A
Doberman puppy's ears must be cropped by a vet, in order to
get that ' look ' that we all recognize as Doberman. This is
normally done between 7 and 9 weeks of age. A good breeder
will already have a vet that they go to regularly for
ear cropping. It shouldn't be something that is left up to
the puppy buyer to have done.
Earcropping is
surgery, much like neutering or any other procedure, the
puppy is put under anesthesia. The ears are cropped and the
edges stitched, and normally the puppy goes home the very
same day. It doesn't seem to be painful, and they certainly
do come home hungry and ready to get out there and play.
The stitches come out 7 - 10 days after the
surgery, normally there is still a ittle bit of healing of
the ear over the next couple of days. Keeping the ears
clean, and stopping the puppy from scratching at his healing
ears is next.
Once the edges are all healed, he/she is ready to have the
ears taped. Taping the ears can take several weeks, or take
up to several ( 5 or 6 months ) It seems if you can keep the
ears cleaned and taped and get the ears to stand before the
puppy begins to teethe, then the ears are pretty much
standing. Occasionally thru the teething stage you might
have to tape an ear here or an ear there. Teething is
stressful and hard on the puppy and their ears do tend to
fall when they are losing their baby teeth.
Ears should always be cleaned and dried very well before you
begin to tape. Any moisture or dirt left down in the ear is
going to cause problems, and bother the puppy tremendously.
Infection can easily set in if you do not keep the ears
clean. Ears easily become ' yeasty ' just because they are
closed up and aren't getting fresh air. So always make sure
you clean the ears when you take them down and before
retaping.
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Last update: Feb . 24 . 2008
Copyright © HUNDMEISTER Reg'd Dobermans
Normally you tape the ears for 5 or 6
days, take the ears down, clean them and
check for any sores or rub spots inside
the ear. It is a good idea to clean the
ears and let the puppy play with his
untaped ears for an hour or so so that
he can actually use them, building up
the muscle across the top of the head.
This will help to get the ears to stand.
NEVER NEVER let a puppy sleep on untaped
ears. After untaping and cleaning, let
him play and when it's nap time, and a
great time to tape a puppy, retape them
so that he isn't sleeping on his ears
and destroying all the progress you made
having them taped so far.
Always keep the ear taping experience
happy and fun. The puppy isn't going to
like the whole thing very much, and the
happier it is and the more fun it is,
the less he will actually hate it. Some
puppies do better when they are sleepy.
Some puppies don't care much one way or
another, but odds are, your puppy won't
be real impressed with the whole taping
thing.
If you have a HUNDMEISTER puppy and need
some help with eartaping, or are having
some problems please write
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