To crop or not to crop

Cropping has become a bit of a controversial topic so I wanted to be sure and provide you with some information so that you can make an informed decision yourself as to whats best for your pup and your family.  Your dog will be beautiful no matter what you choose!

I will say from experience that it is a huge commitment and you need to be 100% sure you are ready to commit a lot of time if you decide to crop your pups ears. I can also say from personal experience that it is not a guarantee, as you can see in our photos Zara has one ear that took to being cropped and one that did not.  This was after a long battle with allergic reactions, tons of visits to the vet which was over an hour drive, a lot of tears on my part and what seemed to be a lot of discomfort on hers.

If you do choose to crop, please be sure to call around and find a vet which will do the procedure near you, this can be difficult as many vets will not perform this procedure.  If you are near us, we used Decorah Animal Hospital and despite our failed attempt we do recommend them as her ear not standing was no fault of the vet.  It also must be done prior to 11 weeks, ideally prior to 10, so having an appointment already setup when you bring your pup home is highly recommended so you are able to do it as soon as possible.

Some prefer the cropped look because it is considered more Doberman standard, some think it makes the dog look more intimidating, because of thoughts that it helps prevent ear infections and some may want to show the dog where cropping is standard.  Others are against it because they think it is cruel, because they like the natural look or because maybe they missed the window of time.  Whatever you choose to do, know it is YOUR choice!  No matter which way you go you are likely to have family/friends who disagree with your decision, so be prepared for that but just kindly remind them that it is your dog and your choice.

There are facebook groups dedicated to ear cropping if thats the route you want to go I suggest “USA Ear Croppers”,  “Doberman ear taping methods the original” and/or “Doberman ear taping and posting” as these are groups I found helpful in my journey.  You can do a google search and you will be swamped with opinions that go either way so I will link a couple below that I found helpful, feel free to check them out or do your own search.

https://www.petplace.com/article/dogs/breeds/dog-breeds/doberman-ear-cropping-necessary/

https://thehappypuppysite.com/doberman-ear-cropping/

https://thesmartcanine.com/doberman-ear-cropping/