Keep an eye on his ears If the ears of your German Shepherd are not erect after his fifth month, and this is the look you desire, you may want to contact your veterinarian or breeder. Popular Products. Related Articles. She is focusing intently on something in the street, probably another dog passing by! When a German Shepherd pricks up his ears and looks around or sniffs, you can conclude that he is alert. However, if they are unsocialized, untrained, or previously mistreated, they may show hostility.
This is through no fault of the dog, and only humans are to blame, as the dog just does not know how to behave. If you are attentive to details, you might have seen your dog put his ears back semi-regularly, especially in your presence. German Shepherds put their ears back as a sign of submission or nervousness. You should look at the head position and tail for more clues. If your dog is displaying submissiveness, his ears will go back, and he will also lower his head. In some instances, the dog puts his tails between his legs, which results in the related figure of speech.
Below is another photo of Willow, taken moments after the first one. Notice how her ear positions have now changed from the erect position above, and she has put them back. She is feeling social and happy and is enjoying looking out of the window. I guess the interesting dog in question has passed by! The last thing you want is for your dog to be too nervous about socializing.
Many people believe this means the dog is sick. So, why do German Shepherds put their ears down? German Shepherds put their ears down because of fear or anxiety. If your dog is afraid of his environment, another person or animal, or occasionally illness, you will notice his ears flattening and pinned tight to the head. Other signs include cowering, a hunched and rigid body, and whimpering.
Personally, I don't recommend this route. But I've mentioned it here as a serious warning! Adding extra calcium to your puppy's diet could potentially have permanent negative consequences. Excess calcium will lead to serious imbalances in other minerals. DON'T add extra calcium to your puppy's diet!!! This will cause permanent skeletal problems as they grow. Besides, your German Shepherd puppies ears are made of cartilage, not bone. Calcium will have no effect on the development of the cartilage, it will only cause damage and mineral imbalances.
If you want to supplement your puppy's diet and potentially assist the development of their ears, a safer bet is to add Glucosamine to your puppy's diet during development. Glucosamine is a natural substance that helps the body maintain healthy cartilage. An added benefit is it also helps create joint lubricant, for healthy joints. This supplement is often used to relieve arthritis in humans and older dogs. But will work just fine for your puppy. Since it comes in liquid form it's much easier for your pup's body to absorb.
It's also worthwhile to chat to your vet if you have any concerns or questions about adding this supplement. I use a powder mix of Glucosamine and MSM that my vet mixes for me. If you're looking for natural ways to add Glucosamine to your puppy's diet, consider whole food options like the following:.
Feeding your puppy high-quality food should be something you do regardless. Food has the biggest impact on the development of your pup's body and brain. I use a whole food vitamin C supplementation for my puppies to support cartilage development. I recommend staying away from commercial dog food and opting for a more natural diet.
If you are feeding commercial puppy food try to go for a grain and corn free make. I also supplement their diet with Vitamin C. Although dogs are capable of manufacturing their own Vitamin C from their diet, I like to supplement their intake with whole-food natural Vitamin C. And for puppies who are going through the stressful time of vaccinations, transitioning to a new home, and rapid growth, whole food natural vitamin support is essential.
This is according to Dr. Wendell O. Over a decade or so I've used several different Vitamin C supplements. But for the last few I have been using Pure Radiance Vitamin C which is a whole food option and not synthetic. Pure Radiance Vitamin C is widely available on Amazon and also at some health stores. If you'd prefer to use food sources to supplement your puppy's Vitamin C through ear stage development, these foods are healthy and safe:. Remember to remove all the pips from fruits and vegetables before feeding.
And make sure to break down the cell walls by chopping fruits into small pieces. Some experts say supplementing a German Shepherd puppy's diet with natural yogurt or cottage cheese will help support ear stage development.
And there was a time I believed this to be true. However, since furthering my studies in canine nutrition, I don't believe offering large amounts of dairy is a good option for dogs, especially not for puppies. Dairy tends to cause gut upsets in dogs unless it's been fermented — like Kefir. Not to mention the fact that most yogurts contain stabilizers and artificial sugars which are not good for dogs.
Parasites steal the nutrients from the food your puppy eats causing malnutrition. These critters also prevent the absorption of the nutrients that remain. But heartworms and Spirocerca Lupi will need to be tested for.
It's worthwhile doing a monthly fecal float at the vet before offering your puppy a deworming medication — there's no point in deworming if your puppy shows no signs of carrying parasites. Although it's worth noting that heartworms won't show up in a fecal float.
Since mothers can infect puppies and dogs also infect each other. A good rule of thumb is to keep any hands off your pup's ears.
That means no bending, rubbing, or folding. I know it's not easy to leave those cute, soft ears alone, but it's best for healthy, perky ears not to play with them. Keep other puppies and dogs from roughhousing and tumbling too much. By pulling and biting other puppies can unintentionally cause significant trauma to ears.
Some breeders encourage owners to massage the base of the ear. The theory behind this is to increase blood flow to the cartilage.
Whether this is true or not I don't know. But I have never tried it since my opinion is to keep hands off ears until they perk up. And to be honest, I think a healthy diet, whole food supplementation, and chewing on safe and appropriate toys is a much better option than massaging ears to increase blood flow!
Even if you've done everything in your power, you may still need to tape your pup's ears. Many owners have taped their German Shepherd puppies ears with great success. Our puppy was months when we went this route. He had a wrinkle near the base of his ear which was caused with rough playing with our other dog. I would not suggest doing this until you know your dog is done teething, which would be around 6 to 7 months. If the ear does not stand up after the form falls out, go for another round.
Resist trying to put more adhesive in your dog's ear while the form is in place! You stand a good chance of it dropping in the ear canal. Just wait and try again when the form falls out. Dog Ear Support Forms. Since the ear support foams are sometimes out of stock, you can use Dr. Scholl's Molefoam Padding from Amazon instead.
With the MoleFoams you'll need to experiment with measurements since you'll be cutting them into the right size before bonding. It causes no irritation and can easily be removed. And won't pull out your dog's ear hairs. A small amount will easily remove the remaining skin adhesive. And it doesn't irritate the skin. A woman's tampon applicator or foam hair rollers found inexpensively on Amazon — get a pack with a variety of foam roller sizes.
This way you can pick the best size. Remove the plastic part and just use the foam. Paper tape — use the thinnest paper tape that tears easily. Keep your German Shepherd puppies ears taped for a week, then remove the tape to see if they perk up. If they do, job done! If not, allow your puppy's ears to rest for a day and then tape them again.
Keep doing this until they perk up by themselves. Your puppy is bound to scratch off the tape the first couple of times. The key here is to keep taping the ears until they perk up. As a last resort, if all else has failed, you can consider surgical implants. The procedure must be done under anesthetic by a qualified vet. So there will be extra costs for you. Your dog will also require pain medication after the surgery. In my opinion, if you're going to go this route you should wait until your puppy is fully grown.
Whether this is true, I don't know. I suggest discussing this with your vet first. I hope this information will set your mind at ease about your German Shepherd puppies ears. And give you the tools you need to help those ears develop into healthy perky German Shepherd ears. If you have any questions or you've got your own method please share it in the comments below. Please consult your vet before you make any changes to your dog's diet, nutrition, and lifestyle.
Are you still struggling with biting? Check out these 4 great games to stop German Shepherd puppy biting. If you want to keep your dog safe during car rides, check out these safety harnesses for dogs in cars.
To keep your dog's skin healthy and their coat shiny check out the top rated dog shampoos here. Your pup needs a comfy place to sleep, get them one of these top-rated beds. Are you having trouble with potty training your German Shepherd? Learn about how to potty train a German Shepherd puppy.
Have you had any experience with a medication affecting a puppies ears? My 4 mo pup has a bad UTI. Two weeks ago my vet clinic diagnosed him and gave us meds. She said it damages cartilage in dogs under a year old. He was in the comb over stage of development before the baytril.
Now both years are floppy. I give him stuff to chew I have since I brought him home and he is on a high quality dog food. What is your opinion on the effects baytril may have on his ears? I just love the upright ear look. Thank you for your question. I have read some research and anecdotal evidence that the group of Fluoroquinolone antibiotics can affect cartilage and tendons. My puppy had both ears perking up but still going inward. Can an infection cause the ear to permanently flip? How is the ear looking now?
I adopted a German sheperd mix and she just went from the comb over faze backwards to the flying nun stage, should I be concerned? Thank you! The stages are only a guideline and sometimes the ears do what they want. Thank you for the quick response! Since I posted that it looms like she entered a stage not on this article. Is this normal? Thank you again! I just a 3 and a half month old German Sheperd mix. When we got her she had a significant cut on her right ear.
It healed ok but left a scar. She is now at the combover point with the the right ear they got cut barely being up. Should I be concerned, at what point should I consider doing something, and what should I do?
I know trauma to the ear can make us as puppy owners super stressed. And give those ears time to develop. You can see the toys I recommend here and here. Hope this helps to set your mind at ease. Feel free to reach out again if you have any further concerns. Hello, I adopted my gsp and she had a small scratch on her ear. Should I be worried they wont stand, and if so what should I do.
A small scratch is not likely to cause problems long term. Usually, the kind of trauma that affects the ear structure long-term is quite serious. I know of many, many Sheps that had their ears only perk up at 8 or 9 months, so the best advice I can give is to encourage plenty of chewing on safe, non-consumable chew toys and give it time.
I am worried please suggest. The fact that they perked up once already is an excellent sign that they are healthy and will likely stand up again. My puppy is slightly over 8 months now and still has pretty floppy ears. Question on the materials — I got Dr. Or keep it on and put the skin bond adhesive over the molefoam as is?
I definitely am not using the right terminology here haha. Thanks for your question. Many of my Facebook group members and readers here have had success with just encouraging chewing. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me here or via email.
Dear Gabriella, Our GSD pup had two straight-up ears at 10 weeks old — leaning inward, tips touching. After 2 vet visits, benadryl and a steroid, he is much better. They are now partway back up. Could the swelling episode of 2 days have caused permanent cartilage damage?
Would you guess they will go back up since they were totally up consistently from weeks? Thank you so much for kindly reading my post. The fact that they are part-way back up again after the swelling has gone down, is a very good sign! Especially considering that upright ears often go down in puppies that have had no swelling. And once the jaw, head, and face muscles are fully developed and teething is complete they go right back up again.
Is there anything you know about mixed GSD ears? In fact, I have a GSD mix too and her ears are perfectly upright and have been since 12 weeks of age.
This is superior to chewing on bones or antlers since they will most certainly increase calcium intake which you want to avoid doing. Chewing is the best and least invasive method to supporting the ears of dogs with the genes to stand upright.
The kinds of toys I recommend for this purpose can be found on my site. This one is about almost indestructible toys , this one has some great recommendations for puppy chew toys , and this one is a range of chew toys I like and have used.
Her ears might be up by the time you read this. Thank you for your article. I am not a breeder. They would regularly tape the ears. My husband and I always wanted a German shepherd. I have always felt more comfortable with finding a dog who needed a home first. We found a 6 month old German shepherd at our humane society and bought him home. The previous owners stated that they had gotten him from a breeder and that he was aggressive. We have never found him to be aggressive, but he did come with his own set of problems for us to figure out.
After having him for a year, he started to develop seizures. We have gone through different meds and doses.
He has done well and then sometimes worse. I was at first worried about his one floppy ear. His other one is always up, and the floppy one he only uses when he wants to. I now wonder if his ear has something to do with his epilepsy. Our vet does not know, but we do suspect that it could be from improper breeding. We also have thought that he was bred more for the American German Shepherd show dog look. He is tall. I have grown to love his floppy ear.
Some people ask about it like it is a negative thing or makes him less of a German Shepherd. I am just thankful that he is here everyday. He has the sweetest personality. Does anyone else have experience with epilepsy in dogs or shepherds specifically? Thank you for sharing the story of your rescue GSD here. And for taking in a doggo that was in need of a loving home. Adoption is so rewarding especially when we can help these beautiful dogs overcome their fears and worries.
It could also be from trauma to the ear before he became yours or it could be due to bad breeding. That should keep them quiet! In terms of the epileptic seizures your boy is experiencing, there could be many factors that play a role. I can highly recommend Dr.
Dennis Thomas DMV. He does phone consultations and works with folks across the globe. He has assisted me on several occasions with one of my dogs through his private membership portal. You can get in touch with him via his website here. This article he wrote specifically about seizures might be interesting to read for you also.
My gsd is turning 8 months in a few days. One of her ears are still dropped but also sometimes up. When she is awake and actively playing both ears are up but when she is sleepy or just laying around one of the ear drops back down. What should I do to keep it up? Great article. Thank you for all the advice! We just brought home our long-coat GSD about a month ago. He was about 4. He is from German lines and purebred, both mom and dad have erect ears in photos.
When we went to pick him up from the breeder, the breeder said he should have ear forms in and placed them in front of us. It has stood up on its own when he is excited like when we call his name for a treat. Anyways, I guess my question is if I should just take the foam out and see what happens. He did test positive for parasites and Giardia when we took him to his first vet visit and has since done 2 rounds of a powder medication.
Any advice would be great!! Male Sheps often tend to develop at a slower pace than females. So overall, just keep that in mind as you watch his development. And at 6 months of age, he still has quite some developing to do. And his teething will have an effect on his ears for the time being.
But what I do recommend is helping him heal his gut since Giardia treatment usually involves antibiotics which can wreak havoc on the delicate gut microbiome. If you want to go the homemade route, things like bone broth is a great option. Also if you can find raw milk kefir at the health store this is another excellent wholefood to help heal any issues caused by antibiotics. And then dog-safe fermented veggies are excellent gut healers.
Feel free to reach out to me via email if you would like some recipes and how to feed instructions on these. Since the breeder demonstrated how to place them, you can always place them in for another round of about 2 weeks after having them both out for a few days.
In conjunction with foam trainers and some time, they should perk up eventually. Thor will turn 6 months on 3rd June His ears went up at 16 weeks but are soft since then.
When ever he is attentive his ears are up ,but when ever he is lazy or wakes up from sleep his ears are half up , but then again 1 ear goes up in 15 mins from waking up and the other takes about 45 mins to go up. Shall I consider taping or gluing them or in your experience they should go up by themself.
If I was in your shoes and Thor was my dog I would not intervene with his ears at this point. The fact that they perked up at 16 weeks tells me they will perk up again in the future permanently.
All I recommend you do is encourage healthy chewing on safe chew toys and leave the rest up to his genes and nature. The bottom line is if they perked up earlier, they will do so again barring any sudden trauma or health issues. We have a 16 week old GSD puppy. His 1 ear was up for about a week and the other was flopped over; then they both stood up but the tips have been curled back for about 2 weeks now with so signs of it changing.
I am wondering what advice you have? I dont know if this is normal and will go away. We ordered those ear inserts, but with the pandemic we are unsure when they will arrive and how old he should be before we insert them? Those ears along with his facial and jaw muscles still have some development to do. And males, as a rule, do develop a little slower than females. I do recommend encouraging chewing as the number one way to support the healthy development of ears.
This is ideally done by offering safe chew toys. This article displays some links where you can read my full reviews of safe toys for chewing. Her ears are big…what can I do to help her ear? Right now I would not do anything. And the fact that her ears were upright is an excellent sign that they will perk up again when the time comes.
The only thing I would recommend is to encourage a lot of chewing on healthy and safe chew toys. This by far is the best, most effective and natural way to support those ears.
These are my recommendations for chew toys that suit German Shepherd pups , and these especially if they are power chewers. I know it can be difficult not to play with or pet those gorgeously soft puppy ears, but it is best not to. I hope this helps to set your mind at ease! Thanks he has a whole bunch of toys which he also shares with my older gsds. And he loves tug of war. When he has a loose tooth he comes to me with his toy to play lol wish I cpuld show you a pic.
He looks alot like your boy in your pic! You absolutely can show me a pic. If your German Shepherd has been moving its ears back you might be curious to find out why. This post will show you a number of reasons why it might be doing it. So, why does my German Shepherd move its ears back? Possible reasons are that it is feeling excited, submissive or that it is warning you.
There are actually a number of things to consider when trying to figure out why it moves its ears back and it would help to consider other aspects of its body language. Each of the different reasons why your German Shepherd moves its ears back will likely come with a number of clues. Below, I will mention a number of reasons why your German Shepherd might be doing it and the signs to look for.
The reason why it moves its ears back could be that it is excited. This would be more likely if it moves them back slightly and shows other signs of excitement such as wagging its tail. It would also be more likely if it does it when something might be exciting it such as when you come home or are about to take it out for a walk.
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