Why do some dogs have ears that stand up

For other breeds your puppy may only have fully-erect ears when theyre 7 or 8 months old. But thats just a basic explanation.

If you are concerned about your dogs ear flaps not standing up most likely you are the proud owner of a purebred dog whose breed standard puts an emphasis on erect ears.

Why do some dogs have ears that stand up. Many factors account for why only one ear stands up on your dog. These include malnutrition ear problems and one cartilage being stronger than the other. However if your dog is healthy it could be a case of your dog being a puppy.

Their pinna is still underdeveloped. Not all dogs have it in their genes to develop ears that stand up. For breeds such as the Cocker Spaniel or the Bassett Hound tall erect ears will never happen.

However it is important to remember that just because a breed has pointed ears such as Corgies or Huskies doesnt necessarily mean that your dog will have this physical feature. Genetic studies have shown that dogs first started hanging out with humans some 10000 years ago. Dogs were essentially wolves then complete with ears that stood up tall.

Over years and millennia humans selectively bred dogs to have more desirable traits like being friendlier or tamer. Floppy ears while adorable were simply a byproduct of this domestication and. Puppy ears change as they grow.

In many cases ears standing up perfectly before three months will start to droop again when the puppy is teething. This is because nutrients being sent to the ears are now being diverted to the growing teeth. Usually after the teething process is done the ears will stand right up again at around six months.

History and Facts about Big Pointy Standing Up Ears. For centuries people loved dogs with ears that are upright and pointy because they are said to have the best survival instincts among other dog breeds. But thats just a basic explanation.

Every dog family had its own reasons and assumptions as to why the dog had ears that stood at attention. Have super standing up ears and have wondered why are they like that but I wouldnt recommend that for your Aussie but thats why Luke has ears are like that I get a lot of questions about what shes mixed with because people think shes part husky or they guess it shes husky because of her ears like that but shes actually a full Fred offi. However breeds like the Chihuahua tend to have standing ears that are rounded.

Its important to note that just because the breed is known to have standing ears doesnt mean that your dog will. There are outliers in every group. Outside factors can affect your pups ear development.

There are also many breeds that dont have natural standing ears. When the dog does not receive treatment in time such as what can happen with abandoned dogs it is possible the ear will never stand up. Unfortunately this is often the case with stray dogs.

They may have one ear floppy or deformed due to malnutrition fighting disease fungal ear infections such as malassezia parasites or other causes. Some of the most. So that in a nutshell could be why all these floppy-eared dogs are flapping and flopping their floppy ears about the place.

Basically eons of domestication have altered their makeup at the cellular level although its worth noting that some scientists at least arent totally on board with the hypothesis. Specifically some dogs inevitably display lower neural cell count and quality. This then causes the cartilage to change and cause floppy ears in some dogs.

In other words your Corgis floppy ears might just be the result of genetics. The AKC does list both Pembroke and Cardigan Welsh Corgis as having standing ears. Small dogs take longer to get their ears to stay down.

The weight of the hair would bring it on down. The thing that concerns me is that they were going down and are now back up. I would suggest the breeder check her for ear mites.

QUOTE She told me that because she was so small that thats why they were probably standing up. If you are concerned about your dogs ear flaps not standing up most likely you are the proud owner of a purebred dog whose breed standard puts an emphasis on erect ears. Whether you have plans of showing your dog in the ring or simply want a nice representative of the breed that floppy ear may become a source of concern.

All Yorkshire terriers are born with floppy ears and theyll stay this way until theyve developed the necessary muscle strength at the base of the ear in order to allow them to stand erect. Yorkie ears typically start to stand up between 3 to 6 months of age and it might even happen in stages with one ear rising before the other. A lot of Chihuahua puppies ears wont begin to stand up until theyve stopped teething.

This is due to the balance of calcium in their bodies. While a Chihuahua puppy is in its initial stages of growing calcium is prioritized in the body. Your puppys breeding is a good indicator of whether his ears will stand up.

Dogs inherit the prick ear from their wolf ancestry so youll see standing ears on wolflike breeds with thick double coats such as the Alaskan malamute Samoyed and Siberian husky. Primitive breeds such as the Mexican hairless basenji and pharaoh hound also have naturally standing ears. Lack of calcium amount and weak cartilage are the main reasons for the one floppy ear in the dogs.

Alongside the domestication syndromes and neural crest cells could cause some similar kinds of problems. How to make both ears of your dog stand again. Erect ears in dogs always presenting an awesome look and showing a healthy status.

When a dog feels content happy and fully at ease he may move his ears up. All is fine and dandy for Fluffy for the time being. Other body language clues that point to contentment are a slightly swinging tail upright head and parted mouth.

If your dogs ears are down he may be signifying to the world that hes scared. They all have long ears and the ones with pointed ears have had their ears cropped so that they will stand up straight like natural dogs ears. Its supposed to make them more alert.

Theyre all born with long tails and dew claws too but most have their tails docked down to 1 or 2 vertebrae long and their dew claws removed. Initially you find that the ears of the puppies stand up but once the dog gets to the teething phase you will notice that the ears droop back down. The organism relies on the needed calcium to develop his teeth then about 4 months old and it doesnt go to the ear cartilage as a.

Sometimes one ear will stand up before the other creating an image of a dog with one ear up and one ear down. Again this is normal. Depending on the dog breed some puppies will already have pricked ears by the time theyre 8 weeks old.

For other breeds your puppy may only have fully-erect ears when theyre 7 or 8 months old. As soon as the puppy starts eating solid food its jaw muscles begin working which causes the ear canals to expand and push outwards. This pushes the cartilage into place making them stand straight up.

Once this occurs the dog will continue growing and developing normally.