My german shepherd puppies mothers ears

Question
I was just wondering if you have ever heard of this. We have an 11 week old german shepherd puppy. Her mother was an all black gs and her father was a regular gs. When we puchased her we noticed that the mothers ears were floppy and the breeder said that this happened from the stress of the litter. The puppies(Sheba) ears are in that 1 half way up and the other down stage and I know it is still early.

Answer
Occasionally German Shepherds' ears fail to stand.  I have not come across what I regard as reliable information on it.  I like to see hard numbers from controlled tests, not anecdotes or we have always done it.  Yes, I find the stress of the litter causing a temporary problem believable.  Can the breeder show you pictures of her between litters with nice erect ears?  How important are the ears to you?  Last spring I hoped to get information I could count on from somebody with a Short Haired Collie.  I was told ''She isn't a show dog, so it isn't important.''  

I have a very good source of information on the proper diet to insure good hips and other joints.  Feed a good puppy chow to 4 months and then switch to adult chow.  Don't give any supplements.  Calcium supplements are one of the worst things, causing more harm than good.  The above will slow growth giving more time to develop strong joints before reaching the adult size.  

I have no idea how the above diet affects ears.  I will say most of the Shepherds I see following it, have their ears up early, even by 7 weeks.  It could be genetic.  Good hips are a huge factor in the breeding program.  

At 11 weeks, I think you can still hope they come up.  Just stay on puppy chow another month or 2 and lose any else you are feeding.