Ear Cropping is a procedure where the doctor removes part or all of the external flaps of an animal's ear to the desired shape and height. There are many breeds that regularly have their ears cropped, but the most common breeds are Doberman, Boxer, Schnauzer, and American Bully. The only breed we do not crop here at Nature's Preserve Pet Care is Great Danes. For Danes we recommend contacting Dr. Nancy Baumann at Decorah Animal Hospital.
This procedure is done when the dog is young, the exact age varies by breed which can be found below. The age the ear crop is done is crucial in order to give the proper result! The ear crop should be done within the first week or two after you adopt your puppy. Due to our busy surgery schedule, we ask that new puppy adopters contact us as soon as they know they are getting a puppy so we have enough time to plan the surgery. For breeders looking to have ear crops done on the entire litter please contact us soon after the litter is born.
Ages for Ear Cropping
Below are the ages that we crop specific breeds. The reason we have these age restrictions is that the weight of the ear will cause the cartilage to break down, which will greatly reduce the chances of ears to stand. It is also significantly more painful of a procedure and recovery the older and larger in size the puppy becomes.
Between 7 and 9 weeks: Dobermans, Boxers, Bouviers, Standard and Giant Schnauzer
Between 8 and 12 weeks: American Bully, American Staffordshire Terrier, Briard, Cane Corso, Miniature Pincher (Min Pin), Neopolitan Mastiff, and Miniature Schnauzer
