How to Choose a Doberman Ear Crop

There are three types of ear crops for Dobermans.

A Doberman's looks reflect the nobility and confidence of the dog. Historically, ear cropping made the Doberman a better guard dog because it enhanced hearing. Cropped ears denoted an elite protection dog. An erect ear can hear sound within a five degree cone; a dog with a dropped ear can only hear within a 20 degree cone. Doberman's are search, detection and rescue dogs. Excellent hearing is necessary for the fulfillment of their breeding purpose.

Instructions

1. Learn your choices for Doberman ear cropping. There are three types: show crop, medium crop and work crop.

2. Showing your Doberman requires the sport crop. The show crop is a longer cut and has a more distinctly curved shape. The show crop, also called eagle's wings, can take months to train.

3. Domesticating the Doberman as a family protector makes the medium crop a sensible ear cropping choice. The medium crop is not long enough for showing and it doesn't allow the Doberman to have the same heightened level of hearing as the work crop. The medium ear crop is not as easy to train to stand erect as the work crop because the ear cartilage is longer. But it is easier to train than the show crop, which leaves even more ear cartilage.

4. Select the working crop if you want a well-trained protective Doberman. The working crop is not about beauty; it is about functionality. The Doberman's ears are surgically snipped into rounded triangles. A shorter ear is easier to train to stand erect and gives the Doberman the greatest hearing capability of all the cropping styles. Work cropping is the shortest cropping. It gives the ear the widest base needed for easier erection of the ear cartilage.

5. Ask the veterinarian about the duration of taping for each cropping technique. The show crop requires re-taping for as long as nine weeks. The medium cropping requires six to seven weeks. Work cropping requires taping for up to four weeks after surgery.

Tips & Warnings

• The more domestic Dobermans become, the more ear cropping looks like mutilation. Expect some negative reactions from people who don't understand the purpose of cropping the Doberman's ears.

• Veterinarians who do ear cropping are sculptors more than surgeons. Individual skill and ability varies among veterinarians. Cropping is not correctable. Finding a veterinarian who has performed ear cropping surgery is important.

References

• Gentle Doberman: Creating a Beautiful Ear Crop
• Terrific Pets: Doberman Pinschers And Ear Cropping
• Dobermans Den: Doberman Ear Cropping

Resources

• Doberman Club: The Doberman Ears