Posted: 6/24/2010 8:17:42 PM EDT
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I need to know what to ask and what to look for in a good vet that crops ears.....There are 1-3 locations on island that does it and two of them have ok rep the third is charging as much as the puppy cost us. I am going to go to one of the vets tomorrow and talk with them to see how I feel about the situation. SO ANY HELP tonight would be great. I am Hawaii time so 6 hour difference to EST, I will be at vet around 3pmest tomorrow.
How long is the process? So what are your thoughts on it? How to keep the ears safe and clean? Any other comments on it? Here is a picture of the little guy. Oh he was born April 18th and is 15lbs yesterday. 
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You have to ask yourself, "will I miss those cute floppy ears when they're gone?"
I'm guessing a lot of people here will tell you it's mean to crop ears. My dog had a cut on his ear for a few months, and it never bothered him (I still find blood on the walls from him shaking). I would get a paper towel and wipe his ear, never bothered him. There aren't many nerves in the ear, so I don't think it's something to worry about. And as far as the hassle of going to the vet etc, I think dogs just like the attention. BUT... those floppy ears are cute 
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Quoted: You have to ask yourself, "will I miss those cute floppy ears when they're gone?" I'm guessing a lot of people here will tell you it's mean to crop ears. My dog had a cut on his ear for a few months, and it never bothered him (I still find blood on the walls from him shaking). I would get a paper towel and wipe his ear, never bothered him. There aren't many nerves in the ear, so I don't think it's something to worry about. And as far as the hassle of going to the vet etc, I think dogs just like the attention. BUT... those floppy ears are cute   |
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Why do you want to do it? Astettics and breed type aside there is not much reason.
But then a dobie and a coon dog look a lot a like with log floppy ears. Crop the ears on the Doberman and he won't ever be confused with a hound. So there is the laymen breed identification and safety issue there. Besides a dog with "devil horns" looks cool. We can go round and round all day on this but In the end it's your dog and your money. |
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@JonnyVain I believe I read that there are tons of nerve endings in the ear. Thanks for the input though. My vet told me there are very little in the ear, and that's why the cuts he had never bothered him. ETA: My dog was cut way out on the tip of the ear, so maybe there are more nerve endings near the base of where the ear is cropped. |
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You have to ask yourself, "will I miss those cute floppy ears when they're gone?" I'm guessing a lot of people here will tell you it's mean to crop ears. My dog had a cut on his ear for a few months, and it never bothered him (I still find blood on the walls from him shaking). I would get a paper towel and wipe his ear, never bothered him. There aren't many nerves in the ear, so I don't think it's something to worry about. And as far as the hassle of going to the vet etc, I think dogs just like the attention. BUT... those floppy ears are cute
Very constructive input. My dog loves to go the the vet. He's had surgery on his ear, shots, thermometer up his but, etc. He still loves the attention he gets there. |
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You have to ask yourself, "will I miss those cute floppy ears when they're gone?" I'm guessing a lot of people here will tell you it's mean to crop ears. My dog had a cut on his ear for a few months, and it never bothered him (I still find blood on the walls from him shaking). I would get a paper towel and wipe his ear, never bothered him. There aren't many nerves in the ear, so I don't think it's something to worry about. And as far as the hassle of going to the vet etc, I think dogs just like the attention. BUT... those floppy ears are cute
Very constructive input. My dog loves to go the the vet. He's had surgery on his ear, shots, thermometer up his but, etc. He still loves the attention he gets there. Thats funny, my female bulldog loves the vet also. She gets excited and is very good for the vet. |
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We decided to not have the ears done for a number of reasons. The main one being the ability for my wife to be able to keep up with the work of the ears because I will not be around for 8 weeks to help. So we are going to use the money down the road to have advanced training done with us and a professional.
THanks for all the inputs guys. |
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We decided to not have the ears done for a number of reasons. The main one being the ability for my wife to be able to keep up with the work of the ears because I will not be around for 8 weeks to help. So we are going to use the money down the road to have advanced training done with us and a professional. THanks for all the inputs guys. I think that sounds like a great decision  .
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A good breeder will have the ears cropped before you get the pup. That doesn’t help you now, but maybe it will help someone else reading this thread.
Be very, very cautious of purchasing a Dobermann from any breeder who sells uncropped puppies. Dobermanns are a cropped and docked dog. If you think floppy ears are cute, well you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but IMHO if you want a floppy eared dog, get a different breed, please don’t try to change the Dobermann. Let me restate this for anyone considering a Dobermann- Please research breeders carefully! All good Dobermann breeders do health testing! Health testing is very important in this breed. Not a veterinary check up, but actual, specific testing for several known genetic problems. Also, avoid breeders who sell uncropped puppies, it is a pretty reliable indicator of a poor breeder!!!!!! 
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Also, avoid breeders who sell uncropped puppies, it is a pretty reliable indicator of a poor breeder!!!!!! Not usually the case as cropping the ears is more of a personal decision and (in my opinion) actually diminishes the ability of the dog to effectively communicate with other dog's. Dog's mainly communicate through body language, and the ears are part of that. Cropping of the ears was originally done so other animals could not grab ahold of them when the doberman was being used for hunting/hurt when being used for protection work. The same reason applied to the docking of the tail and breeding for a short coat. Also (as posted above me) most infections are due to either ear mites or a food allergy of some sort. Basically, cropping of the ears is a personal decision, but there are no medical reasons to have it done. If you are going to have it done, do it early so you have time to train the ears so they stand up properly. 
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A good breeder will have the ears cropped before you get the pup. That doesn’t help you now, but maybe it will help someone else reading this thread. Be very, very cautious of purchasing a Dobermann from any breeder who sells uncropped puppies. Dobermanns are a cropped and docked dog. If you think floppy ears are cute, well you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but IMHO if you want a floppy eared dog, get a different breed, please don’t try to change the Dobermann. Let me restate this for anyone considering a Dobermann- Please research breeders carefully! All good Dobermann breeders do health testing! Health testing is very important in this breed. Not a veterinary check up, but actual, specific testing for several known genetic problems. Also, avoid breeders who sell uncropped puppies, it is a pretty reliable indicator of a poor breeder!!!!!! Would your opinion translate to boxers also? Mine came docked but not cropped. Parents were AKC certified, health tested, etc. The only thing not bred out of him was his bull-headedness. |
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Also, avoid breeders who sell uncropped puppies, it is a pretty reliable indicator of a poor breeder!!!!!! Not usually the case as cropping the ears is more of a personal decision and (in my opinion) actually diminishes the ability of the dog to effectively communicate with other dog's. Dog's mainly communicate through body language, and the ears are part of that. Cropping of the ears was originally done so other animals could not grab ahold of them when the doberman was being used for hunting/hurt when being used for protection work. The same reason applied to the docking of the tail and breeding for a short coat. Also (as posted above me) most infections are due to either ear mites or a food allergy of some sort. Basically, cropping of the ears is a personal decision, but there are no medical reasons to have it done. If you are going to have it done, do it early so you have time to train the ears so they stand up properly. I don’t mean to be confrontational, so please don’t take offence to this- But you really should do a little research into Dobermanns before forming your opinion. Also, please consider that what you post online has the potential to mislead others. Again, no offence intended here. Just trying to help. Ear cropping on Dobermanns is more of an issue than just a "personal decision". I do agree that if a person has purchaced an uncropped puppy the decision to crop or not becomes a pesonal decision. The point I wish to convey is that potential Dobermann owners should be extremely wary of any 'breeder' who is selling uncropped pups. What I hope folks reading this thread may learn is that very, very few ethical breeders will sell an uncropped puppy. There are several reasons for this. Some of these reasons are- a) the Dobemann is a docked and cropped breed. b) An accepted time for cropping Dobermans starts at 7 weeks old. Puppies should not be removed from their litter earlier than 8 weeks, therefore the ideal time for cropping begins when the breeder still owns the dog. c) Responsible breeders have a vision for the dogs they are producing and that vision includes not only the health and temperament, but also the look of the dog. A good breeder will want to choose the surgeon and style of crop that matches their vision. d) After care of cropped ears can be confusing and intimidating for some folks. A good breeder will want to make sure that the ears are at least healing properly and posting has begun before the puppies are placed. e) Ethical breeders will take back a dog from a buyer if sometime during the life of the dog the owner can no longer care for it. Human nature being what it is, it's easier for the breeder to find another home for a Dobermann that is properly cropped than it is to find a home for a poorly cropped or hounddog looking one. Ethical Dobermann breeders have a plan when breeding to produce offspring that maintains or improves the breed. Responsible breeders do not breed Dobermann’s without testing both sire and dam for the following at a minimum- Dilated Cariomyopathy (DCM) Hip Dysplasia Hypothyroidism Von Willebrand's Disease (vWD) Wobblers/CVI If you do some research you will find that the vast majority of breeders who sell uncropped Dobermann puppies do not health test either. What that means to a potential puppy buyer is that an uncropped puppy is a huge red flag that 'breeder' is just letting a couple of dogs screw and make puppies. It is very likely that 'breeder' either doesn't know what in the hell they are doing or doesn't care. So please do some more research before forming your opinion, and then please be sure you are 100% confident you are putting out good reliable info before contradicting other information that has already been provided. Especially when you are contradicting information that was provided with the intent of helping someone. Your contradiction may undermine that help and leave doubt about the validity of the info. |
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A good breeder will have the ears cropped before you get the pup. That doesn’t help you now, but maybe it will help someone else reading this thread. Be very, very cautious of purchasing a Dobermann from any breeder who sells uncropped puppies. Dobermanns are a cropped and docked dog. If you think floppy ears are cute, well you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but IMHO if you want a floppy eared dog, get a different breed, please don’t try to change the Dobermann. Let me restate this for anyone considering a Dobermann- Please research breeders carefully! All good Dobermann breeders do health testing! Health testing is very important in this breed. Not a veterinary check up, but actual, specific testing for several known genetic problems. Also, avoid breeders who sell uncropped puppies, it is a pretty reliable indicator of a poor breeder!!!!!! Would your opinion translate to boxers also? Mine came docked but not cropped. Parents were AKC certified, health tested, etc. The only thing not bred out of him was his bull-headedness. Sorry, I don't know much about Boxers. LOL at this though! [The only thing not bred out of him was his bull-headedness] 
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Also, avoid breeders who sell uncropped puppies, it is a pretty reliable indicator of a poor breeder!!!!!! Not usually the case as cropping the ears is more of a personal decision and (in my opinion) actually diminishes the ability of the dog to effectively communicate with other dog's. Dog's mainly communicate through body language, and the ears are part of that. Cropping of the ears was originally done so other animals could not grab ahold of them when the doberman was being used for hunting/hurt when being used for protection work. The same reason applied to the docking of the tail and breeding for a short coat. Also (as posted above me) most infections are due to either ear mites or a food allergy of some sort. Basically, cropping of the ears is a personal decision, but there are no medical reasons to have it done. If you are going to have it done, do it early so you have time to train the ears so they stand up properly. I don’t mean to be confrontational, so please don’t take offence to this- But you really should do a little research into Dobermanns before forming your opinion. Also, please consider that what you post online has the potential to mislead others. Again, no offence intended here. Just trying to help. Ear cropping on Dobermanns is more of an issue than just a "personal decision". I do agree that if a person has purchaced an uncropped puppy the decision to crop or not becomes a pesonal decision. The point I wish to convey is that potential Dobermann owners should be extremely wary of any 'breeder' who is selling uncropped pups. What I hope folks reading this thread may learn is that very, very few ethical breeders will sell an uncropped puppy. There are several reasons for this. Some of these reasons are- a) the Dobemann is a docked and cropped breed. b) An accepted time for cropping Dobermans starts at 7 weeks old. Puppies should not be removed from their litter earlier than 8 weeks, therefore the ideal time for cropping begins when the breeder still owns the dog. c) Responsible breeders have a vision for the dogs they are producing and that vision includes not only the health and temperament, but also the look of the dog. A good breeder will want to choose the surgeon and style of crop that matches their vision. d) After care of cropped ears can be confusing and intimidating for some folks. A good breeder will want to make sure that the ears are at least healing properly and posting has begun before the puppies are placed. e) Ethical breeders will take back a dog from a buyer if sometime during the life of the dog the owner can no longer care for it. Human nature being what it is, it's easier for the breeder to find another home for a Dobermann that is properly cropped than it is to find a home for a poorly cropped or hounddog looking one. Ethical Dobermann breeders have a plan when breeding to produce offspring that maintains or improves the breed. Responsible breeders do not breed Dobermann’s without testing both sire and dam for the following at a minimum- Dilated Cariomyopathy (DCM) Hip Dysplasia Hypothyroidism Von Willebrand's Disease (vWD) Wobblers/CVI If you do some research you will find that the vast majority of breeders who sell uncropped Dobermann puppies do not health test either. What that means to a potential puppy buyer is that an uncropped puppy is a huge red flag that 'breeder' is just letting a couple of dogs screw and make puppies. It is very likely that 'breeder' either doesn't know what in the hell they are doing or doesn't care. So please do some more research before forming your opinion, and then please be sure you are 100% confident you are putting out good reliable info before contradicting other information that has already been provided. Especially when you are contradicting information that was provided with the intent of helping someone. Your contradiction may undermine that help and leave doubt about the validity of the info. No offense taken, a good argument is always fun.
I do agree that if the canine is to be cropped it should be done early, but may I remind you that the AKC does not require the Doberman to be cropped. Nothing (according to what I know of the AKC) states that a doberman should be "docked and cropped". That is entirely a personal choice, not just because of the issue itself, but because of the different styles of cropping and docking. If a breeder wishes to produce only one look of dog, that is up to them but it is by no stretch a 100% sign of a good breeder. I'd be willing to bet that there are just as many breeders out there that crop and dock without checking for health problems as there are that do. The only way to be 100% a breeder is checking for health problems is to look at the records of the canine you wish to purchase. Lets also keep in mind that the proper care and forming of docked and cropped ears takes time, and yes a good breeder that chooses to have the ears clipped will either advise how to take care of them or will just take care of it themselves before selling the dog. A good breeder will also have the buyer sign a document stating they will give the breeder first option to take the dog back if the buyer is unable to keep the dog at any point.
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No offense taken, a good argument is always fun.
I do agree that if the canine is to be cropped it should be done early, but may I remind you that the AKC does not require the Doberman to be cropped. Nothing (according to what I know of the AKC) states that a doberman should be "docked and cropped". That is entirely a personal choice, not just because of the issue itself, but because of the different styles of cropping and docking. If a breeder wishes to produce only one look of dog, that is up to them but it is by no stretch a 100% sign of a good breeder. I'd be willing to bet that there are just as many breeders out there that crop and dock without checking for health problems as there are that do. The only way to be 100% a breeder is checking for health problems is to look at the records of the canine you wish to purchase. Lets also keep in mind that the proper care and forming of docked and cropped ears takes time, and yes a good breeder that chooses to have the ears clipped will either advise how to take care of them or will just take care of it themselves before selling the dog. A good breeder will also have the buyer sign a document stating they will give the breeder first option to take the dog back if the buyer is unable to keep the dog at any point. I agree absolutely that there are "breeders" who clip ears on puppies but don't health test the parents. Buying from someone who crops isn't any guarantee that you are dealing with a knowledgeable or ethical breeder. You're right on the money regarding checking the parent’s testing records. That is the only way to be sure health testing was done. A knowledgeable breeder will also be able to tell you in detail why they choose the sire and dam that is being used. "They are good dogs, with good temperaments" is NOT a detailed explanation. What is the breeder’s definition of a 'good' dog? How do they determine what 'good' temperament is? Are the breeder’s definitions the same as your definitions? Do the dogs have flaws that will be passed on to offspring that will cancel out the alleged 'good' things? An example of a good explanation would be "My dam has moderate prey drive but a very solid bite. She is very calm when not on the field. The sire I choose from Kennel XX comes from several generations of dogs with stronger prey drive but tend to be a bit too rambunctious in the home. I'm hoping the combination will produce pups with good prey drive and strong bites but are calm in the home" Even that is not enough. A good breeder should be able to tell you several other reasons why he choose the combination. What I hope to convey here is that when you see Dobermann puppies being sold uncropped, please proceed with caution because that is a pretty good sign (not an absolute, but it is a very, very good indicator) that the person selling those uncropped puppies is probably NOT health testing, probably NOT matching sire and dam, and probably isn't someone you want to be making a 10-12 year investment with. ETA- A 10-12 year investment would be for a healthy Dobemann. If you buy a puppy from someone who breeds without health testing and selecting the parents, you might end up with a expensive, short lived heartbreak instead. |
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My red dobie came already cropped from a respected breeder. Cuts on Dobermans and Danes are different than on other dogs. The shorter cuts found on pitbulls and frequently on boxers do not require the lengthy and difficult posting process that the tall show cuts require. It is a lot of work.
I, however, didn't find that it hurt the dog at all. My dog loved the attention he got from me cleaning and working on his ears. It's definitely not for everyone though. But now that it's over, the look of him with his constantly alert ears is a truly intimidating sight, and that in itself is worth something, especially if you live in a neighborhood like mine.. |