Doberman ear crop

Question
Hey Doc, I have a 6 month old female Doberman, we had her ears cropped at 11 weeks, I've been tapping them for about 3 1/2 months now. When I remove the tape they stand beautifully and perfectly but when she's relaxed they fold down about half way down, but when she's alert they pop up perfectly. Are their ears suppose to stand all the time?

Answer
If she can keep the ears erect for a while, then that is probably OK. There is a muscle that controls the ear carriage so when she is relaxed the ears may not stand on top of the head.  The cartilage hardens as puppies age, so if they continue to fold, then a small piece of tape on the ears to keep them from folding is a good idea.  Sometimes you can just use something like a Dr. Scholl's Corn Pad will do the trick.