Cross Breeds

why are some german shepherd puppies ears up and some down?

my german shepherd just had a litter and they are 46 days old why are there ears up ? but i also saw some german shepherd pups old that are around the same age and there ears are down why is that ?

Public Comments

1. At 3 to 4 weeks old the ears are not up and it can take up to 8 months depending on how heavy boned the dog is. In some puppies the ears go up then fall and then go back up sometimes one goes up but not the other, my favourite is when they go up and then the ears lie on the pups head and with some pups they go up and stay up. Do not worry about it now if they are not standing right now. If they have not started going up by 5 to 6 months talk to your vet taping the ears. So for those who need the extra help, here's how to do it. Puppy ear taping is often an important procedure in the development of the GSD puppy ear carriage for GSD with weak ear carriage. One suggestion: help stimulate your GSD puppy to use their ear muscles to help bring their ears up faster naturally (not through touch of that tender ear tissue) by making interesting noises, and sounds, etc. to cause the puppy to use those maturing ears and to stand them up on their own. It is not yet time to panic, however, it is time to sit up and take notice. When the German Shepherd puppy ears are taped after 7 or 8 months old it has very little chance of working. German Shepherd ear taping is an important process that does not need to be done with all German Shepherd puppies, but some Alsatian puppies do need the extra help.
2. Here's the simple version of the answer..... Some puppies are born with their ears up, some with their ears down. If a breeder has a puppy with its ears down, the breeder will "tape" the puppy's ears so that they will stand up when the puppy is full grown. That's why adult dogs normally have ears that are up.
3. [Evelyn]: ALL puppies are born with their ears "up" - they are "glued" against the side of the head before birth, then gradually come free. Similarly, the eyelids are "glued" together before birth, and gradually come free. [Naomi]: 46 days ago is hardly "just"! They should be tattooed now, if you were a real GSD breeder and a member of your nation's GSD club. And learn that the breed's real name translates as German Shepherd Dog - 3 words in the special noun, so 3 capital initials needed. Ears erect at any age from 4 weeks to never, depending on their genetics and their health. There is wide-spread superstition that when ears erect very early the pups are full of worms. They probably are, seeing as it take several dosings before you can be sure that no egg picked up while the pup is suckling has time to develop into a mature worm and lay more eggs before the vermifuge kills that immature worm. But I don't see how being "wormy" would cause early ear-erection. Ears that erect early are almost certain to sag during teething, adopting a variety of the positions seen in the Photos => Ears album of the first group below. Most GSDs achieve permanent ear erection just before or while 7 months old. Anyone who impatiently RECOMMENDS taping or gluing ears hasn't a clue about genetics. Nor appreciates that a pup who finds the new "feel" irritating is likely to spend the night trying to kick the irritation away - and by morning has probably kicked haematomas into the ears, making them too heavy to ever erect. The ONLY "assistance" I allow is what owners should be doing anyway - last thing at night Pup gets a gnaw bone (such as some oxtail or sheep spine). The gnawing not only gives Pup something to do while everyone is asleep, it also: · exercises the facial muscles that control the ears; · cleans the teeth; · dislodges deciduous teeth; · helps permanent teeth break through the gum; and · any bits digested have the perfect calcium : phosphorous balance. ◙ Add http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/The_GSD_Source to your browser's Bookmarks or Favorites so that you can easily look up such as rescue groups, feeding, vaccinations, worming, clubs, teething, neutering, size, diseases, genetics. ◙ To ask about GSDs, join some of the 400+ YahooGroups dedicated to various aspects of living with them. Each group's Home page tells you which aspects they like to discuss, and how active they are. Unlike YA, they are set up so that you can have an ongoing discussion with follow-up questions for clarification. Most allow you to include photos in your messages. Les P, owner of GSD_Friendly: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_Friendly "In GSDs" as of 1967