Quote: Mallory Kwiatkowski

I am considering having his ears cropped while he is neutered. I love natural ears on a pit, as long as they are semi prick, not his ears.... i know thats a total personal cosmetic thing.
My vet will do it, i already asked.
Who has a dog with cropped ears here, and what can i expect?
I know they are a lot of work and lots of follow ups at the vet, but pits ears don't stand, so it's not so bad afterwards for them.

Mallory, I would absolutely NOT recommend cropping Capone's ears anymore. 12 weeks is just about the oldest where it should be done. I understand that for a shorter crop, ie, PB style, you can maybe crop at a later age, but Capone is way too old to have it done. I got my Boxer's ears cropped at 12 weeks and it was quite a bit of work for re-taping and such. Her crop is a bit shorter than I would've like, but would still be much longer than a PB crop. I agree w/Jenni that Capone looks more AB to mee too. He is a great looking boy! I am a huge Bully breed fan! Enjoy him as he is.

i would do something inbetween a "battle crop" and a regular crop. I would want them vary short, but not almost gone like some dogs. I will post a pic of the crop i want.
I realize he is older, btu he is also still young, and his ears are already shredded some, kind of tattered.
I haven't fully decided, i am going back and forth on this one.




Edited by Mallory Kwiatkowski (01/07/2008 02:28 PM)
Edit reason: add pics

 Quote: Mary Roach

Thanks Jenni for the correction, you know the dog world keeps changing its mind about this (oh and Im not referring working dog world ;P)so I get a slightly different ideal age from everything I read...hence my ignorant statment, I beg forgivness from all!!

LOL. Granted.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d33/Jenwilliams918/Simon/nov107028.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d33/Jenwilliams918/Simon/12-19-07072.jpg
Like this? Or even shorter? He was taped for a month (only a couple weeks w/the bridge) and he was 12wks old, and had very thin ears. He was not in pain, and they did not really bleed, but he didn't like the stuff on his head. I would definitely not go through w/it on an adult dog. His cartilage has been trained to fold, not stand. Do what you want; he's "your" dog (we hope, we hope, lol!) but I'd just leave the dog alone if he were mine. I did Simon's b/c he was the right age to do it, and a guy I thought was going to adopt him wanted them done...but I changed my mind. MY SIMON!

Alex, doesn't he look AB??? Wonder if he's some kind of cross, as so many are.

Yes Jenni, he most likely has some kind of AB mix in him. He is way too big and thick to be a PB etc. Plus a cropped AB, or AB looking dog, just won't look right. Jenni, your Simon looks like a TOTAL STUD. And they did a great job on his ears. What a gorgeous dog!

Mallory, look at your second pic, look at Capone's ears. You see how flat they lay? The cartilege has been like that for 18 mos +. You are going to have a helluva time getting them to stand up even as much as the dogo pics. This is JMO and I know he is your dog, but I really don't think it's a good idea. I am even shocked you found a vet to crop an 18 month old dog! I'd be leary of that vet.

Here's a pic of my dog. Her crop is OK, but I would've still preferred a longer Boxer crop. I definitely regret using that vet. They didn't come out how he told me and I was livid! You can't go back on things like this, so think it over very well.

those look nice. real nice, i like them, your vet did a good job.
if i thought they'd stand like that, then that would be great, but because he is older, and the way his head is shaped, i would go shorter, but not by much, like the pics i posted.
oh, he could very well be bulldog-ish.
there are moments when he looks like a boxer too, others a mastiff, and others a solid APBT.
i just think he was a very poorly bred pit, maybe some AB back there somewhere.

i will think about it, i haven't decided yet, i know there are risks, and he is older.

so another question. When it comes to collars, now i am not one of those "i have a pit and want it to look like a gangsta dog" kind of people, promise, but i am looking at leerburgs leather agitation collar with the handle.
he isn't going to be doing any bite work, nothing like that, but i LOVE the idea of a handle on a collar, and the fact that it is tough, it is made to be used.And i like leather....

can this be used as a full time collar? I have no problem with just a flat buckle collar, btu i saw that collar and fell in love, but if it gets in the way, or is uncomfortable, i will get something else.

oh, not that the agitation collar is "gangsta", haha, but it looks more get down to business than other collars, and i didn't want anyone to think i was trying to make him look tougher, especially after this crop discussion. He is a big goofy baby, and i love that.
Bart is aggressive enough for all my dogs.

Edited by Mallory Kwiatkowski (01/07/2008 03:45 PM)
Edit reason: clarity(i hope)

Mallory, I think Sandy Moore uses the ag. collar w/handle and loves it, if I remember correctly. I like a thicker collar on them b/c they're stronger, and they don't seem as hard on neck skin as thinner ones.

Yes, the vet I took Simon to did a great job. I called a bunch of AmStaff breeders and asked who was the best, and then drove 2 hours to have it done. They said after 12 wks they cannot guarantee "satisfactory results." There were people from all over the country there w/show dogs. I did NOT want him looking like some kind of 'gangsta' to use Mallory's word.

I would agree w/Alex and be a little leery of a vet who is willing to crop so late. I really feel that Capone is a mix, anyhow. His body structure is way more AB than Pit, IMHO.

Thanks for the compliments on Simon. I think he's quite handsome, and he was an awkward puppy. By far the ugliest out of the litter, but at barely 6 mos, I think he's gorgeous. And darn near perfect. I can't wait to see him all grown up!

Edited to say, Alex, I think your dog's ears look fine. Not too short.

Edited by Jenni Williams (01/07/2008 03:59 PM)
Edit reason: Forgot something...

PAGING Sandy Moore........

yes, he is quite handsome.....
capone likely is a mix of the pit type, or just a very badly bred pit.

I agree; he's too heavily-built and not defined enough to be all Pit...although I have seen AmStaffs who are not as "cut" as Pits. We will never know.