks for the replies and yes she is a sweetie! already has me wrapped around her little (not so little anymore) paw!

There are lots of methods for taping. Read more threads in this section and you will find several different methods.

The best advice for pockets is to make sure that you pull firmly up and out when taping the base - it helps to eliminate any pockets.

I would not use a smaller diameter to roll the ear around the post, you don't want a "fruit roll-up" ear. There is no way to make them narrower, it is the crop that is wide and they will always be wide. In fact, I would use a wider diameter post to ensure that the skin is stretched firmly around it and not leaving pockets.

And I'm not sure what you mean by 'pulling the ear in' but if you mean that they are almost touching each other when she is alert, it's ok. As she grows and her skull widens, there will be more space between the ears and they won't seem too close...

[Meatos]

Are you using a bridge between the ears at all? If so, I would stop adding the bridge - the head muscles are probably strong enough at this point to hold the ears up, and the bridge will continue to pull them in so that the ears touch at the tips, creating a "party hat" look. Since she has a wider crop you could get away with using a thicker diameter backer rod foam pipe that you can get in large coils at the hardware store and cut to fit the length of the ear.

[oceanbluedanes]

Are you using a bridge between the ears at all? If so, I would stop adding the bridge - the head muscles are probably strong enough at this point to hold the ears up, and the bridge will continue to pull them in so that the ears touch at the tips, creating a "party hat" look. Since she has a wider crop you could get away with using a thicker diameter backer rod foam pipe that you can get in large coils at the hardware store and cut to fit the length of the ear.

The OP stated that the stitches just came out today. Given that, I would DEFINITELY be using a bridge at this point. Short crop or not, they haven't even been taped once post-stitches yet so I highly doubt the bases are strong enough to go without the bridge.

My 4 month old is still using a bridge and her ears are in no danger of leaning in on each other. Then again, I use a strong bridge that really doesn't allow the ears to fall inward toward each other. She has a very long crop and the posts are still heavy for her. Her bases are strong and coming along nicely and she should be ready to graduate away from the bridge soon.