Some humans say my Great Dane ears are big and goofy. I think they are just right. They bounce when I run and they billow in the wind. But some Great Danes don’t have floppy ears like mine. Some have ears that stand up straight.
Why
Why do some humans cut Great Dane ears like mine? Turns out my ancestors were some really badass hunters, they used to hunt wild boar. Boar are ferocious beasts with sharp pointy teeth and tusks who could bite and tear the Dane’s ears. Making the ears stand straight up got them out of the way of any injury.
How dog's ears are cropped
To get ears that stand up straight a veterinarian has to cut off half of the ear. This is done on little pups of 7-10 weeks old, 12 weeks is too old. Then for the next 6 weeks to 10 months their ears need to be re-wrapped and posted in a vertical position. After all that it sometimes doesn’t work and they flop over anyway.
My predecessor
Varel’s ears were cut but most of the time they folded over. She could make them stand up if she wanted to. I don’t think that is true for most Great Danes with cropped ears but I haven’t met many. Nowadays it might be tough to find a veterinarian who will perform the surgery or is even trained to perform the surgery. The American Veterinary Medical Association has repeatedly (1976, 1999, 2008 and 2012) issued a policy statement to remove ear cropping and tail docking from the breed standards.
I’m happy with my ears just the way they are and so are my humans.
