That’s a great question Kathy, one that I haven’t exactly considered before! To be honest, Doberman pups at that age seem to handle the cropping incredibly well and are usually jumping around being themselves right afterward from what I’ve seen (depending on how your vet does the procedure). I’m not sure what the “right” answer is here, but my instinct is that it would be fine to do it all at the same time. They will be uncomfortable their first night or two with you anyway, and the ear cropping doesn’t appear to cause much discomfort itself. If I had to guess, I’d say the change of environment and being away from Mom will be much more or a stressor than the ear procedure. Those are my thoughts on the topic anyway! Hopefully it’s been somewhat helpful!

Hi Eme, yeah it would be too late by pretty much all accounts at that age. You generally don’t want to go too much older than about 12 weeks old since the ear cartilage hardens soon after that and the ear cropping is unlikely to be successful. Especially at the age of 2 or 3 years old.

Hi Esmeralda, your vet should be able to provide a demonstration on ear posting. If not, there are certainly many videos online to help you. The method I use for my dog is the “zip tie ear posting method” which involves the use of Torbot surgical glue to hold things in place. It’s a common method and you should be able to find info on that online as well. I do plan to do a video but it’s a ways off and don’t want you waiting for that information. The scabs will fall off on their own eventually. Usually a few weeks after the procedure. Some people say you should pull them off, but I’m not a believer of that personally. Definitely always follow your vet’s recommendations.

I guess my opinion would depend on the age the dog was when cropped. Generally, posting the ears immediately after surgery does cause some increased discomfort for your dog during the first posting change. Waiting doesn’t usually risk anything except the ears not standing if you’re really unlucky and the ear cartilage hardens right in that small window of time. If the dog was cropped young, at like 7 or 8 weeks of age for example, then I love the idea of at least waiting a few days before posting. But I’d definitely rely on the recommendations of your veterinarian.

My next doberman will have cropped ears, because I like the look and as a vet student, I know that in the long run it’s better for my dog. It’s a case of nature vs natural in this sort of situation; wolves have erect ears for a reason, we have bred dogs for aesthetic purposes, to have floppy ears. Plus, I want my dog to look more intimidating then my current Dobie becasue he is my service dog but people just walk up and pet/distract him becasue he looks like a sweet not-so-little deer. So truly its preference and if you choose to keep your dogs ears natural, that’s fine! But trust me, dogs with cropped ears dont hope through any suffering 🙂

It usually takes between 4 and 8 months. The longer crops (such as the show crop) take longer to stand than the shorter ones like the military crop.