Hi. Thank you all for the posts. First, my breeder was supposed to have the ears cropped, but gave me some BS story about me not specifying that I wanted them cropped. I got her from LeGard Doberman's. That will never happen again. I have had some issues with this breeder. Pup is still too young to do vWD, OFA and Cardio I think, but I will be saving to have these done at the apporpriate times. Steve, I went through a divorce this summer while being active duty military. I was strapped for extra cash to do something the breeder should've already done. I also consulted the ONLY vet that does ear cropping in my area (Interior Alaska) before I had this procedure done this late. She doesn't have a long crop... meaning the long, elegant, conformation ears, she also doesn't have short pit bull ears either. She has a Doberman crop. If they heal correctly and remain standing, they will be beautiful! Again, I appreciate your replies and please understand that this is my first Dobe. I am still trying hard NOT to screw her up! I have also never had a pup from 8 weeks of age before.

Congrats on your new Dobe, Cat. They are exceptional dogs and you are obviously a very caring owner or you wouldn't be here <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> It's too bad your breeder didn't provide a service for you that should have been "part of the package", but it sounds like you've worked with it the best you could. I say again: YAY a Dobe person! <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Take a deep breath and relax, you are in many good hands here. All I can say is if you havent already get the dvd 8wks to 8mos. It will be the best money you have ever spent I promise! I will go as far to say that if you say it didnt help I will buy it from you for full price. (thats how sure I am!)
Bane my C.C. got his ears done young thats why I asked about the age. All I can say is this, I worried for months that they would not turn out correctly (standing) and it seem's when I decided I would love him no matter how they looked they started standing perfectly. So use the posts and keep your head up.

I also really like "Working Puppy" and "Basic Obedience"; but "8 to 8" is the perfect step-one for sure. I checked out that ear-posting system that Vadim suggested; looks pretty good <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Forgot to mention: Sometimes it takes awhile for them to stand reliably. Females are usually quicker to stand than males though. We've had some males needing their ears taped for almost a year <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> And when they are teething sometimes progress slows WAY down. So don't get discouraged if it takes awhile; it's all good <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Greetings Everyone,

I just received an 8wk old male puppy last week (10/14/2006). I requested to the breeder that I wanted her to crop his ears prior to us welcoming him to our family. However, she told me that she thought it best to have it done in my area as she believe it better to us first bodn w/the puppy prior to cropping it's ears.

After speaking to other breeders, it appears as her way is not the standard any many of the breeders indicated that it was irresponsible on her part.

Nonetheless, since the puppy has been w/us now for one week, many people ask if i'm going to crop the ears. Their feedback hasn't been very positive and many have expressed the severe pain that it puts the puppy through. I have grown to love my puppy and also love the "cropped" look. Is it really that painful and for how long does it hurt them? Is it worth it? Advice is welomed. Please help!
Any advice???? Please!

I've got a pup that had it's ears cropped before I had decided to buy it. I wouldn't have cropped the ears if it hadn't been done yet, although I do like the look.

No idea how painful it is (although I can't see how it wouldn't be), but I can comment on how much work it can be to care for the ears the next few months post-cropping...
Posting and taping and making sure it stays in place can be a big pain, especially if you don't have experience. And what happens if the puppy gets an ear infection (as mine did)? You've got to un-tape it until the infection clears, and hope that it isn't too late to effectively re-tape. The look of a well cropped ear is nice, but the final product isn't always as nice as the photos on breeder websites... Be ready to accept that sometimes they don't stand properly, and that a dog with one ear up and one ear "broken" or creased in the middle might not be what you wanted.

Simon

It all depends on you. When I got Banes done he did just fine and aside from me not letting him play with his sister (until they healed) it was puppyhood as usual for him. I will warn you it is a PITA to get ointment on a puppys ears and keep it there though lol.

Having seen a Dobe with a full tail, I can understand that there are probably good practical reasons for docking.

However, I am completely at a loss to understand why a dog-lover would want to cut bits of his dog's ears <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Can someone please enlighten me?

(Am I correct in thinking that such practice is illegal in some countries?)