We Have put together this information to help those that are
unfamiliar with the after care of ear croppings , and help answer
questions that you may have.
As you HOPEFULLY know , Dobermanns, as most are used to seeing them are "
modified " and not born !
At 2-3 days of age the tails are removed , at this time the dewclaws are removed
too ! Doberman , that are not docked have long " hound like " tails .
HISTORY :
The dew claws were originally removed on sporting / hunting dogs , so that they
would not be torn off and cause injury when hunting in thick underbrush .
In Historical Europe , dog owners were TAXED , unless the dogs were "working
dogs " ,working dogs were quickly identified by their lack of tail and dewclaws .
Louis Dobermann , followed in these traditions , as his creation was a WORKING
DOG .
Ear cropping however, was a just a preference that he had . He wanted to
increase the look of being very alert. Also it is thought ,that cropped ears were not
likely to be grabbed and used against the dog , when apprehending an intruder.
The early Dobermann had very short ears , unlike the long crops of today .
Things to consider :
Of course you have the choice to have your puppy un-cropped , As the truely are
beautiful either way !!
Or you can have a vet of your choice do them locally . However we cannot stress
how important it is to see pictures of the vets previous Doberman crops. Most vets
do not learn to crop ears in school , and a strange crop will drastically alter the
appearance of your dog . Please keep in mind that it is ESSENTIAL to have to
ears done BEFORE 12 weeks of age !!
Crops performed after 10-12 weeks are destined for failure , and very well may
never stand correctly ,if at all !
Things to UNDERSTAND:
The ear cropping aftercare requires patience and dedication . It is not difficult once
you have done it a few times . However if you are not prepared to wrap and
re-wrap the ears CONSITANTLY , then you will probably not have a Doberman
which ears stand properly .
It is critical that you wrap the ONLY after the edges are COMPLETELY healed ,
and there are no scabs anywhere on the edges . Once they are completly healed ,
you can begin wrapping the ears .
When your pup arrives he will most likely NOT have the edges completely healed
and ready to begin wrapping . You will need to care for the edges , by applying
neosporin to the edges , base of the ear. Apply neosporin in very light coats ,
twice daily . Typically it will only take a few days of doing this until you can start
wrapping the ears .