Ear cropping newbie looking for advice please :)

[emilym]

Hi there everyone!
I'm Emily and the new mommy to a beautiful blue baby girl! As a kid growing up we had a black dane girl named Jill and her "lap-dog" personality inspired me to own a dane of my own again. Jill's ears were never cropped, so I was never around the entire taping and propping experience that you all have detailed throughout this forum. I am a big fan of the elegant look of a long show crop of the ears but would like some advice regarding how to choose the appropriate crop for my girl!
Thank you much!
Emily

[Matt77]

How old is your new puppy?

[oshagcj914]

A long show crop is the hardest to get to stand. A medium crop would probably be better for a first time taper. That's what Finn's are, and I think they look great. It is really important to find a vet who is experienced with cropping Danes, not Dobes or pit bulls - nothing uglier than a pit crop on a Dane. They will usually not crop puppies past 12 weeks. Most reputable breeders will take care of this for their puppy buyers, or at least recommend someone. What does your breeder say? And what part of the country are you from? I am a first time taper, but my breeder sent me to a well known Dane handler/breeder so they could show me how to tape. If you don't have anyone who can show you how it's done, especially with a long crop, then I would seriously consider whether you really want them done. I love the cropped look, but it is work and it has to be done correctly.

[oceanbluedanes]

First of all, make sure you are willing to put in the time and effort to tape for 6-12 months. If you cannot fully, 100% commit - don't do it. Nothing worse than a crop flop.

If you are going to go through with cropping, then you need to get the crop that looks best on your dog. No point in going through all that time and work if the end result is ugly.

There are several things to consider when determining the ideal crop for a specific dog. Is this pup American bred or partly/mostly Euro type? Euros tend to have thicker ears that are harder to get to stand. Generally, I recommend a medium show crop for pet owners looking for a nice crop that isn't quite the length of a show dog. I would NEVER say "pet crop" to a vet because most will go too short if you use the "pet" term.

Also, where are you located? You might be able to find someone who can help you with the first few tapings. I would recommend a breeder over a random vet, as breeders have much more experience at taping than vets who usually only do the first few initial tapings. If you do find a breeder, offer to pay them for their help. Vets don't do it for free and neither should a breeder, unless perhaps the puppy is from them and they live local to you.

[emilym]

She is 6 weeks old. My breeder is 3-4 hours away from me but is very helpful over the phone. She doesn't do ear cropping because it is not her preference but she sent me a little information in a packet about cropping. I live in Tennessee and the ONLY vet that crops anymore around here is in Knoxville. I go for a consultation on Monday to see what he will recommend. I'm dedicated to this dog and will do whatever it takes to keep her in tip-top shape!

[oshagcj914]

Is she still with the breeder then? I hope you don't have her home at just 6 weeks! That is way to early to be away from mom and littermates, not to mention illegal in many states to sell a pup under 8 weeks. 2weeks doesn't sound like much time, but it really is vital socialization time that puppies really need. If you do have her, I highly recommend you read up on bite inhibition, as many puppies who are taken from mom/littermates really struggle with this. My idiot brother, despite advise from myself and other family members, brought home a labradoodle puppy at 6 weeks and he was a horrible biter. I would not even go to his house to visit because that puppy nipped so bad all the time. Finally at 9 months he is getting better, but it can be a real nightmare. You might also want to take a look at the ABCs to buying a purebred puppy links to the left for more information on how to choose a good breeder if you ever decide to get another puppy.

If Ohio is not too far to drive, I highly recommend Ann Midgarden (hopefully I spelled that right!). She is a long time Dane cropper and did Finn's litter and she is fantastic! Her prices are very reasonable too. I would not settle for someone just because they are close. You only get to do this once. Does this vet have references? I would never choose a vet unless they have pics/references from Danes they have not before so you have a visual of what you will get.

[bjas2]

I am in TN too and have had a vet in Chattanooga recommend to me as well as two in Nashville. A lady here has three Danes and has went to the one in Chattanooga, that is the only one I have seen his work. I can PM you the info if you would like

[dukers]

Dr.Bill in Ashville is really good too. All he does is ears, it is a bit of drive, but TOTALLY worth it, Midgarden (sp?) is good too, well so I have heard, and she is on about 250, only thing is she is usually booked out for weeks.

[oshagcj914]

For reference, Finn's were done by Midgarden in OH, and are a medium crop. They're fairly long, but definitely not a long show crop. I love the shape and they stood pretty easily too. Still taping at nearly 5 months, but I think we'll be done pretty soon.

image.jpg

[dukers]

Dukes are a medium show crop too and stood right up (after getting over a minor infection) (we had Dr.Bill).
Duke had flying nun or uppy ears and was cropped at 13 weeks.

Duke and presumably finn are teething pretty 'hard-core' right now so we continue to tape.

Like many say nothing worse than a crop flop.

Duke's will stay up for days (5+ days, look at our posting history we are juggling a bit of things), but this past week or two his teeth have been falling out like crazy, calcium tends to go the teeth/mouth vs the ear cartilage during teething so we are continuing to tape just to be sure things stay handsome.

[oshagcj914]

Dukes are a medium show crop too and stood right up (after getting over a minor infection) (we had Dr.Bill).
Duke had flying nun or uppy ears and was cropped at 13 weeks.

Duke and presumably finn are teething pretty 'hard-core' right now so we continue to tape.

Like many say nothing worse than a crop flop.

Duke's will stay up for days (5+ days, look at our posting history we are juggling a bit of things), but this past week or two his teeth have been falling out like crazy, calcium tends to go the teeth/mouth vs the ear cartilage during teething so we are continuing to tape just to be sure things stay handsome.

Finn seems to have quite a few of his adult teeth in, but yes, we are still taping. Ears have been down for 24 hours and still going strong! Hopefully not too much longer for both of us!

[emilym]

Thank you all for your help! I'm sorry I've been MIA the past few days but Piper has been getting all of my attention To answer all of your questions, Piper is currently 7 weeks old and I picked her up from the breeder about 5 days ago. She is very sweet and loving but can be very energetic and playful as well! I am beginning to question whether or not I want to crop her ears now. She's gorgeous naturally although I have to admit, properly cropped ears are absolutely stunning. She is so hyper sometimes that I am afraid she will be able to rip off the tape and her ears will be damaged forever.. Does anyone else's dane have a similar personality and did you have issues with keeping his/her ears taped?

[oshagcj914]

Thank you all for your help! I'm sorry I've been MIA the past few days but Piper has been getting all of my attention To answer all of your questions, Piper is currently 7 weeks old and I picked her up from the breeder about 5 days ago. She is very sweet and loving but can be very energetic and playful as well! I am beginning to question whether or not I want to crop her ears now. She's gorgeous naturally although I have to admit, properly cropped ears are absolutely stunning. She is so hyper sometimes that I am afraid she will be able to rip off the tape and her ears will be damaged forever.. Does anyone else's dane have a similar personality and did you have issues with keeping his/her ears taped?

I didn't have any issues with Finn, but he's not high energy at all. Hubby holds his head still while I tape, and Finn usually falls asleep . Do you have anyone to help you? I love cropped ears, but I personally wouldn't crop unless I was 100% sure about it. Nothing wrong with natural ears, and if we ever get another pup we might not crop. If her ears go all flying nun on you, you can also tape natural ears too so they end up looking correct as an adult.

[Titan3151]

these are Titan's just 3 weeks after cropping, we were at the vet getting them checked out - the angle is a little strange but I think this is considered a pet crop?? not sure... some of the other here can help identify what they are...

the second one is a photo of his profile and at about 4.5 - 5 months of age -

[Greenmagick]

Thank you all for your help! I'm sorry I've been MIA the past few days but Piper has been getting all of my attention To answer all of your questions, Piper is currently 7 weeks old and I picked her up from the breeder about 5 days ago. She is very sweet and loving but can be very energetic and playful as well! I am beginning to question whether or not I want to crop her ears now. She's gorgeous naturally although I have to admit, properly cropped ears are absolutely stunning. She is so hyper sometimes that I am afraid she will be able to rip off the tape and her ears will be damaged forever.. Does anyone else's dane have a similar personality and did you have issues with keeping his/her ears taped?

OT from the ear cropping issue....but this pup got taken away from mama and littermates too young 8 weeks is the youngest the should be taken. Please read up all you can on bite inhibition and how to properly teach it.