Cropping Newborn Puppies' Ears

[TheNRPack]

Hello everyone, I just have a quick question that I'm curious about. I've heard that in the past they would crop puppies ears at the same time they docked the tail. (At a couple days old.) Is this true? If so, why do they not do that now? It sounds horrible but I would expect tail docking is VERY painful too and it is still paracticed today. All my dogs ears are natural so this question is just out of curiosity. I hope I don't spark any arguements just was hoping someone could explain all this to me! Thank you!

[Britz]

IM not to sure,  MY  rotti x  has his  tail and we will not  be getting it docked at all.  Im sure  some one can  answer  im not to sure what you asking. Around  here all  Breeeders get there pups docked etc..  when there only a couple  days ol'

[TheNRPack]

I'm just curious about why ear cropping isn't done while docking is done. BTW: I'm not saying I support or think it is a good idea. I'm just curious since I read somewhere else that they would crop the ears at the same time as the tail in the past. I just wondered why this has changed. Thanks

[TheNRPack]

Thank you, that makes sense. I suspect some people still do it today when the puppies are very young. (ex some backyard pit bull breeders) A crop for a pit bull is much less complicated than that for a great dane. Plus, I would expect these not to be show quality animals so the crop wouldn't have to be perfect. And, wow, I never knew that puppies would sleep through their dews being taken off. Thats surprising. Thanks again!

[Britz]

Holly, Is it  good to  get  dew claw  removed  Zeus still has he's.  HE is  older  So I dont think  we would get it  removed unless it woudl  be good to   

[Britz]

Holly, Is it  good to  get  dew claw  removed  Zeus still has he's.  HE is  older  So I dont think  we would get it  removed unless it woudl  be good to   

Not really.  Many people do it for cosmetic reasons.  I did it because another breeder I knew had three puppies blinded by their littermates' dewclaws during just normal puppy playing.  I kind of freaked out about that.  I've never heard any other stories like that since, so I've come to the conclusion that it was a just real fluke with that litter.

Although I have seen the occasional accidentally torn dewclaw that causes real problems, the vast majority of dogs never have a problem at all.  In fact, many raw fed dogs use their dewclaws to hold their food as they eat, so not having them could make that harder.

Except in the case of injury, I would never consider removing a dog's dewclaws once they were past a week old.  It would become major surgery for an older dog, and there is just too much pain and risk involved to make it worth it.

Thanks  I  have seen so many  pup add's  stating dew claws  removed  and  could  never  figure out exactly  why they were removed all are dogs have had them, with no  problems.

[VdogLover]

I have owned many dogs who had their dewclaws (including Breeze) and have NEVER had any problem.
On the other hand I have had dogs take a regular nail off maybe we should declaw them at birth to avoid this possible injury down the road? (meant sarcastic)

 There are new studies that show many good reasons to not remove and if you research you will find many breeds have them left on including collies, Whippets, and Coonhounds to name some off the top of my head.
 I really think this whole dewclaw removal thing is a made from old wise tales and the occasional injury report. This is one practice that can fall to the wayside as far as I'm concerned.

[RMSChloe]

Im not going to crop my pups ears, and i was never planning on it. I just dont think its fair to them to go through that. And as far as docking goes, I interned at a vets office and a litter was brought in to be docked... holy crud, i wanted to cry. it was like they just took nail clippers (they werent but its something that looks similar) and clipped them right off. they all gave a yelp and whimpered for a while. it was kind of gross too... little puppy tails laying all over the table.. eew.... i think thats cruel too... but thats just me... i dont agree with any of that stuff unless its for a health reason or something. my pup has a kink in her tail from playing with her littermates when she was young and if it begins to cut off nerves in her tail as she grows i will have to get it docked or she will just chew it off... i just hope that doesnt happen!

[ZooCrew]

I actually do like the look of a cropped ear more than the natural, except maybe in pits b/c their crop is so close they basically have no ear left.  But I opted not to have it done with Gunther (he was just about out of the age range anyway by the time I got him) b/c even if you have the best surgeon to do it, you aren't guaranteed they will stand, plus it's expensive and time consuming.  And Gunther looks good with his floppy ears. 

As far as tails and dewclaws go, I do prefer the natural look.  Although sometimes I wish they would dock danes' tails.  They injure them so often I've heard it's the #1 occurring injury.  Gunther has already broken his, luckily it didn't need to be amputated.  Both he and Keiko have their dewclaws.  Nigel and Posey came docked and dewclawed so I didn't have an option for them.  Plus since they are to show (hopefully) they are required to be docked and dewclawed.  I'm hoping that since ear cropping is going by the wayside in the showring that docking and dewclaws will be soon to follow.

[groff00]

I am not a fan of ear cropping myself because in my mind it suits no purpose other than the look of the dog, but then again I prefer the natural look.  As far as tails go it doesn't bother me as much because there isn't much to it.  Because it is done at such a young age and the bone hasn't ossified yet, it's still cartilage, and is not overly painful.  It basically stings for a few seconds.  As far as dewclaws go my lab does not have them. The breeder and I removed them at 3 days of age and they made each made one tiny squeak and that's it.  I don't have a problem with people taking dewclaws off when puppies are days old or if they do them at the same time as a spay or neuter at about 6 months but even then it is an orthopedic procedure.  It's a personal opinion but I hate dewlcaws on my working dogs.  My dogs are out running through brush in the summer and ice in the winter and I find if they have dewclaws that flop around a lot they get caught and are a pain to deal with.  That being said my little dog has his dewclaws because it wouldn't suit him any purpose to remove them.