As there seems to be an increase of imports with cropped ears coming into UK I just want highlight the probability of grass, wheat oats & numerous other seeds & pollen getting deep into the ear during the seed/pollen months, if those sort of places are folks exercise areas. >Personally< if it's a 15 week old pup or very young I would leave them to droop over, seeds or what nots getting into the inner ear should be seen as is a very serious problem.
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There are sadly a lot of pups being illegally cropped right here in the UK at the moment. Certain breeds, very short crops. Beats me how they get away with it.

Actualy, the seed hazard might well be worth  mentioning 'casually' to any owner you see with one as they might no think about till their  dog gets caught out.

Are cropped dogs more at risk from seeds than breeds with naturally erect ears? I wouldn't have thought so.

To clarify... I don't agree with cropping, I think it's cruel AND looks hideous... but I wouldn't think seeds would be any more of a worry than they are to any owner. My own breed have either erect or rose ears and I check their ears after running in long grass and as part of their regular grooming routine, I've never had a problem.

Are cropped dogs more at risk from seeds than breeds with naturally erect ears?

I think it depends 'to some extent' on what natural protection in the form of hair growing around & on the inside of some dogs ears, your photos on your web site are to far away to show much detail of inside the ears but it looks like there is some protection in the way of hair, can you do a closer shot of the ears specific? The shots below show Dobes without any protection against foreign body penetration, can you do one of yours to compare? It also depends on their exercise environment in relevant months & the height of the dogs.
See photos 3 & 4
http://bit.ly/2H5n5fB

Well these series of photos show Windhounds ears lay down as do most dogs, nothing like cropped ears standing which I am talking about regards seeds etc getting into them

http://bit.ly/2nWGDtO
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Wolfhounds don't have pricked ears. Though most of those pics are of Borzoi?

My breed (Norwegian Elkhound) do, and ear trouble of any kind is highly unusual.

Plenty of pics on my website (link in my profile), for comparison.  Very natural/primitive ear conformation/carriage.

Plenty of pics on my website (link in my profile), for comparison

Ahh yes, I've seen 1 or 2 on a rare occasion, there's also huskys & a few breeds as well, >but< I am talking about cropped ears (on Euro bred dobes specificly) 'in an exercise context'. Its the summer months in the areas which have been my exercise areas for decades, they run through corn & wheat fields often after rabbits but there's also different grasses all over the place & cropped ears on Dobes & have no protection such as hair barriers, they are just like empty jugs (for want of better description) waiting to be filled, have another look at those photos I linked, those ears are very vulnerable to intrusive foreign bodies when exercising in locations like my spring summer places.

It's possible for dogs with all earflap types to get grass seeds inside their ears, as my very first golden did twenty years ago. Surely it makes sense for all dog owners to be aware?

my very first golden did twenty years ago

I read somewhere it's sheer nightmare for the dog & extreamly difficult to get them out, can write more on your experience & your dogs exprience of it, I think it's a much overlooked potential problem yet it's an everyday risk for some.

> I think it depends 'to some extent' on what natural protection in the form of hair growing around & on the inside of some dogs ears,
There are smooth coated breeds with naturally picked ears, I've not heard of them having an increased risk of grass seeds in their ears than other breeds. Surely the hair around and inside will be the same for them as alot of the breeds where cropping is done?

She was very uncomfortable and wouldn't leave the ear alone. The vet tried ear drops thinking it was an infection, it didn't help, eventually she had a general anaesthetic and a huge hairy grass seed was discovered and removed. There were no issues after that, but whilst it was present the poor girl was very agitated. She picked it up whilst running through long grass, something lots of dogs do and it just shows that even dogs with longer hairy ears can be susceptible.

I have dogs with all types of ear carriage & none have ever had a problem.

I cannot think there are vets in the UK who would break the law & crop a dogs ears, a disgusting practice that has been illegal since 1899.

Most of the cropped ears in the UK are done by the breeders themselves. It's become so common in just the past year or two.

Most of the cropped ears in the UK are done by the breeders themselves

As far as dobes go, there is, or seems to be, quite an influx of east euro dogs where cropping is normal for the breed, they were not a popular breed at all 5 or 6, 10 years ago in UK, so I don't know if the east euro dogs are becoming favored again, what I do know for sure about those dogs, they are not, by any means, the laid back 'fireside' type dobes which emerged through late 60's 70's & into 80's, many of them have 'pronounced' working traits & tendancies.

> Though most of those pics are of Borzoi?

Ha they're fooling you Barbara, they are silkens   The only zois on that link are the photo of the lemon/gold and white borzoi standing with the similarly coloured silken for size comparison and one borzoi head shot, and a saluki head shot - the rest are silkens

LOL, didn't look closely, only enough to see they are not Wolfhounds.

Still illegal even worse if not a vet

> so I don't know if the east euro dogs are becoming favored again,

They certainly seem to be, and I wonder if it's at least in part for health reasons as our english dobes are just a train wreck now.  DCM is such a massive problem as is the absence of health testing here by the vast, vast majority of breeders (well, greeders) that I wonder if people are going overseas for that reason.

Possibly for that extra drive too, as the euro dobes still have that where ours have lost a lot of it.

Nikita
They certainly seem to be, and I wonder if it's at least in part for health reasons as our english dobes are just a train wreck now. 

Euro
Head on at best.

Nikita
DCM is such a massive problem as is the absence of health testing here by the vast, vast majority of breeders (well, greeders) that I wonder if people are going overseas for that reason.

Euro.......The increase in DCM has been a total devastation of the breed, I'm not sure/have no opinion, if the current imports situation will improve that, I say that 'cause of the few scattered individuals I've met recently they have almost no knowledge of whats gone on with Dobes in the past &, from what I have seen, no interest in it, their interest is the here & now & what themselves are doing, neither do they have interest in registering with KC, their affinities are with their European conacts & I for one am very glad to see it, although........I think it's come to late

Nikita
Possibly for that extra drive too, as the euro dobes still have that where ours have lost a lot of it.

The drive is a part of the whole delete the drive from the genetic code (which here they did long, long ago) & you've created mutation.......a dog should be genetically  equipped  to live it's dream.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ECIwK14vQw
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> I think it's come to late

Sadly, I have to agree.  Too many of the breed being hit with it now, and too many breeders not giving a toss (if they've even heard of DCM).  I will continue to own them as I could never not, but it with full knowledge that I will lose a good chunk of my future dogs to it.  Although if I manage to save up the purchase price, I do plan on a pup from a breeder who is bending over backwards to breed sound, healthy dogs free from it.  They are passionate about it and really goes all out, even breeding one litter solely for longevity through ancestry (with all conceivable health tests done as with every litter).

Too many of the breed being hit with it now, and too many breeders not giving a toss

Even if they did care, so far, no one at any veterinary university, after years of research, (Hanover, Vienna) has discovered a genetic key to avoid it. However, there is one breeder, of the von Bayern line, who so far has not had one established case from his litters, he has been breeding for longevity for many years & was one those who initiated the mandatory German ZTP, (German fit for breeding test & license) along with Otmar Vogel & others of that enlightened/enlightening era), you might want to read the section on longevity on his site, he is probably the most knowledgeable Dobe person in the world today (excluding knowledge of traditional UK show dogs), scroll down his web page, he's German but they moved to Croatia around 2002 .

https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.mlerner.de/&prev=search

Nikita.....
Here is a link to current litter of vom Gerdautal, Christine Schuman, both dogs have been tested for signs of it & free of any signs of it >at time of test< maybe tomorrow one or neither might manifest signs of it, DCM, Immediatly below dogs name is their ZTP result (fit for breeding test) & other health tests , amongst them are the DCM test results at the time of testing, click the Welpen-Puppies tab.
http://bit.ly/2o1CHrL