Question about cropping a working dogs ears

[theresa]

I thought I heard it all, so please let me know if this is true or bunk!

On an unrelated board a doberman person stated that she cropped her working dobes ears only because if they were not cropped, because the natural ear is so large you could wrap it around your hand, that a person could grab the dogs ears to essentially over power or control the dog and - being the ear is so long - the dog would be unable to bite the person. She claimed this was from first hand working knowlege and not just heresay. Thus the ears must be docked in a working doberman.

I cannot imagine a working 'dale being at a disadvantage because its ears are not cropped and thus a person could grab the ear in such a way the dog would be powerless.

Working dog people, is this bunk or real?

Thanks...

[rickyjames]

my experience in martial arts and dog training, as limited as it is, yes it is possible.........doberman ears are quite long, almost hound like. doberman ears are mostly longer than an airedales ears or even a boxers ears. anything could be used against a dog that was attacking you. natural things like ears, eyes, fish hook the mouth, jam the throat, etc. some attack dogs may have a choke collar, pinch collar or heavy leather of nylon collar, rock, curb stone, stick, club, knife, gun. bad guys or good guys can and will use any means to defend themselves. protection dogs are a good line of defense but not infailable, every year military, police, and civilain protection dogs die in the line of duty. they use protection dogs for 2 reason, to protect and they are more expendable than people. so if the question was can their ears be used against them, sure but so could a dozen other things. if the question was should i crop my dobies ears because of this, the answer is do what you like but there are still a dozen other things that can be used against an attacking dog. cropping ears does not solve all problems.

[theresa]

Thank you for this very detailed answer - you clearly know your stuff!!

[doylecpd]

Ricky,

I agree, there are a lot of other ways to stop a dog than to grab his ears. That being said I too have a martial arts background and when I'm wresting around with my dog Bowen (one of Don's dogs) I sometimes go after his ears. Sometimes I can get to them and sometimes not but the thing I have going for me is that he never bites me. With those teeth I cannot even imagine if he wanted to bite because I'd be letting go real quick.

Again, it goes back to the kind of bite a dog will lay on an attacker and how fast he moves his head around moreso than snipping his ears. The bottom line is that if someone wants to really protect themselves a dog is only a tool in that quest and not a one stop solution.

[rickyjames]

i play with my dog too. he will grab my arm or hand and mouth it. he doesn't hurt me, although he could. offering a dog your arm to chew on like you see on tv or during protection training is usually a bad idea and should only be a last resort.

play is play, it has nothing to do with survival. there are some pretty tough dogs out there that can inflict alot of pain and damage. one of the first things i learned in the martial arts is you are probably going to get hit and you are probably going to get hurt. that is not when the fight ends, it is actually when the fight begins. i never said you would survive a dog attack unscathed. i said there were alot of options available to you if a dog attacks, if you keep your head, and if you use your head.

again the original question was about a dobermans ears which are longer than an airedales, boxers or rottie. if you have studied martial arts then you know about situational awareness. the ears of a closely cropped pit bull would not be a good target while the long ears of a blood hound might be.

[doylecpd]

"i said there were alot of options available to you if a dog attacks, if you keep your head, and if you use your head."

Ain't that the truth. Its amazing though how many people cannot keep their head and relax during an altercation and even more so if that involves a dog.

To be honest, I would skip the ears and go for the eyes and throat but then again some dogs have some pretty thick necks.

[theresa]

Mar 16, 2012 1:36:57 GMT -5 doylecpd said:

"To be honest, I would skip the ears and go for the eyes and throat but then again some dogs have some pretty thick necks.

My thoughts exactly. The argument for cropping as presented just didn't hold water.