Ear Cropping & Tail Docking
What you need to know about ear cropping
Personally, I love the look of Natural and cropped ears.There are pros and cons to the procedure. All Owners should research the pros and cons of Ear cropping before hand. It will help make you make a well informed decision on the subject instead of going by looks. Ear Cropping, Like Tail Docking and Dewclaw removal, began centuries ago as a preventative measure.But in those times, there were no antibiotics for infections and no anesthesias for the pain. No veterinary surgeons to repair cuts, wounds and infections. There are no longer any scientifically proven reasons to crop ears. Some say that it prevents ear infections, but veterinarians see plenty of erect-eared dogs(both natural and cropped) with these types of infections. Besides, If that were true, the practice of cropping Great Danes, Cockers and other spaniels, as well as Poodles, Beardies, and Mastiffs would have fained wide acceptance.Today, Ear cropping is a COSMETIC surgery, pure and simple. If you like the look of the cropped ear, you may choose to crop.But it is a choice, not a necessity. The procedure should be done 8 weeks of age-12 weeks of age in Dobermans. Any older than that will make it difficult to train the ears to stand. Ear cartilage is for most part set permanently by 4 months of age. So there is a little latitude for bracing and training the cut ear to stand after surgery. Ear cropping is a choice each owner must make. It should be an Informed choice. Please remember it could take up to 1 year with taping to have the ears standing, sometimes longer. This is a costly procedure that can go as much as 700 USD.
This is your choice on your Puppy, I personally liked cropped ears however that's my opinion. I will not crop the puppies ears, that will be your choice once you get the puppy home.
Personally, I love the look of Natural and cropped ears.There are pros and cons to the procedure. All Owners should research the pros and cons of Ear cropping before hand. It will help make you make a well informed decision on the subject instead of going by looks. Ear Cropping, Like Tail Docking and Dewclaw removal, began centuries ago as a preventative measure.But in those times, there were no antibiotics for infections and no anesthesias for the pain. No veterinary surgeons to repair cuts, wounds and infections. There are no longer any scientifically proven reasons to crop ears. Some say that it prevents ear infections, but veterinarians see plenty of erect-eared dogs(both natural and cropped) with these types of infections. Besides, If that were true, the practice of cropping Great Danes, Cockers and other spaniels, as well as Poodles, Beardies, and Mastiffs would have fained wide acceptance.Today, Ear cropping is a COSMETIC surgery, pure and simple. If you like the look of the cropped ear, you may choose to crop.But it is a choice, not a necessity. The procedure should be done 8 weeks of age-12 weeks of age in Dobermans. Any older than that will make it difficult to train the ears to stand. Ear cartilage is for most part set permanently by 4 months of age. So there is a little latitude for bracing and training the cut ear to stand after surgery. Ear cropping is a choice each owner must make. It should be an Informed choice. Please remember it could take up to 1 year with taping to have the ears standing, sometimes longer. This is a costly procedure that can go as much as 700 USD.
This is your choice on your Puppy, I personally liked cropped ears however that's my opinion. I will not crop the puppies ears, that will be your choice once you get the puppy home.
This is who does our puppies ears
http://www.eartrim.com/
Adult and Puppy Tail Docking and Dewclaw Removal
Lets be sure we are talking about the same thing. Generally dewclaws refer to the nail that is separate from the other four on the front paws or forepaws and are located further up the leg. For the purists out there, dewclaws refer to the separated nail/digit on the rear paws. Some purists may call the front dewclaws the thumb. A reason for removing dewclaws is to prevent the dog experiencing discomfort if they rip or damage it later on in life. This can be caused by them pawing through fences and other such activities. Those that advocate removing the dewclaw often state that this is a redundant nail and serves no purpose.Dewclaws require more trimming than the normal nails due to not receiving as much wear as the other nails although extra trimming by the owner takes care of this. Another reason for removal could be the scratching caused when they jump up to you although training your dog to not jump up unless on command should be part of your usual dog training.
For me, this is where the argument is clear-cut, DEFINITELY NOT unless it is a sporting or working dog and even then it would have to be with very good reason e.g. a history or very high risk of damage.This operation is a much bigger deal than removing the dewclaw when only a few days old. As a puppy 2-5 day old puppy the dewclaw is simply snipped off like a nail and next to no complications at all apart from the risk of a minor infection.. For the adult, this requires anesthetic , sometimes a local one and stitches, which the dog is likely to lick constantly. Same goes for their tails. An E-Collar would be helpful.To remove or not remove, this is your call. From my point of view as an experienced Doberman owner, I have a vet remove dew claws and tails @ 3 days old.
Lets be sure we are talking about the same thing. Generally dewclaws refer to the nail that is separate from the other four on the front paws or forepaws and are located further up the leg. For the purists out there, dewclaws refer to the separated nail/digit on the rear paws. Some purists may call the front dewclaws the thumb. A reason for removing dewclaws is to prevent the dog experiencing discomfort if they rip or damage it later on in life. This can be caused by them pawing through fences and other such activities. Those that advocate removing the dewclaw often state that this is a redundant nail and serves no purpose.Dewclaws require more trimming than the normal nails due to not receiving as much wear as the other nails although extra trimming by the owner takes care of this. Another reason for removal could be the scratching caused when they jump up to you although training your dog to not jump up unless on command should be part of your usual dog training.
For me, this is where the argument is clear-cut, DEFINITELY NOT unless it is a sporting or working dog and even then it would have to be with very good reason e.g. a history or very high risk of damage.This operation is a much bigger deal than removing the dewclaw when only a few days old. As a puppy 2-5 day old puppy the dewclaw is simply snipped off like a nail and next to no complications at all apart from the risk of a minor infection.. For the adult, this requires anesthetic , sometimes a local one and stitches, which the dog is likely to lick constantly. Same goes for their tails. An E-Collar would be helpful.To remove or not remove, this is your call. From my point of view as an experienced Doberman owner, I have a vet remove dew claws and tails @ 3 days old.