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A brief overview of Cropping and Posting
Let us talk about cropping for those that are not familiar with the procedure.
Doberman pups are usually cropped around 7-weeks. A vet that has experience with the cropping procedure handles this alteration as if it is a typical surgery. Yes, it is a cosmetic procedure (not invasive) and once pups are fully awake, they are playful and if they feel any pain you can give pain medications provided by your vet. They are usually put up on cups or foam for 10 days while the ears heal. The Doberman puppy pictured here shows what this can look like.
After 10 days, stitches come out and ears are put on posts to train ears on how to stand properly. The longer style of the crop, the longer amount of time will be needed to post, sometimes up to one year of age. Your time and effort to have the ears to stand correctly is a significant time and financial commitment so either do not crop or get a shorter crop if you are not sure about the effort and time a longer crop will require for it to look awesome. Talk the options over with your professional breeder.
FYI- A professional breeder will have the crop done for you by a vet they trust. Some breeders will allow uncropped dogs to be purchased but if you want a crop, they should be all over getting it done before they give you your new family member between 8-12 weeks. When the breeder gets the crop done before you pick up your new family member it gets a head start on having the posting done by a pro.
The posts generally don’t bother the dogs, if done properly. This is also a great bonding and training time with your Doberman puppy.
Again, your breeder can help with this learning curve or find the two best Facebook groups for crop care. Cropped and Docked Doberman Fanciers or Doberman Ear Taping And Posting.
The first picture above shows what the first 10-day crop set up looks like. The photo to the right of this text shows the Multistage process. The multi-stage picture is provided by Bruda Dawns Dozer
