The ears and tail docking servers a purpose for LGDs - a tail and ears are weak spots if one of these dogs were to get into it with a wolf. Their tails and ears can be used to grab onto, also if they did have a confrontation with a wolf [or any predator] and their ear was ripped off they would have to be removed from duty in order to heal or may bleed to death in the time it takes a human to find the injury.
Also, floppy ears freeze easily in winter and could cause gangrene.
IMHO, it is kinda wrong to do it to a dog that will not be working - but if your dog will be working, and could have a confrontation with a predator, then it is safer for the dog to be cropped/docked.
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I'm just gonna warn you guys ahead of time...
Our LGDs will have cropped ears. We requested that they not be cropped but our breeder said she does it at 4 days old and if she doesn't crop the ears of one for us she will be limited on temperament selection [due to how early they are cropped]. So we felt that the right temperament was more important. \
They could potentially have a predator encounter too - so at least they will be safer.
This is going to sound wrong, but I don't really have a problem with docked tails & cropped ears From what I understand, & I could be completely wrong, it's normally done before a week old & the pups barely even feel anything.
Though this is also why I'd never have a doberman, I don't have the heart to crop & dock them, but I absolutely love the look.
Thanks for the spam Brad! They're so adorable Did I miss something, or is this the breed of LGD you're going with? ~
I agree with Brad and Osy here. I'm opposed to cropping ears/docking tails for aesthetic purposes, but for working dogs, it actually does make a huge difference in their quality of life.
I've heard the whole 'predator' argument, and agree that dog ears, especially dog ears that hang, are very susceptible to damage. I've never had a LGD, so I can't say anything about the predator issue, but I've seen it in hunting dogs. One of the local hunters had a dog with 'floppy' ears, and hunting in the thick underbrush they were always getting cut and bloodied. It was a pretty nasty cycle of the dog scratching the scabs, breaking them, infection, and all that.
Now whenever one of his pups is born with floppy ears they get cropped... Not sure about the tail issue, never seen a problem with that.
BTW the pups look great. I'm a sucker for big dogs and would definitely have a few if my housing situation allowed it.
I definitely do not agree with cropping/docking for cosmetic purposes. I don't like the look of cropped ears, and the typical crop you find on a Boxer or Doberman (to make their ears stand erect) is done at 9-12 weeks of age, so it is NOT painless.
I'm not sure how much merit the "protection from predators" thing has - there are many breeds of LGD that have floppy ears that are left intact. I have known a few Maremmas in my lifetime and none of them had their ears cropped. They had no problems at all keeping their floppy ears away from wolves/cougars/bears. I think it is more of a cultural/regional thing that is backed up with what sounds like a reasonable argument.
But let's not turn this into a cropping/docking debate.
No, CAO is not the type of LGD we are getting - I just like them a lot. I was taking my lunch break and looking at YouTube vids and stumbled across this one. I was struck by how serious this pup looked.
The CAO comes from very deep fighting lines, and are still fought today. It is very difficult to get a CAO from non-fighting lines so that is why I decided not to go with this breed - I was concerned about the welfare of my current pack in introducing such a large fighting dog.
The CAO was used for lots of different types of work - Livestock guarding, fighting, hunting, service work... that is what draws me to them, their adaptability.
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Kyla - look at this pic:
That's a Maremma with cropped ears.
I think the ear cropping of most LGDs is less of a concern in North America since, until very recently, there has not been a real threat from larger, more tenacious, predators like wolves opposed to in Europe and central Asia where the wolf is still a relatively prevalent threat to livestock.
Coyote [the main concern in North America] are not nearly as tenacious as wolves and do not form large packs, so it is less likely that an LGD would end up fighting off more than 1 - 3 Coyote. Where if they had to fight off a pack a wolf it is likely they would have more than three to fight off and that is really when a tail or ears would become a weakness.
The tail of a lot of LGDs is not docked, like it is with the CAO, because in those breeds it is held over the back like a spitz - thus out of "danger".
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I don't condone cropping - it does seem a bit cruel to me, but if it is for the safety of the animal to preform its job then I agree with it - its kinda a "bigger picture" thing I think.
I also don't like the look of cropped ears or docked tails.
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The ears and tail are a little bothersome though. :-(
Also, floppy ears freeze easily in winter and could cause gangrene.
IMHO, it is kinda wrong to do it to a dog that will not be working - but if your dog will be working, and could have a confrontation with a predator, then it is safer for the dog to be cropped/docked.
----
I'm just gonna warn you guys ahead of time...
Our LGDs will have cropped ears. We requested that they not be cropped but our breeder said she does it at 4 days old and if she doesn't crop the ears of one for us she will be limited on temperament selection [due to how early they are cropped]. So we felt that the right temperament was more important.
They could potentially have a predator encounter too - so at least they will be safer.
----
Though this is also why I'd never have a doberman, I don't have the heart to crop & dock them, but I absolutely love the look.
Thanks for the spam Brad! They're so adorable
I've heard the whole 'predator' argument, and agree that dog ears, especially dog ears that hang, are very susceptible to damage. I've never had a LGD, so I can't say anything about the predator issue, but I've seen it in hunting dogs. One of the local hunters had a dog with 'floppy' ears, and hunting in the thick underbrush they were always getting cut and bloodied. It was a pretty nasty cycle of the dog scratching the scabs, breaking them, infection, and all that.
Now whenever one of his pups is born with floppy ears they get cropped... Not sure about the tail issue, never seen a problem with that.
BTW the pups look great. I'm a sucker for big dogs and would definitely have a few if my housing situation allowed it.
I'm not sure how much merit the "protection from predators" thing has - there are many breeds of LGD that have floppy ears that are left intact. I have known a few Maremmas in my lifetime and none of them had their ears cropped. They had no problems at all keeping their floppy ears away from wolves/cougars/bears. I think it is more of a cultural/regional thing that is backed up with what sounds like a reasonable argument.
But let's not turn this into a cropping/docking debate.
The CAO comes from very deep fighting lines, and are still fought today. It is very difficult to get a CAO from non-fighting lines so that is why I decided not to go with this breed - I was concerned about the welfare of my current pack in introducing such a large fighting dog.
The CAO was used for lots of different types of work - Livestock guarding, fighting, hunting, service work... that is what draws me to them, their adaptability.
----
Kyla - look at this pic:
That's a Maremma with cropped ears.
I think the ear cropping of most LGDs is less of a concern in North America since, until very recently, there has not been a real threat from larger, more tenacious, predators like wolves opposed to in Europe and central Asia where the wolf is still a relatively prevalent threat to livestock.
Coyote [the main concern in North America] are not nearly as tenacious as wolves and do not form large packs, so it is less likely that an LGD would end up fighting off more than 1 - 3 Coyote. Where if they had to fight off a pack a wolf it is likely they would have more than three to fight off and that is really when a tail or ears would become a weakness.
The tail of a lot of LGDs is not docked, like it is with the CAO, because in those breeds it is held over the back like a spitz - thus out of "danger".
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I don't condone cropping - it does seem a bit cruel to me, but if it is for the safety of the animal to preform its job then I agree with it - its kinda a "bigger picture" thing I think.
I also don't like the look of cropped ears or docked tails.
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