Is there a limit to those ears?

[Cooper&me]

What is it with the satalite dishes? Is there a disqualifying limit?

Some are just HUGE. Do puppies grow into their ears somewhat?

I have only seen one dog on here I thought the ears MIGHT be too small. I haves seen LOTS of very large eared shepherds? Not personally a big fan of overly big ears.

[Chris Wild]

There is no techincal size limit, though the ear size, shape and set should be complimentary and fit with the overall size and shape of the head and general look of the dog. The entire headpiece should be harmonious, and anything that looks out of place will affect the judge's critique and probably the placing of the dog (depending of course on his competition).

Yes, puppies do indeed grow into their ears somewhat. Being able to pick up Direct TV reception with the ears is common for pups, then the rest of the pup grows and the ears aren't so out of place.

[DSudd]

I gotta agree with the OP. I don't think Rocky ever truly "grew" into his ears. The just seem so big for his head, but we still love him to pieces and would not trade him for anything.

[DrDoom]

See, I think Bears ears are the right size for him, but I personally prefer the larger ones.

[BlackGSD]

I would say for the most part they DO "grow into their ears". Though some adult dogs do still have overly large ears.

Here are a couple of pictures of the same pup. In the first picture he was 3 months old. In the second one he was 10 months old. Looks to me like he grew into his "sattelite dishes". (Amazing the change in only 7 months.)

[DianaM]

Dogs that grow up with really huge ears and keep them just look "off balance." Quite honestly, I do not agree with the taping of ears. If they're too big to stand, breed differently as it is in the breed standard to have those ears and they are held in high importance (whether that's a good thing is another thread). If a dog's ears do not stand because they are too big or too heavy, that is genetic, should not be tampered with, and should not be helped so the dog can be shown and then bred. I know there are more important things to worry about with breeding but when half the litter or more need help to have the ears stand, something's not right.

I do agree, I can't stand Dumbo ears on GSDs. Puppies are puppies, they'll go through all sorts of gangly stages, but as an adult, the large ears just make the dog look.... goofy, I guess.

[BlackGSD]

DianaM,

I couldn't agree more. Though personally I don't have an issue with helping a dogs ears stand for comsetic reasons (afterall it DOES look better.) I do draw the line at making the pup go thru months and months of someone constantly messing with and glueing the ears. If it doesn't work with minimal taping, just leave them be and get used to floppy ears.

They should NOT be bred, Especially those that have either very thick heavy ear leather, or ear leather that is so thin and weak it is almost transparent.(both of which are usually the ones that don't stand on their own.)

[DianaM]

I completely agree. Making them stand for cosmetic purposes is a-ok! For showing/breeding purposes, well I'd have to look at the whole picture. If it's one dog that it just happens and the lines have a low incidence of weak ears, eh no biggie. But if the line has prevalent weak ears, something needs to be done. Sure, health and temperament are MUCH bigger concerns, but this is still part of the standard and also a huge part of what makes a GSD look like a GSD, like it or not.

[Cooper&me]

That pup really did grow into his ears. He was too cute as a baby. The ears suited him.
Coopers ears just started standing and I must say the look is comical. It is hard for me to take him seriously with those big ears.