AT WHAT AGE DO GERMAN SHEPHERDS EARS STAND?
Puppies ears can stand up anywhere from 8 weeks to 8 months. And generally, they should be standing up by the time your puppy has finished teething.
WHY DO GERMAN SHEPHERDS EARS GO UP AND DOWN?
It’s common for a pup’s ears to perk up and then droop again within a few weeks. So, don’t let this alarm you. This is a sign that the cartilage and muscles are developing normally.
And this can happen several times during teething when the adult teeth are pushing through.
In my experience, if the ears perk up once and then droop again, they will come back up. So in this case just relax and wait for your pup to finish teething.
Some uneducated sources say this has to do with their bodies using calcium for bone and teeth development.
This is incorrect information because, in fact, their ears are cartilage and not bone, so calcium is not a factor in upright ears – in fact, calcium supplementation can cause serious health issues.
In reality, this up and down see-saw of your puppy’s ears has to do with the development of the Temporalis Muscle.
WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP MY PUPPIES EARS STAND
To help your puppies ears stand I feed all my puppies a Nuvet supplement with glucosamine in it that supports cartilage repair and development, NuJoint. It also supports your puppies bone and muscle development so its a good all around supplement to feed your puppy to make sure they grow properly. I also feed Nuvet plus Vitamin supplement and it contains Vitamin C that also supports proper Cartilage development.
Another good thing you can do for your puppies is give them good chew toys like Kong toys and/or good meaty bones like Turkey necks. Chewing helps strengthen their Jaw, Head and Neck muscles, most importantly the Temporalis muscle that is the muscle responsible for helping the ears go erect.
In very few cases your puppies ears will not stand erect. This can be caused by injury to the ear cartilage or in some cases their are certain bloodlines that carry soft ears.
If this happens you may need to support the ears to help them stand. You should wait until 8 months of age to do this as intervening too soon can cause permanent damage to the ears.
To tape the ears:
Use a foam form of the ears that you will glue inside of the ear to hold it erect. You can purchase these online or cut your own.
First, brush the skin adhesive onto the outside of the ear form. Coat the whole thing and let it fully dry, for at least 10 minutes. This helps to get a good bond with your dog’s ear when you apply a second coat.
Then Put a cotton ball where the ear canal starts to prevent any of the adhesives from dripping in. Most pup will tolerate it for a little while. If it’s a problem, skip it but just be careful.
Now give the ear form a second coat of skin adhesive. Lay it flat on something like a paper plate to keep the adhesive from dripping.
Wait 20 seconds. Now, carefully place the form into the ear. Make sure it’s far enough down to the base, but not into the ear canal. The ear should stand up without flopping at the base
The ear should be smooth on the outside. So, make sure there are no folds or wrinkles in the ear. This is important! Hold in place for at least 45 seconds.
When you’re done, reward your German Shepherd with a delicious treat!
After all is said and done, have a fun play session to get your pup’s attention off the ear forms.
This should stay in for about a week. If it starts to come off before then do not try to tack it back on, let it fully fall out on its own. If your puppies ears stand erect when the mold falls out then leave it alone. If it starts to droop again you can start the process all over again until the ears stand erect.
Florida Puppies 