Thoughts on cropped ears?

I like them natural.....i personally like the way the good lord made them.

 

i like the both off them, in the past all my dogs ears where cropped off, when cropped i like them cropped short, buth sinds a year or 8 its forbiden in belgium so no more cropped ears for my dogs

 

It is definitely illegal to crop a dogs ears in Australia, goodness knows why. In fact it is illegal in a lot of places now. Ignorant misinformed people and AR activists putting pressure on governments to make it illegal has turned good people into criminals on which society looks down on in disdain. Traditionally dogs that hunted dangerous prey that fought back and livestock guardian dogs that needed to protect against deadly predators were cropped (this role is supposedly also the origin of the large spiked collar). Also guard dogs who do not have naturally erect ears were cropped (although not as short) to allow the dog to more accurately pinpoint localized sounds.
With this knowledge some breeds are cropped to allow them to perform their job more efficiently such as Doberman, Dogo Argentina, Cane Corso etc. Personally I don't see the need to crop an apbt unless it's a catch dog, if it isn't a catch dog there are definitely advantages to leaving the ear intact. I know many people crop purely for show or just because they like a certain look, whatever the reason may be as long as the procedure is carried out properly it shouldn't bother anyone and people should just mind their own business.

 

Why do they crop the ears on catch dogs? You would think natural ears would protect the ear canal from brush and briars etc from being in the woods. Just a question, never been hog hunting but can't wait til I get the chance to

 

I would never crop ears, I love the natural look even if they're not perfect. They're just ears, there's much more to a dog. I do however agree with the tradition of cropping ears on certain working dogs and I would never judge anyone for getting it done in the proper manner whatever the reason. To each his own. I like the look of many dogs with cropped ears, but when I look at my own dogs I couldn't imagine having their ears any other way than the way they developed on their own.

 

I don't crop ears on my CD for the reasons u said. Some do some don't. I have never found a logical reason to do so.


Shotgun
Arkansas

 

I never have seen any purpose in cropping a dogs ears, tails, etc.

 

If its legal where you are from then it all comes down to personal preference.

Through out the history of the breed you will see in old pics of BOTH dogs with cropped ears and dogs without there ears cropped.

The 2 main reasons for ears being cropped or not cropped stem from either Cosmetic OR Performance purposes.

Cosmetic purposes is all about LOOKS (physical appearance) and what one prefers in that particular look of there own dog.

Performance purposes is all about what that person may feel can give there dog a edge/advantage in any given performance activity.

There is no right or wrong answer , its just based on your own personal preference and experiences.

 

I've always liked the look of a cropped ear, if done right. I had 2 cropped back in the late 90's but never had it done since then simply because it serves no real purpose for me, it is no cheap date around here to have it done either, think I paid $480.00 to have the last one I had done in "98". Probally more now a days. It really just comes down to personal preference and what you like. I prefer the ears not done these days ( with my own mutts). They have a lot more expression in their faces with their ears IMO. Hell, I think more about docking the tails than cropping ears since I have to fix happy tail on a mutt every other month or so around here. :lol:

I've always looked at it as a cosmetic thing more than a performance thing. They only remove about 2-3 inches of the ear so its not like a ear sucker wont still hit the ear if thats what they want, they just get more of the head with it.

 

I've never heard of it being a performance boost. I've seen it done like slim said. I've seen it done to even out an injury.

 

Uhh yawl do know that shit is illegal right? LOL

 

Cropping ears just like docking Tails takes away a lot of visual signs of the Dogs Emotional State,which is actually a BAD thing in my opinion and experience,Body language is a Very very important thing when dealing with any type of animal.

90% of the time people who do this are doing it out of personal Vanity as it does not benefit the Dog in any way or shape.

Best Regards

 

Yes lots of things are illegal, but pointing to the man in the mirror aint so smart either LOL.

 

Wasn't cropped ears a signature for Golden King dogs ?


Myself....Bat ears, rose ears, basset hound ears...I truly could care less.

 

Personally, I don't want my dog to have his ears cropped. Their ears are made that way. There's no reason for me to change how they look.