Ear Clipping

I have both cropped and natural eared dogs. I do not prefer one over the other. I will say that the aftercare on a crop is a pain in the butt, plus if the dog stays outdoors keeping them clean is a neverending battle.
Consider the age of the pup, you shouldn't be cropping after say 3 months as the ear is a litte too tough at that point. Very painful for the dog.
Good luck with whatever you folks (i.e. your old lady ) decide on.

 

>>>>Cropping and docking were not done to remove the handles...
lol@handles... it is just for looks and serves no purpose at all...<<<<


I beg to differ. The history of the breed states that was the ORIGINAL purpose of cropping and docking, now it is just comestic. Many breeds used originally for protection have cropped ears and/or docked tails i.e. Rottweilers, Dobermans, German shepherds (they have naturally prick ears), and the list could go on.

I personally have owned uncropped dogs (Dobes). Wasnt a big deal. But I prefer a docked tail.
This is a Pit Bull board so I will get off my soapbox. lol

 

you dont crop your bulldogs tails do you?? im pretty sure that statement wasnt refering to bulldogs, but i just have to check.

 

I had my males ears cropped because I thought it had to be done. Some dogs look really good with cropped ears but with that said I will NEVER do it again to any dog. APBT's look better with ears and nearly every famous [] dog in the past 50 years had natural ears. That actually is what made me start leaning toward natural. It gave the dog character and a distinctive look that a certain line may carry. I can tell you that around my area cropped ears are a "macho-thug" image thing. The Vet. that did my dog is one of only 3 in the area that crop ears. He claims that he easily does over 100 APBT cropps yearly and it all the same "kind" of people (per him). I say don't do it and you will not regret it but once it's done its done. After care sucks royally so be ready for that nightmare if you do it.

 

i personally regret cropping my dogs ears, however if someone likes the look of a dog with cropped ears than that is what you might look into. it is a pain in the butt to deal with it requires alot of messing with if the ears dont cooperate.

 

make the decision thats right for you and your dog and not popular opinion whether it is for cropped or natural ears.

 

Hell no...come on..I dont but that person might...i was just saying that docking and cropping was not done (in other breeds)to remove a dogs handles when they were doing manstopping work...trust me this is the least of the dogs worries when attacking a man or any animal...I dont care which book it was read in or what site it was posted on as true on but it is for cosmetics only...it was never done so a hog didnt get a ear...youd rather them get an ear than a nose or other vital area..and the only dogs I have without a tail is Bambam and he lost it fair and square...chompchomp...lol...damn hogs...but believe what you will...and never think otherwise...there was no reason to do either except show standards etc and thats in ANY breed...so whoever can beg to differ all day theyre still wrong...

 

I prefer dogs without their ears cropped.....I think they look better flopped over

 

didnt BERT Sorrols crop all his dogs ears?

 

No I was talking about Dobermans when speaking about tail docking.

Misterdogman--you can believe whatever you want personally, but Ive been in Dobermans for years and would like a little credit in the fact I know what Im talking about. I would give you at least the benefit of the doubt if you were telling me something about Pit Bulls.

So dont tell me Im wrong.

 

I think clipped ears look good, it is a lot of work for the owner, but I think it is worth it.

 

Since it's ILLEGAL to fight our dogs, the decision to crop or not crop is now only one of personal preference. The size and lay of a particular dog's ears are also factors I consider. I'd rather see a dog with a nice crop than large, droopy hound ears....but that's just me. It's tough to know which way to go sometimes. Most puppy ears look very oversized and the majority turn out fine uncropped. But at the same time, the earlier the crop is done, the better....fewer complications, less stress on the dog, and better results. I think a great many comformation dogs end up cropped simply because the decision has to be made early or otherwise risk showing an animal with ears considered faults by the standard. If you're not interested in conformation don't sweat it. IMHO the ears don't make the dog. For me it's that gigantic, loyal heart that makes the pit bull what he/she is. Best of luck either way.