To Crop or not to crop. That is the question. General Chat

Title says it all. I really, really love how the min pin looks with a proper ear cropping. I've never cropped my dogs ears (raised pit-bulls many years). I literally love my animals. They're family members...not "pets" in my home. So I'm against any unnecessary pain. With that being said, I LOVE THE CROPPED EAR LOOK....this is where advise would be appreciated. I've always felt it (keeping entire ear) adds to their facial expressions, here's a couple pics. Whatcha think? They look awesome!

Don't do it. Dogs are beautiful in their natural state and really don't need bits chopped off because we like a look.

If you don't like a dog the way it looks, don't get that dog, but please don't chop it about simply because you want something the dog is naturally not

They do not look awsome, they look just wrong,

I have a crossbreed standard dachshund and MinPin and if anyone suggested that they would look awesome if half their ears were cut off, I would be only too happy to crop their own ears.

There is no such thing as a MinPin with a "proper ear cropping".

If you want to destroy your dog, that is your prerogative.

But it is wrong whether you "like" the look or not.

Don't crop I had Dobermans with lovely floppy ears & tails, I at to go through lots of breeders to get a dog with un-crop ears/tail.

To each is own...thanks for your opinion...FYI the last thing you would consider is anything violent if we were face to face discussing your animals...have a good day.

It's not that I don't like the way my dog looks, (I wouldn't have spent the money I did if I didn't like the dogs look...).I simply really like the crop look.(a very popular look)..but thanks.

It seems common practice (like w/ Dobermans & Great Danes). And I haven't decided yet...thanks for stopping by...

So far a lot of emotional responses....so the dogs attitude, personality or anything is being compromised. I haven't read (online research) anything negative other than personal feelings against it. The ONLY reason I'm on the fence is because it's cosmetic surgery that will cause pain and discomfort during the healing time. Mind you, I haven't so much as looked for a vet for the procedure. No steps have been taken other than this forum.

You could be asking the wrong people for an unbiased answer. Cropping has been illegal in the UK for over half a century, and docking for a decade. We do have some US members on this forum who might think differently, but our well established cultural norm is for dogs which have not had any surgical alteration to their appearance.

That makes a ton of sense. I wasn't aware of the laws out there. I totally understand the responses now. I should've paid more attention to the web-site....had no idea it was UK based. I just picked the first option google offered. I'll find a US based forum. And thanks again for clearing this up. Have a great day...

Please don't think you are not welcome here, Silas. As I said, we do have active members who are resident in the US, and in other countries too from time to time. Learning about each others breeds, KC rules and methods, is a valuable two way resource, don't you think?

One question that may be worth considering is why a country would ban the procedure unless it was thought unnecessarily painful and with the added risk of surgery for something just to please the eye of the owner.

Technically floppy ears are not natural.

Hi there I had my boy cropped and never once regretted it. When he came home he was a happy normal Doberman puppy and was non the wiser. He has a nice long show crop. I can speak from experience they don't notice and aren't in pain aside from minor itching. The after care is simple the only real thing you have to keep up on is the posting process. Don't let anyone tell you it's cruel especially when parents of their children circumcise their baby boys. They have absolutely no idea it's been done. If spaying and neutering is acceptable and far more extensive they why is that ok ? Dogs naturally come with those parts and get them cut off or taken out. I love the cropped and docked look and will always have my dobes cropped and docked. It restore the ear to it ACTUAL NATURAL state and prevents ear infections. My golden had chronic ear infections and it's nice not to have to deal with it.

animal rights activist who don't know what they are talking about.

Here's my boy.

There are always pro's and con's, a lot of them have to do with the breed.
Personally don't but know many that do.

Research it and do what your comfortable with.

Not really since a cropped ear can be very expressionate. My boys ears perk, airplane, go backwards adorably when he's happy to see me. They also go back when he runs. Since his crop is long the bounce around in the cutest way. You can't say someone like I is missing out when you don't know or have owned a cropped dog. His ears are part of his personality. And if you aren't into cosmetic surgery what about plastic surgery? What about make up ? What about McDonalds? What about circumcisions? What about spats and nesters? All are not natural. Show me a wild canine with floppy ears. You can't.

Silas, it's not specifically only a cosmetic surgery. Ear cropping is virtually painless, so much so that most dogs do not come home with pain medication as far as I'm aware. When you spay or neuter, the animal is often on pain meds for a week or more. Why exactly is that ok as an unnecessary procedure when docking or cropping is not? Cropping is not only appealing to the eye but also prevents eat infections. I have owned both cropped and uncropped dobermans and though it's "easier" in the beginning to deal with uncropped (not having to post), believe me ear infections that can arise from uncropped ears is much worse! The dogs attitude or personality is in no way compromised upon ear cropping.