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Protection
The debate of cropped vs natural ears
VS
"These days, ear cropping is done typically for cosmetic reasons. However, the procedure used to be done for practical reasons. For example, Boxers were often used as guard dogs. Cropping their ears actually improved their hearing(the floppy ears can muffle sound), which therefore enhanced their job performance. In the case of the Brussels Griffon, a hunting dog, the ears were cropped to keep them from being bitten by rats or other prey. Ear cropping also helped prevent ear injuries on hunting dogs who were likely to get caught on thorns or brambles."
MYTH: You may have heard that this is very painful for dogs. This actually isn’t the case. The procedure is performed under anesthesia. Afterwards, Fido gets pain meds. After that, it’s all downhill! << Click here to see the full article
Ear cropping is in part a personal decision for many pet owners. However, it is a truly fundamental aspect of the doberman tradition dating back to louis Dobermann that founded the breed in approximately 1890. We do not incorrectly refer to a dog with uncropped ears as having natural ears. The reason is that in nature there has never been such a thing as a floppy eared canine. The flopping ears is a man made creation made purely for aesthetic purposes by selectively breeding for the flop ears. It is not natural for any canine to have long or floppy ears that hang as they actually close the ear canal from air and light which creates a perfect breeding ground for yeast and infections which many flop eared dogs are chronically plagued with and often once the infection has set in the owners will spend more of the dogs life on antibiotics as a result. Ear infections are very painful for your dog and can lead to permanent hearing loss resulting in the need for a total ear canal ablation. The TECA is performed by a vet and under anesthesia and required that they remove the entire ear canal, middle ear and leave only the flap to cover it leaving them totally deaf. By cropping the dobermans ears a veterinarian is restoring the true and natural, functional upright ear and typically removing the possible need for a TECA.
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When it comes to the working doberman the crop helps to protect the dog not only from infection but also from other animals tearing at the flopping ear or from intruders using them to subdue the dog into submission. By cropping the ear and removing any "extra" fleshing we are removing the ability give anyone part of the dogs body that could be used against itself. We understand that many doberman puppies go into pet homes and that the ability to protect may not be something that will needed. However it is part of the standard since the beginning of the breeds creation.
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The crop is typically performed between the ages of 8-12 weeks of age by a licensed veterinarian under general anesthesia and is much less invasive than even a spay or neuter operation.. The ear can be cropped at a later age. However, the natural weight of the hanging ear begins to break down the cartilage at a young age and as a results if a puppy is cropped at a later age it becomes more difficult if not impossible to get the ear to stand without medically inserting a metal piece inside the ear which can fail.
The crop is sedated (unconscious) the vet marks out then crops the ear and places a few small sutures up the edges of the ears to support the edges while it heals. The puppy wakes up about 15 min later and can go home the same day. Puppies are typically back to playing and acting their normal selves later that day. It is often a good idea to coat the edges of the ear with a salve to keep it moist for the first 7-10 days to help speed the healing process. Once the edges are totally healed the posting can begin. The posting process can take anywhere from 4-12 months depending on the length of the crop and how persistent and deligent you are at posting. Our greatest success has been by keeping a post up for 8 days then removing no longer than 25 min then repost and continue. Our average time from crop to ears standing independently is 5 months or 7 months old. Even if they are standing by 5-6 months just keep going that extra month or until all of the baby teeth have fallen out and all adult teeth are fully in. The hormone and dietary needs change during teething and can cause a crop to fall during that time.
It is also very important to find a vet that is experienced not just with cropping but with cropping a doberman as there are hundreds of breeds that are cropped and each breed crop is different and fits that breed and standard. A cheap crop is going to often be closer to a butcher job and not have the eye appeal of a well trained doberman vet. The extra cost is worth every penny when you look your dog every day for the rest of his/her life. It is wise to ask the vet for pictures of crops they have performed to ensure it is up to your desired standard/look.
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leave or remove the dew claw?
Is There a Use for Dewclaws?
While all breeders and handlers agree on the importance of pads and claws, their views on dewclaws is a coin toss. Many believe that it is the dewclaw that offers dogs stability, traction, and improved manipulation with their feet. Those dewclaws don’t touch the ground while the dog is standing still, but when their running at full speed they make contact with the ground. You’ll notice that extended front leg reach in speed demons like whippets, border collies, and greyhounds, but you’ll also see it in many performance sporting dogs. Dewclaws provide extra stability and leg stabilization when they’re running wide open.
Other breeds use their dewclaws in tough environmental conditions. The Beauceron, the Great Pyrenees, and the Icelandic sheep dog use their dewclaws for gaining traction on ice in slippery winter conditions. Retrievers navigating ice while fetching late season ducks are likely to use their dewclaws, too. Those dewclaws come in handy in the uplands as well. Pointing, flushing, and versatile breeds can benefit from improved traction when climbing hillsides and rough terrain. Give a dog a bone and you’ll see him use his dewclaws for manipulation. The paw and claw combination resembles our hand and fingers. The dewclaw functions as the thumb. Some dogs have two, called double dewclaws. The Great Pyrenees and the Icelandic sheep dog have double dewclaws including two on each of their hind legs.
M. Christine Zink, DVM, PhD, DACVSMR, is a veterinarian with Johns Hopkins University, and has extensively studied dewclaws. Her research suggests that dewclaws are essential to a dog’s mobility. Zink’s 2015 study Form Follows Function-A New Perspective on an Old Adage features sequential images that she shot of dogs running. Zink’s images show that the dewclaws dig into the ground and prevent the legs from twisting and torquing which enhances and strengthens forward movement. As a result, she believes that dewclaws shouldn’t be removed. “If the dog doesn’t have dewclaws, the leg twists,” she wrote. “A lifetime of that can result in carpal arthritis, or perhaps injuries to other joints, such as the elbow, shoulder, and toes. When a dog runs, the entire foot, from the carpus to the toes, contacts the ground. If the dog then turns, it can dig the dewclaw (the equivalent of our thumb) into the ground to stabilize the leg and reduce torque on the rest of the leg.” ...
...Muscles and tendons that connect to the dewclaw suggests that they are part of the dog’s ambulatory ability, says Zink. Though not proven, their removal is suspected to cause arthritis later in life. “Further proof of the front dewclaws’ functionality comes from anatomical studies demonstrating that that there are several tendons that connect muscles of the lower limb to the dewclaw. There are two major functioning tendons attached to the front dewclaws. Of course, at the other end of a tendon is a muscle, and that means that if you cut off the dewclaws, there are major muscle bundles that will become atrophied from disused. Those muscles indicate that the dewclaws have a function. Some veterinarians report a higher incidence of foot and carpus injuries and arthritis in dogs that lack dewclaws, likely because of additional torque on the leg. Thus, for working dogs it is best for the dewclaws not to be amputated. If the dewclaw does suffer a traumatic injury, the problem can be dealt with at that time, including amputation if needed.”
Johnny Myers, DVM, is a bird dogger, a waterfowler, and the owner of the Animal Wellness Center in Paducah, Kentucky. Dr. Myers is not a fan of removing dewclaws from newborn puppies. “Injured dewclaws are the least represented injury to the digits,” he said. “Removal isn’t as easy as it looks, either. There is a sweet spot where the dewclaw connects to the tendon, and it’s surrounded by nerves, blood vessels, and muscle. If the procedure isn’t precise then there can be collateral damage that appears later in the dog’s life. Presenting complications affecting older dogs typically involve arthritis or orthopedic tendonitis. So while the removal of a dewclaw may prevent a break, it may create significant issues later on. If you want to know what it’s like then try doing pushups with just four fingers. It’s not as easy as it is with five, is it?”