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Staffordshire Ears


Raemit
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We have had our boy Ziggy home for 2 days and I have noticed since the last photos from the breeder that his ears have changed. He has one that has pricked up and the other one has stayed floppy. I have read that this could be due to teething, I am wondering if they will stay this way or is it normal that they change at different times?

This is the last photo we have of him before getting him http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f213/raealex/6C528A64-1253-4AA4-942D-2EB9EB5EBB8C.jpg

And this is one taken yesterday at 9 weeks http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f213/raealex/B35A62B1-11A1-4AF2-8D6A-471DA9836A42.jpg

Edited by Raemit
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Ears go all over the place when they are young, occassionally you will end up with two differently shaped ears, it won't affect his hearing at all.

You can gently massage the fold at the top of the ear to help train it into place if it really worries you.

LOL chances are that once you have that ear behaving as you like, the other one will go and you have to massage that! Exhibitors sometimes use medical tape to gently hold ears in place while pup is going through this stage. If your breeder is an exhibitor, they can show you how.

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I am not an expert on Staffies, but the picture taken of him by you, that ear that you say is pricked is what a Staffie ear looks like, they do not have their ears tipped right over as in the picture taken by the breeder.

In an adult the ear looks like a "rose" just like that "pricked" ear, just hope the other one goes the same way. :)

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I echo what Mjosa said. Staffies ears shouldn't lay flat to their head. You pups ears will go up and down for a while as he grows and develops through teething. The 'up' ear in your second picture is more what they should look like once they settle but they will change throughout the growth period. You breeder should be the best person to ask about any methods you might use through this time to give you the best chance of correct ear set on your adult dog, and around what age you should stop trying and realise that's what you've got! Some times no matter how hard you fight it, you'll end up with what I call 'character ears' where you have two different ears set. Unless your puppy is destined for the show ring ear set is cosmetic and raising a healthy pup with a sound temperament is where you need to put your energy.

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Thanks for the replies. His pricked ear is what I was hoping the other would do, as we have owned a SBT before and his ears were similar to this.

I haven't yet contacted the breeder, but I will tomorrow. We are not planning on showing him, he is just a very much loved family pet.

I guess we are just very observant to everything at the moment as he is only new to us and his floppy ear was bothering me.

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Oh haha everyone was thinking you were worried about the one that had changed, the one that had popped up.....but you are correctly more concerned about the one that is still down flat!

He is still such a tiny baby and there is plenty of time for those ears to come good. Talk to your breeder about what are the typical time frames for these changes and what age you can expect the ear set to settle for life.

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Oh haha everyone was thinking you were worried about the one that had changed, the one that had popped up.....but you are correctly more concerned about the one that is still down flat!

He is still such a tiny baby and there is plenty of time for those ears to come good. Talk to your breeder about what are the typical time frames for these changes and what age you can expect the ear set to settle for life.

yes!! I was of that opinion :)

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Actually to be honest, I can still see the "funky" ear in that first photo anyway....it didn't change, the puppy just grew. It's still not brilliant in the latest shot. Teething may still cause it to go awry again too so be prepared.

Edited by ellz
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We are not aiming for perfection, it was only one that when we first got him the ears were so different from one another. I am aware that Staffordshire ears are supposed to be rose shaped. But as we have no plans to show him in the big scheme of things it doesn't really matter! They have become more symmetrical which is more aesthetically pleasing.

Here is another photo just because ????

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f213/raealex/0441BAC9-6661-4E0C-A363-B2D8E5887EF4.jpg

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He's gorgeous and still so very young. Chances are good that he will end up with symmetrical ears once he's through teething and growth spurts but as you aren't planning to show it's no big deal if they don't end up even - it adds character!!

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