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

[PorkandBeans]

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. Now I'm concerned because our 3 month old who is just starting to teethe still has floppy ears that haven't even shown a hint of wanting to stand since we got her. I really don't want her to have to put up with any taping/gluing so I plan to let things just run their course.

But now I freak when I see her sleeping on her back with her ears smashed against the floor (which I used to laugh at, now I panic) or when people pet her head thinking her ear progression is constantly being set back. I think I need to stop reading this particular forum.

[Courtney]

I think most GSD puppies ears go up on their own without any help. When my boy came home, he had one up and one down, then both went down for a period of time, then back up...this went on until he was about 6 months then they were at full attention. I didn't mess with them but didn't restrict petting or play.

It's important to know if the parents had soft ears or any past off spring. Soft ears that never stand (not due to an injury) I beleive is genetic.

Some pups will need some extra help with taping...but it seems once they hit 8 months plus and the ears are still down that ship has sailed to fix them....in most cases.

I suggest giving safe things for the puppy to chew on (supervised) to help build those muscles. Also when they are teething the ears could drop.

[PorkandBeans]

Originally Posted by Courtney

I think most GSD puppies ears go up on their own without any help. When my boy came home, he had one up and one down, then both went down for a period of time, then back up...this went on until he was about 6 months then they were at full attention. I didn't mess with them but didn't restrict petting or play.

It's important to know if the parents had soft ears or any past off spring. Soft ears that never stand (not due to an injury) I beleive is genetic.

Some pups will need some extra help with taping...but it seems once they hit 8 months plus and the ears are still down that ship has sailed to fix them....in most cases.

I suggest giving safe things for the puppy to chew on (supervised) to help build those muscles. Also when they are teething the ears could drop.

Well God knows she has plenty of safe things to chew on (plus my hands) and she definitely takes advantage of it as she probably has something in her mouth 75% of the day. So if her ears don't go up then it won't be for lack of things to chew. It just bothers me that we haven't seen ANY sign of her ears trying to stand. Both of her parents had great ears standing at full attention and from the past litters I've seen those dogs seem to have great ears too. So if this pup's ears don't stand with genetics and chew toys to help then I guess they were just really never meant to perk up.

[Courtney]

Your pup is only 3 months old...I would not worry. I know easier said than done Post a picture of her!

[Kyleigh]

Your pup is WAAAAYYYYYY to early to even think about it! Ky's flopped all over the place and stood up on there own around 5.5 - 6 months old.

[Freestep]

Post a picture! 12 week old pups rarely have perfect ears, during teething they tend to go all wonky anyway. I'm of the "don't mess with the ears" school of thought. Ear carriage is mostly genetic, so if they're going to stand, they will, and if they're not, they won't. But I do understand that everyone wants their GSD to have pointy ears, so some people tape/glue supports in the ear.

I tried it once, with my first dog. She was sold to me as a purebred GSD, but I think she was mixed with Lab. By 5 months her ears were not standing, so I glued foam curlers in her ears to help support them. I think I only made them fall down more.

[PorkandBeans]

Originally Posted by Courtney

Your pup is only 3 months old...I would not worry. I know easier said than done Post a picture of her!

That's for sure. A couple pics attached.

Snoozing...


And the one and only time an ear has stood. But her head was tilted back slightly so gravity did most of the work, and it went right back down once she slumped over.

Originally Posted by Kyleigh

Your pup is WAAAAYYYYYY to early to even think about it! Ky's flopped all over the place and stood up on there own around 5.5 - 6 months old.

But when did Ky's ears start showing signs of standing? As seen above the only time Gertie's ears have even shown a hint of it were in that one image and that was just a freak instance. I just thought by now we'd see at least some progress. They haven't moved at all yet.

[Kyleigh]

I don't know if there's a difference with the LC and SC (I can't see pics at work, so don't know what your puppy looks like LOL)

Ky's didn't even start to go up until about 4.5 months old - one would go up, then the other, etc. If you look at my avatar, she's 4.5 months old in that pic!

[qbchottu]

It's too early to be worrying. Worry at 5-6 months. Until then, leave her alone - concentrate on training and socialization. No use worrying about a problem that doesn't even exist yet.

[PorkandBeans]

Originally Posted by Kyleigh

I don't know if there's a difference with the LC and SC (I can't see pics at work, so don't know what your puppy looks like LOL)

Ky's didn't even start to go up until about 4.5 months old - one would go up, then the other, etc. If you look at my avatar, she's 4.5 months old in that pic!

Well Gertie is a LC as well, so if those bad boys start showing signs of life at 4.5 mo then I'd be happy.