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3 month old German Shepherd ears.

19 17:32:03

Question
QUESTION: Hello and thank you for you time. I am adopting a GSD Puppy from a Rescue I have been following his progress with updates as he was to you to take home at the time.  He is now 3 months old and we are ready to bring him home from the rescue. I noticed in the most recent pictures of this weekend that his ears now are no longer the standard up and to the side but they are turning inward towards the top of his head as if they are crisscrossing over each other...is this normal or will they out grow it? Do do have any recommendations as to how I can correct them so the lay normally? Thanks so much for your suggestions and help!
Sincerely,
Suzie in Arizona

ANSWER: Although most Shepherd's ears are standing by then, and stay standing,  some aren't yet, or flop down again.  Nearly all their ears are erect by a year old, even the ones that don't stand up at 3 months.  I don't know that there is much to do about it except give it the right diet and hope for the best.  

I am not sure about the ears, but to reduce the chances of bad hips and other joints, avoid too much of too rich of a diet.  Usually if over fed, a Shepherd just won't eat it.  I would go straight to an adult chow.  If the shelter has him on a puppy chow, I would stick to the same type, but make a slow change over until after a week, it is all adult chow.

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GSD Ears
GSD Ears  
QUESTION: Thank you so much for your speedy response..I guess I am still a bit confused..about the ears. I did some online research but this is not an answer really... Please read the information below where it says "Ears should not pull inward...if you know or have any suggestions or if this is normal please let me know! Thank you again so very very much for all your help!I have attached a recent picture of him. Ears The German Shepherd has ears which are middle sized, firm textured, broad at the base, set high on the skull, are carried erect ( almost parallel and not pulled inwards), taper to a point and open towards the front. Tipped ears are faulty. Hanging ears are a very serious fault. During movement the ears may be folded back

Downed GSD ears are not the end of the world, however, erect ears are a part of the German Shepherd Dog breed standard. Upright ears are not only healthier overall for the dog but more so, they are handsome and again, part of the breed standard and the way the German Shepherd was bred to look.

Sincerely,
Suzie

Answer
As I indicated, ears may come up late, but nearly always do.  None of what I regard as reliable sources have much to say about ears.  Doing a search on the Internet on dogs often turns up opinions with very little experience to back them up.  If you do a search here, you will find many others have asked about ears standing up.  I am not sure what others here have to say about it.  Experts come and go here, and the quality is uneven.  I do think the site kicked off some of the worst in the past.