[JennaM0529]

Hi! I have a 7 month old German shepherd/ Labrador mix and his ears have been odd for a few months. They’ve almost always stood up when he’s excited or playing or if he sleeps with one ear straight it’ll be up for a little when he wakes up. Basically if his ears go up he’ll hold them up for a while. But any other time they’re floppy. ( I will attach pictures ). Lately they’ve been hardening a little so they’re getting stuck either up or straight out and he shakes his head to make them floppy again.

Can anyone tell me if his ears will ever go up or if I should tape them up or something? Thanks!

 

[Deacon.dog]

if you want to tape them, you can.

Looks like they will probably flop, considering how old he is. 10wks seems the oldest they usually start standing.

even my dog, who has floppy ears, will get his ears stuck in a upright position.

 

[LeoRose]

You can try posting or taping them. I know that using mole foam is common with GSD puppies who's ears are taking a while to stand. If you do it, you need to be diligent, though. Put them up and leave them up for at least a month, only taking them down long enough to clean, dry, and redo the posting every few days. Any time they are allowed to drop, it's that much harder to get them to stand.

However, in a cross between breeds with completely different ear styles, you might never get the one you want.

 

[DaySleepers]

German Shepherds don't have the strongest or thickest ear leather to begin with, compared to other prick-eared dogs, and they have very large ears to boot. Add in lab, and it's very likely that the pattern you're seeing means his ears will never fully stand on their own. You can try taping - I have no experience with that so I'll defer to other forum members on that one - but I'd be prepared to accept that they could go either way, even with diligent taping and/or posting.

 

[BKaymuttleycrew]

Even purebred dogs' ears can get a little 'wonky' during teething, going up & down before settling. You have a mixed breed, so there is no rhyme or reason as to what his ears are going to do. In my opinion, you should embrace the unique & enjoy whatever they do & however they turn out. Don't fight what they're naturally going to do with taping/posting/etc...
Enjoy your mutt puppy for the one of a kind individual he is.

 

[Deacon.dog]

or do whatever you want bc its YOUR dog and posting/taping is harmless

 

[3GSD4IPO]

Probably not going to stand up even with taping. The Lab influence is there. By 7 months the ears would be up, even if they dropped a bit during teething at 6 months.

Photos here of my full German Shepherd dog at 9 weeks and then at 14 weeks with what I think is a normal progression for ears and then at 2 years old.