Hi, my nine week old GSP has one ear up and one stays down. Is this normal or could it be that his other ear is injured? I know this sounds like a silly question, but we are concerned that it will not go up like the other one. If you have any feedback, please let me know. Thanks.

You have a German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP), correct? A pointer's ears should never stand... was it injured or cropped?

If you actually meant German Shepherd Dog (GSD), then they can take up to six months of age to go up, especially if it is a showline dog.

Yes, it is a german shepherd. Ok, that makes me feel better. Thanks!

I've heard of some GSD;s taking up to eight months, but that is unusually long. Most of the GSD puppies I've worked with have been from working lines and went up by three months.

If they do not go up before teething you can tape them. Ed has a free e-book on how to do this.

At nine weeks, I'd expect floppy ears. The one that's up may go down again, and vice versa. During teething, especially, they may go down, even if they are both up for a time before.

My experience with the showline GSD in my signature photo:
- birth to 10 weeks, ears down.
- 10 weeks, ears up for one week.
- 11 to 20 weeks, ears mostly down.
- at about 21 weeks, the pup's breeder showed me how to glue/tape ears (there are many methods for doing this.) We tried one that didn't work, then found one that did.
- After tape was removed at about 24 weeks, ears have been up ever since.

I've heard others say that the tape isn't necessary--that the ears will either go up on their own or they won't. But correctly taping them won't hurt, and it might provide some insurance or peace of mind--or perhaps it just gives the owner something to do to feel involved in the process. I don't know.

The best guess at whether the pup's ears will go up is to look at the ears of his parents. If they are up, it's very likely his will go up too.