This page is
intended to help answer some questions about cropped and natural
ears! All the info here is just info we have gathered, not
to be taken as the final word. This is based on our
experience and that of veterinarians we have consulted over
the years. We hope it helps you better understand cropping
and natural ears, and is NOT a commentary on whether you should
or should not crop. Nor whether we agree or disagree with
cropping. Do not judge conformation or breeders on the crop....just
look at the ear photos. The final word for this site is EDUCATE...and
make no judgements. Thanks!
CROPPING
Show crops are
very long and tall. To get them to stand takes the longest
of any crop, sometimes requiring months of taping and retaping.
These ears also have the highest failure to stand rate.
The ears should be carefully examined by a knowledgable
breeder or vet before attempting a long crop, since weak
or thin cartilage will not harden strong enough to stand.
Also the ear "set" important, that is How the ears "sit
on the head". In our standard, this is what we must adhere
to:
Ears
- shall be high set, medium in size and of moderate thickness,
folded forward close to the cheek. The top line of
the folded
ear should be level with the skull. If cropped, the ear
length is in proportion to the size of the head and the
ears are
carried uniformly erect.
Long
show crop
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A
medium length show crop
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Tipped
Ears
|
Pup
Ears with a nice "set"
|
An
even Crop -Short Length
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An
uneven Crop
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PROBLEMS
"Broken ear"
or "down ear". It is the number one cropping problem,
usually because of leaving too little bell on the lower
part of the ear (base), weak ear cartilage, inconsistent
taping, and poor follow-up care are also culprits.
"Fallen ears"
usually tip one way or another, both will lean the same
way most of the time. This usually occurs when the taping
is done inconsistently or incorrectly.
Incorrect/
uneven crop length, speaks for itself, see photo.
Ear
Taping Info
NATURAL
EARS
Natural
ears to Standard
(thanks
Chris Bredenkamp)
|
Natural
ears to Standard
|
Natural
ears to Standard
(thanks
Chris Bredenkamp)
|
| |
Incorrect Natural Ears
(thanks Rachel Cawley) |
|
If anyone
has some incorrect uncropped ear photos to donate we need
them, thanks.
Natural ears
are becoming more popular, for several reasons. Some people
question how "humane" it is to crop, siting pain and the
lack of necessity for cropping. There is a definite risk
in the anesthesia with ANY surgery, and since many consider
it not needed, the risk, to those people, seems extreme.
The people who don't crop have mentioned that the problems
with hematoma's (separations of the ears' skin layers, where
blood collects after head shaking) and infections seem to
be more common when the ears are down. Veterinarians
who have given their advice are split as to whether the
ears being natural contributes to more infections, and other
problems, or not.
High
Ears: The standard states "The top line of the
folded ear should be level with the skull". If the
ear is raised so that the fold line is above the skull,
this is incorrect.
Rose
Ear: Small drop ear which folds over and back to reveal
the burr at the base of the ear.
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