Ear Cropping

The practice of cropping ears dates back hundreds of years in our  breed. At the beginning, it was done out of necessity for the dogs. Great Danes were bred to hunt wild boar and other large, dangerous game. The boar had sharp tusks that would rip the soft, houndlike ears of a dane and cause extreme pain and bleeding. The crops on these dogs were strictly utilitarian, and served no cosmetic purposes. In the present however, there is no medical reason to crop danes, but some prefer the look. A well cropped dane is indeed a striking animal.

Cropping your dane does not make him "more" of a dane, and not cropping your dane does not make him any less of a dane. It's a personal preference, and, in the USA at least, you are allowed to make that decision. When considering cropping your dane puppy, please research the veterinarians in your area and find one with skill and experience with the Great Dane. A vet who does a bang up job on Dobermans may be mediocre at Great Dane ears. Ask to see pictures of his work. You must also decide on the type of crop you want (show crop, pet crop, short crop). And lastly, before putting your pup through this procedure, make sure you are dedicated to the care involved AFTER the crop. You may be taping ears for a year or more in order to get them to stand properly. The best crop in the world isn't going to mean squat if you aren't willing to be dilligent in the aftercare. And remember, not all ears are going to stand. A good veterinarian will be able to assess the cartilage and tell you if your pup is a good candidate for the ear cropping surgery.

Do your research, talk to other people who owned cropped danes. Make sure this is the step you want to take.

To find a veterinarian in your area who is skilled in Great Dane crops, click HERE.

Ear Cropping and Taping links

These links will take you to pages that are for ear cropping as well as some pages that are against ear cropping.

•	Why Natural?
•	Taping Natural Ears
•	To Crop or Not To Crop?
•	Should I Crop My Great Dane Puppy?
•	How to Tape Ears

Natural Ears

Goose, a natural earred dane, in tapes and then after. See how nicely his natural ears lay?

Taped

Afterward

In Between Taping

Gator and Lucas are taking a break from tapings. Notice that the ears are not fully able to stand on their own yet. They will continued to be taped until they are standing properly. In some danes, this can be well past the dane's first birthday!! Be sure you are commited to the work.

Cropped Ears

These two youngsters are showing off very nice crops.

Leans 'N Slobbers is an advocate of education. The information provided is not meant to condone nor condemn the practice of ear cropping, but rather offer education on the subject.