Go Pitbull Forums banner

Why do people crop ears ???

228K views 67 replies 40 participants last post by  EckoMac 
#1 ·
A silly question...

I'm new to the pit bull family. Can somone advice me why people crop their dog's ear? Is it for a style? Isn't it painful? Is it done only for pitbulls?

Is it a style to cut the tail too?
 
#2 ·
Cropping the ears is just for looks, showing, although I have heard that sometimes cropping is recommend for certain health issues. There are other breeds that get there ears cropped such as boxers, great danes, doobee's, other bully breeds, etc. Getting the tail docked is a style also and for certain breeds is a must for the show ring, however it is a big no no for pitbulls.

As far as pain goes with cropping, I will let someone else answer that for you as my pit is not cropped, so I really don't know. I personally like the floppy ear look, but it's a personal preference. I have also heard the after care of a crop like the taping is a lot of work, so that may be one other thing to consider when thinking about cropping.
 
#4 ·
Cropping the ears is a personal choice. People do it for the look, showing, etc.
A pit bull is suppose to keep their tails. To me they do not look right docked. Not a standard of the breed. I believe it is also a fault if showing.
The length you want your crop is up to you. I know some people battle crop ears which are cut low to the head. To me it is to short. I have my guys medium cropped. Like alot of people on here do.
It is not really that painful when done at a young age. I think the stiches itching is the worse and annoying part to the dog. You can get post op pain med. to.
 
#5 ·
The cropped look is a personal prefrence of the owner. It is not required for any dog as a standard as far as I know. Pitbull's are not the only dogs that get this done, Doverman Pincher's often have a long crop as well. Cropping can be a painful process for a dog, which is why it is done while the dog is still young so the dog forgets about what happened. Kind of like a girl getting her ears peirced young or a boy having a circumcision, they dont remember it and it usually never effects them when they are grown. Their are many different styles to cropped ears, if you search for cropped ears on here you will find many post which would explain alot more on the different styles.

As far a docking a tail, MGA pointed out that it is a big "No no!!" for the APBT world. Their tails help them keep their balance, and in the "Show Ring" a docked tail on a Pit is a disqualification.
 
#6 ·
I knew a cropped tail was shunned in the show world. I just think they look aweful with their tails docked. It looks so unnatural.
I know some people will dock them because they are so powerful and it is like getting hit with a steel beam sometimes.
Lord I would look unnatural now if I did not at least have a couple of bruises on my legs from being whacked with my dog's tails...lol!!!!
 
#8 ·
Ceaser is all the time doing that. Rain is the one who really gets the worst of it though. For some reason she always gets behind him and then alls you see is her constantly shutting her eyes b/c she is getting beaten by his tail. She will not move either, she just like "whatever". Every once in awhile she will try to grab it, but she is not quite fast enough yet to catch a 100 mile and hour tail..lol

I think it is so cute when they have their tales going so fast their whole body wiggles...
 
#9 ·
Can somone advice me why people crop their dog's ear?
Primarily for looks, but I will tell you my reason. I did it because the first pitbull we had my brother cropped his ears, so that is what I got accustomed to as far as the look of a pitbull, so I ran with it :)

Is it for a style?
Yup, for example, with Doberman's I never saw one with floppy ears until I googled it about 10 years ago, and I'm 33. And yes, when I was 11 my brother had one, and got him cropped too as well as the tail, lol.

Isn't it painful?
I guess it is during the after care, but it's o.k. they have a high tolerance for pain, I can just imagine how people deal with the dogs that don't have that high tolerance.

Is it done only for pitbulls?
Nope, as mentioned already there are other breeds that get their ears cropped, as well as their tails.

Is it a style to cut the tail too?
On some breeds, the ones that come to mind are Dobermans and Rottweilers. With pitbulls, not really. I have yet to see a pitbull with a docked tail in person.
 
#10 · (Edited)
I'm new to the pit bull family. Can somone advice me why people crop their dog's ear? Is it for a style? Isn't it painful? Is it done only for pitbulls?
Is it a style to cut the tail too?
An American Pit Bull Terrier should NEVER have its tail docked (cut). I've seen it in vintage photos from the 1900's but assumed the breed was still in its early years of being accepted as a purebred with breed standards and thus the tail was docked due to personal preference toward its bulldog background, or because I was actually looking at an early Boston terrier, which were hard to distinguish from an APBT in the Boston's early formation of actually being a cross off the APBT. Anywho, the cropped ears are traditional of being a working dog, many of the mastiff and early bulldog types had cut ears to show they're working dogs and this might have also been a form of ownership ID to distinguish particular dogs from the stray masses. (This is still done with many mastiff/herding breeds in their native countries.) To cut a dog's tail because it bangs against your leg or sweeps junk off a table is ridiculous, as there are over 200+ purebred dogs to choose from and to modify the tail on a naturally tailed breed is arguably selfish.
I've watched my own dogs' cropping surgeries and don't think the pain post surgery is much different between having it done on a young pup or an older one, as the amount of discomfort varies in individual dogs and the aftercare of the incision. My dogs were cropped short and didn't need to be bandaged or taped, which seems to increase the chance of irritation. Some people prefer to let the dog mature before they crop so they know what length of ear will best suit them, though as the ear grows the folds set in and usually makes for a shorter crop anyway. There was some itching as they healed but no worse than a spay or healing from other invasive injuries. Of course, some people do illegal and terribly cruel home ear crops that involve tying the pup's legs and pinning the ears to a board to hold them while cutting with scissors, without any pain medication and the dog being fully awake. Totally barbaric and the ears usually are obvious due to lack of skill and the pup moving from the pain and restriciton. If someone can justify this procedure, please let me know. Yes, I'm aware that some "dogmen" and most urban thugs commonly cut their own pups but that doesn't make it acceptible any more than neutering a dog w/out anethstesia (not that there'a a lot of that going on as looks take presidence over controlling population...).
I like natural ears with a classic rose or button style and have a dislike for helicopter ears or full drop but can appreciate the wide variety the purebred APBT offers and will always love a friendly, stable example with the ugliest conformation over a gorgeous breed standard ideal with rotten temperament. I wouldn't suggest someone crop any more than I'm tolerant of people condemning me for cropping. I lean toward helping cropped dogs out of the shelters, though, as they have the hardest image problem when disposed of into the system.
Soooo after this caffeine fueled sermon on cropping the APBT, it's a matter of personal preference and both crop and natural is accepted in the breed standards. Docking the tail is not as it's considered a working breed just like the Australian Cattle Dog (heeler), which many lunkheads also dock.
 
#15 ·
i get that this is an old thread, but i came across it and joined just to say...i hope in the last couple of years ya'll woke up. mutilation for the purposes of "looks" and "style" is beyond stupid. you're saying how dumb and how much of a no no it is to dock the tail but it's ok to cause pain and irritation so you like the way the ears look. it is not the same as getting your ears pierced. cutting off a body part for the sheer pleasure of it is cruel and stupid. i hope that if anyone searches the same kw i did and comes across this thread they will realize that causing pain for personal pleasure is wrong. it's uncomfortable to cause pain for spaying and neutering, but it is done as a necessity due to the massive overpopulation and millions of pits put to death in shelters since their boom in popularity. cropping the ears is just as stupid as tail docking or trimming off a limb because you want a three legged pittie. if you think they don't feel pain or it's ok because they tolerate pain better...you don't deserve a pit. they feel it. they hide it. they kill themselves to make you happy and your response is that it is a good idea to mutilate them so that you can have a dog without ears. it's no more uncomfortable than a spay or neuter? my freshly spayed rescue pit is lying beside in quite a bit of pain. that's why they send home tramadol. a pain killer!!! if you came across this thread as the result of a search..don't freaken crop the ears. all it does it makes them look aggressive and promotes the stigma that pits are bad dogs and owners are bad asses. it causes pain for no good reason and it is just as stupid as docking a pit's tail.
 
#18 ·
Your ignorance is amazing. I hope no one uneducated (besides yourself) reads this and thinks less of anyone on this forum for no reason.

To think you compare amputating a major limb or spaying to trimming an ear tip is quite astonishing.

I hope these kind folks don't frown upon cursing in reps like they do cursing on the main forum :D
 
#17 ·
Ok I'm gunna chime in here as I'm am one of those people who have chunks of my own ears missing ;)
I've owned dogs with both natural and crop. Personally I think they look good either way.
Ear cropping is not at all traumatic like you may think and from personal experience, it doesn't really hurt it just itches.
 
#21 ·
Lol. I'm just poking fun cause I have 1/2 in plugs ;) Although some ignorant people see my tattoos and piercings as self mutilation lol.
I actually did them myself ;) I'm a tattoo artist and body piercer so stabbing myself is kind of a common occurrence ;)
 
#22 ·
Word. More like extra ear, then, haha.

Mutilation is in the eye of the beholder. As far as I'm concerned, I'm the beholder of my dog and he's not mutilated, lol. I get fired up with a quickness about the subject. Just like it's your body. You find tattoos and piercings the bee's knees, then it's modifying, not mutilating. I don't find my tattoos mutilation, either :)
 
#25 ·
I hate people who judge anyone for what choice others choose in what they are feeding. I have a problem with people who call them fades and do not have a licensed vet complete the surgery. People who do their research find a vet who cares about what they are doing should not be accused of abuse because you don't agree with it.

KG the worst pain I ever felt was getting my tattoo (I have never have a Kid lol) I will never get another. My friend had her ears pinned and was in constant pain for 3 months. I think it is safe to say some pups might feel it differently than other dogs. I also think, like you, pit bull type dogs may have a higher pain threshold than other breeds, but really who are we to say? Every dog is different wouldn't ya think?
 
#26 ·
Totally. We're all different and feel things much differently. Personally child birth was a piece of cake for me and I was so doped up I didn't feel shit lol. He came out so fast I didnt have time for pain lol.
 
#33 ·
Just seems so strange to me. I've owned them. I live in Queensland Australia. There are stumpy tail cattle dogs, born that way with the bob tail gene.
But docking is illegal here. It was never common to dock them. In the thousands of ACD's I've seen I've never seen a docked one.
My Rotties were docked so I don't have a problem with it. An ACD without it's tail just looks weird to me.
 
#35 ·
Lol Dixie :) I live you girl. Sorry I have this way of derailing threads XD anywho back to the cropping.

I had an ACD and she didn't have her tail docked either. Just her breeders personal preference I guess. It really wouldn't have mattered much to me either way. She was still a great dog :)
 
#37 ·
Ditto on ear cropping being personal preference. My Boxer was uncropped, and I probably wouldn't crop any dog, but that's mainly because of the aftercare involved (taping and stuff).

Tails, on the other hand.....my Boxer was docked, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Boxers, Rotties, Dobies...they look weird (to me) undocked. The only way we ever see ABPT's docked is for "happy tail" because those suckers NEVER heal.
 
#40 ·
I love the fact that ignorant dude signed up just to tell us we r crazy! Lolol. Odin is uncropped and I love his ears but some dogs have funny ears and I would rather have cropped. At this point in my life I can't afford it so its a non issue. But if I had a pup and the funds I would. Makes them look stream lined. Also wanted to point out when they are pups the ears are not stiff and formed yet so that's part of the reason they do it young.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top