Puppy Ears

7 Weeks



"When will my puppy's ears stand up?" Half the fun of having a GSD puppy is watching the ears stand, fall, tilt, stand, fall.... As illustrated by these pictures of Musket over the last 4 or so weeks.


Many times puppy owners will begin to panic as the ears do their up and down dances. When should a puppy owner start to worry?

8 Weeks

General things to look for are lift from the base (which Musket shows throughout in the following pictures). Also, if the ears are ever standing, even if they fall, they will almost certainly stand up again. As puppy molars start moving around, the muscles around the jaw and head are affected--which also affects the puppy's inclination to hold his or her ears up. So, seeing ears flop between 8-14 weeks is normal.







10 Weeks



But if the puppy's ears aren't mostly upright by 16 weeks, you should examine the degree of lift from the base and also the thickness of the cartilage in the ears. You might need to think about whether you want to assist the ears with taping. At the very least, encourage the puppy to "exercise" those jaw and head muscles by chewing on toys and knuckle bones--and make sure they have lots to watch and be interested in--give them a reason to hold those ears up.

10.5 Weeks

Adult Ears!

Musket at 12 months

At one year...

(Updated August 2011.)