So the Ears Up?????? forum has terrified me.

[GSD2]

[QUOTE=PorkandBeans;2651672]Is it really this common for adult GSDs to have ears that never stand?

I had no idea this breed needed so much help to get their ears up, or the fact that there's a very real possibility they'll never come up at all. QUOTE]

I think what is really very common is puppy owners worrying about those ears coming up. LOL I was one of those worried puppy owners, her ears didn't stand until late, 5 to 6 months, almost the cut off point where people said I could worry, LOL. I don't think it's real common for them not to stand at all. Some very good advice from other posters, I really don't have any added advice. As was already mentioned in a previous post, I was told that if they stand ever, then go down, the likely hood of them standing again is excellent. I would bet if you search the threads on puppy ears on this board near 100% have happy endings. Enjoy this adorable puppy stage!

[Lazawal09]

Hi, i have suffered from this nightmare...day in and day out round the clock i would check on junior if he had made his ear up....i started to get sick. A friend asked me to check on rest of the liter? OK all had done their job less another one..to my horror a week later he also stood his ears...then i was told to make Junior drink egg in Milk after every 2 days...surprisingly..within 4 days his ear was up it was 8th week perhaps or more
Best of luck to those who suffer from this trauma

[tacticalseries]

It is possible for them not too stand up , some say if they haven't after 5 months old then there's a greater chance they won't come up entirely. Taping and gluing I hear alot of, its not as bad as it sounds, try tape first.


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[PorkandBeans]

So at 4 months old we're seeing some progress. Over the past couple weeks the ear dance has been in full swing. We've seen just about every stage of it and the most exciting part is that sometimes they stand all the way up, but its only on walks or intense play time. I know we're not out of the woods yet but it's nice to see some progress and gives me a bit more hope that they'll eventually stand at all times.

This is from our walk today. She looks like a completely different dog when they're up.

[sjackson310]

My guy was weird as his were up at 5 weeks. I unfortunately got him at not even 4 weeks old, and he was very sick. I put him on raw and magically, they were up at 5 weeks lol. His left one went floppy for about 2 days and then never again.

Point being, ALL DOGS ARE DIFFERENT. Although I heard feeding raw helps? Maybe it's just another ear rumor though lol.

[PorkandBeans]

Originally Posted by PorkandBeans

So if her ears stand while on a walk (like in the pic above) but are floppy or combed over when she's at home/relaxed is there a decent chance they'll stand for good at some point?

[PorkandBeans]

So we're nearing 4.5 months and one ear or the other will keep going up randomly throughout the day but are still down most of the time. It seems like the only time we can get them both to stand is on walks.

I refuse to tape/glue so at this point I'm just expecting them to pretty much remain floppy. And I'll just have to get used to people asking what mix she is.

[KayleeGSD]

Originally Posted by PorkandBeans

So we're nearing 4.5 months and one ear or the other will keep going up randomly throughout the day but are still down most of the time. It seems like the only time we can get them both to stand is on walks.

I refuse to tape/glue so at this point I'm just expecting them to pretty much remain floppy. And I'll just have to get used to people asking what mix she is.

I would not worry about it. Reno (who has passed over to the summerland) her ears remained floppy until she turned 8-9 months old. She had one ear that would always be floppy at times and it finally straightened out when she turned 1 year and 4-6 months old. Kaylee's ears (she is almost 9 months old) are up majority of the time but they have their floppy moments when she is relaxed. When she was 4-6 months they were both really floppy, lol. She eventually grew into them and seem pretty straight and up right now.

[VanBuren shepherds]

Wait until she is done teething. The teething process will almost always bring out the floppy ears. When she is done and you don't see any progress don't wait to long before you try to assist her. Some GSD ears come up on their own as late as a year, but some will never come up. I have had one that I waited to long to assist, and at they never came up. If its done right the dog won't even know its in the ear. Usually a GSD with an ear infection or irritated ears will not stand completely erect either, but you should be able to tell the difference between that and an ear that just simply has weak cartilage. Hope you the best!


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[PorkandBeans]

Originally Posted by VanBuren shepherds

Wait until she is done teething. The teething process will almost always bring out the floppy ears. When she is done and you don't see any progress don't wait to long before you try to assist her. Some GSD ears come up on their own as late as a year, but some will never come up. I have had one that I waited to long to assist, and at they never came up. If its done right the dog won't even know its in the ear. Usually a GSD with an ear infection or irritated ears will not stand completely erect either, but you should be able to tell the difference between that and an ear that just simply has weak cartilage. Hope you the best!

Were the ears of that dog ever up at any point? Even for a short while? Or were they always floppy?

Because my girl's ears do come up but only when she's on walks or doing some high energy playing like being chased around the yard. The tops of them are a bit wobbly but they do stay up on their own. It's just the rest of the time when she's relaxed where only one is up or both are completely flopped.

So I don't know if it's a waiting game and they'll eventually go up more and more often til they've up for good or if she just won't have strong enough cartilage to ever make them stand all the time.