german sheperd puppies

Question
We have two german sheperd puppies,They are brothers.One of the puppies ears have been standing for about two months now and the other one has not.They are four months old now.My question is,Do you think the one with floppy ears(ears will eventually stand up?).Our vetnarian says that it is rare if they do not.What is your opinion? Thank You very much Sharon

Answer
Hi Sharon,  Actually it is not rare for German Shepherd ears not to stand up.  There is a lot involved in ears standing, from lineage to calcium that the pup is retaining in its body.  Shepherd puppy ears go up and down for approx. 6 months due to the calcium being used in other parts of the body.  By the time a puppy is 4 months old, the calcium starts going into teeth, which can cause the ears to go down.  By 6 months, the calcium will go back up into the ears and start building the cartilage up so they will stay erect.  Some german lineage in shepherds can cause really large ears, which can have a hard time staying erect.  Once a puppy reaches 6 months of age, then it is time to start thinking about taping the ears up if they are not already standing.  Making sure they are on a good puppy food and giving a calcium supplement to them everyday can also help get the ears erect.  If the ears are not erect by 8 months, you definitely will have to tape them as they are not going to stand on there own without help.  Once a dog turns 1yr, it is impossible to get the ears to be erect without surgery.  If you bought these puppies from a breeder, they should be able to help you around 6 months of age to tape the ears up.  I wouldn't have a vet do it unless they really know what they are doing with German Shepherd ears.  Hope this helps, and good luck.

Dawn