Great Dane ears

[Guest Anonymous]

I just need some help about the great danes, i am buying a new one and wanna know all about his ears, like how can i make his ears, is it a big surgery, or a surgery even, or is the doctor just rounds hi ears with stuff and gives him medicine, and also is the great dane good against disease, or is it a type of being sick easily and die form illness

[Guest Anonymous]

guys, in the part above, i mean about making his ears stand

[Carolk9s]

I'm with K and Mei-Mei, there is a huge amount to learn BEFORE you get your dane.
Regarding the ears, I know you did not ask for opinions but I gotta give mine anyway! I will say right off, I am rabid-foaming-at-the-mouth against ear cropping. Hey if anyone wants to chop off 1/2 their OWN ears to have a certain look, I'll support your right to do so! Then when your ears hurt and itch I'll say I'm sorry for your pain but it was your choice right? Dogs don't care how they look in regards to their ears. It's all about what WE want and what WE choose to do to them. Please do give some thought to leaving your dogs ears natural. Remember, this is something we do TO them, not FOR them. While there are many who say the surgery is not that painful and the healing is not that bad, and they may be right, I just cannot abide causing ANY unnecessary pain to those that will be our loving faithful companions to the end.
If you absolutely MUST do this, like Mei-Mei said, have it done by a professional who has done this many many times before and will discuss in great length the surgery, post-op care, worriesome signs to be on the lookout for, etc.

[Guest Anonymous]

I really like the look of cropped ears on SOME breeds, but would NEVER do it. I'd rather feel the velvety, floppy ears than look at the pointy stand up ones.

Why subject them to that pain?

[wildbunch]

Hey Guest,

I have a 4 month old dane and I can't emphasize enough how much research you must do before jumping into buying a dane. Do you know what not to feed a growing dane pup? What symptoms to look out for on a growing pup? Do you have the financial background to correct any problems that very well may arise? I'm not trying to make you not want to get a dane but they really are a very big job. Everything is about twice as expensive as a normal dog (except shots of course). You really must be cautious when choosing a breeder or you really are setting yourself up for disaster. As far as ear cropping. Our lovely little girl will be staying natural, who could resist. I do not want to inflict this unnecessary pain and torture on her just for looks. I absolutely love kissing those big floppy ears and it is so cute. One ear will flop right into her eye and she'll just stand there looking at you like what I'm cute and you know it!
They are a great breed and a loving breed but it comes at a high price. You really must do a ton of research before getting into this. And please if you listen to nothing else on this board at least check into the feeding. Sign up at a great dane forum and chat with the owners/breeders. They are wonderful. Please do not feed your pup any puppy food and make sure your pup is on a great food such as Eagle.
I hope you will do your research before getting into this. Keep in mind that they are cute now but in 6 months you will not be able to lift them and they are very strong. You cannot hard hand this breed they are too gentle for that.

[alicat613]

I strongly advise you not to get this Dane. The fact that the breeder has not discussed both the ears and the countless intricacies of owning and caring for a Dane makes me seriously doubt the quality of this breeder.

Buying a Dane from a less than reputable breeder is a very very bad idea. The vet bills from the potential health problems can take you down fast. You may think you are financially prepared, but problems can last a lifetime and it costs a lot to do things on a 170 pound dog. Are you ready for temperament issues from a less than reputable breeder? How about when he bites your kids?

Please stick around, there are some Dane owners here (including me) who'd love to help you do this the right way.

[yellowlabsrule]

[quote][size=6][color=red]I will say right off, I am rabid-foaming-at-the-mouth against ear cropping.[/color][/size][/quote]
[size=6][color=violet][b]Same here![/b][/color][/size]

[Guest Anonymous]

First of all it is a surgery and anethesia is involved please note that in any surgery that requires anestesia there is a risk of the animal dying,yes that is right he/she could die it has happend to people I know and they were heartbroken. Being a Breeder of American Pit Bull terriers I know a bit about the procedure. It is painfull not during but after and they do try to itch and scratch them a lot so if you are not home and you work during the day you are asking for trouble as the puppy could very well scratch open the ears and not only mess them up but bleed everywhere and contract an infection so someone needs to be watching them. Also with an Apbt it is a shorter crop with a Dane it is a long crop which may require several tapings so that the ear will stand and you will always run the risk of seeing one ear stand up and one fall over(some show dogs have this problem )Another thing is that most people are scared of dogs with cropped ears and some misinformed person may even think that you have a giant pitbull so be aware.I don't think ear cropping is cruel it is a personal choice but several of my dogs do have natural ears so it really makes no difference . I disagree with the people who think that ear cropping should be outlawed because they are forgetting that there will always be people who will ignore the laws and want them cropped anyways and when they cannot find a veterinarian to do it then they may do something barbaric like doing it themselves.

[alicat613]

Ear cropping is really not the issue here.

The issue is this person is obviously getting a purebred dog from a less than reputable breeder who is not helping them learn about these issues, whether it is about ear cropping, feeding a Great Dane, necessary health testing, common health problems, the issue is the breeder has obviously not discussed these things with the potential owner.

What sort of breeder does not care about what happens to the puppies or how the pups, who need specific care and informed owners, are taken care of?

A breeder you should not buy from, both for your own sake, and the greater good - do not support people like this if you love the breed and you love dogs and animals at all.

BTW since I am new here, let me just add I have a natural eared baby from a natural eared mom, with natural eared siblings. I do not support ear cropping, but I think we should focus on helping this person find a reputable breeder and doing this the right way before we go off on tangents. Having an argument about ear cropping assumes it's ok for this person to have this puppy. It's not. This person is not ready for a Dane and the breeder should not be breeding.

[alicat613]

*sigh* I know. I hate that.

In real life I can chase people down when they run away from my lectures LOL. Darn the internet.

It just really upsets me this poor Dane, all the Danes out there being bred irresponsibly, handed over with no instructions, no guidance.

[Guest roo]

Can i just say some excellent posts here :lol:

You cant crop in the Uk, and if you import a cropped dog you
can not show it.

I know when having litters in the past, 9 out of 10 perspective
owners to me are unsuitable. they want either a scooby doo or a BIG DOG.( and they will more than likely get one somewhere else too :x )

The most important thing to do is research, watch, ask, listen and then think deeply about it (any dog for that matter)
finding a responsible breeder is not always easy.
join a club, go to shows see what you like.
But you have all said it all in the above posts anyway :lol:
Roo