Ears Up!

/ J. F. Riordan

There’s a moment in the life of every German Shepherd puppy when, somewhere around five to eight months old, their ears are permanently up. Until then, they have adorable floppy ears, and for weeks, as they grow, there’s a one-day-up/next-day-down process which is both fun and suspenseful. For some individual dogs, the ears never fully stand. I don’t know if it’s genetics, nutrition, or a lack of ambition. Some owners obsess about whether their dog’s ears will stand straight, but it doesn’t matter to the dog, and it shouldn’t matter to anyone who loves him.

Auggie, two days short of eight weeks old.

German Shepherd ears are not merely for hearing. They are deeply sensitive instruments of expression and state of mind. If he is showing pride, joy, or dominance, his ears are straight up on the top of his head, slightly rotating to take in data like a space radio telescope. If he is running fast, or swimming, his ears lay flat for aerodynamic advantage. If he is submissive or doubtful, the ears slide down the back of the head. The ears slide back and flatten completely in extreme situations, particularly if he is demonstrating love. A mama GSD will flatten her ears when her puppies approach, perhaps to show she is receptive to their feeding. We call these “love ears,” and we see this daily with our own guys when they want a scratch or a kiss. A fearful German Shepherd will also flatten his ears, and, like any dog, his tail will drop.

Moses, who was the only musical member of my pack, also laid his ears back and stomped his front feet while singing. He loved to sing.

In my experience, no German Shepherd likes his ears touched. Unless you have a deep personal relationship with him, don’t even try. If you belong to a German Shepherd, he may enjoy being touched on his ears, but only when they are flat, or, with my dogs, if they know you are protecting them from a biting insect. German Shepherds will do almost anything to please those they love. But, unless there is life-threatening cold, do not ask them to wear a hat, a hood, or a costume that covers their ears. They will mope and become so depressed you will want to rip your heart right out.

Auggie is a particularly energetic and proud German Shepherd, and has always kept his ears ramrod straight unless in situations as noted above, but also when he plays his favorite charging game. Then, he will wait for my signal to speed toward me at top speed, ears sharply flattened. When he reaches me, growling in mock fury, his eyes sparkle and his ears pop up, straight and tall.

But when he came home from his nearly month-long stay at the veterinary hospital this fall, something had changed. He was cheerful, energetic, and delighted to be home. We had to drug him to keep him from running, and refuse to play his favorite games. “Not now, baby” is a phrase he understands, and he was hearing it an awful lot.

But he was not his usual self in two key respects: his left ear sagged slightly down the side of his head, and his lip on the same side had a droopy spot that caused him to drool continually. I spoke with the vet. Could he have had a minor stroke? Nerve damage? Was his lip just stretched out from having a breathing tube for so long? He didn’t know; it was possible. I felt sad, and slightly confounded by Auggie’s newfound capacity to spread NASA-grade sticky saliva on walls and ceiling (seriously), but I was so grateful that he was alive and home and doing well, that I didn’t care too much. Still, it nagged at me: a signal that he would never be the same.

He’s been home for more than two months now, and he continues to thrive. He is always hungry, and has consequently gained nine pounds. He is still slim, so that’s okay. It’s good, even, because it means he is thriving. Come spring I imagine—unlike me—the weight will fall away. But the ear and lip continued to droop. Until this week. I noticed first that I wasn’t constantly needing to wipe his lip with a paper towel. Then, my husband noticed his ears—perfectly straight and perfectly normal, even when playing Charge.

Had he been he depressed? Was it the crazy regimen of nine different drugs? Had his body been using the calcium to restore something more important, just as when GSD puppy ears flop while they’re teething? I will probably never know.

But Auggie’s back to his old self, and that’s all that matters.

Some Apposite Dog Photos

Auggie’s three month ears.
Pete, Moses, and four-month-old Auggie.

Moses and four-month-old Auggie. Note that his ears are already full-size, even though the rest of him is not. This is the bunny rabbit stage.

Moses showing his love ears. You needn’t be fearful approaching a German Shepherd whose ears are low.

Moses uses his ears to express his displeasure at being doused with tomato paste (it works!) to mitigate his encounter with an unhappy skunk. He’d gotten sprayed full in the face, and bitten, too. Pete laughs in the background.

Moses and Auggie, February 2019. The only time I made them wear hoods was during a polar vortex. It was -25F, and I feared their ears would freeze. You can see their opinion of my decision. The photo made international news.

Auggie at five months. Shown here with his brothers, Moses, and Pete. Ears up!

37 thoughts on “Ears Up!”

  4. It’s good to hear that Auggie is better. Awesome pictures, I like them all especially the one where Charlie gives a large ferocious beast (Moses) a kiss on the nose! My big dobe ears were natural (not docked.) He would come over to me once or twice a week, want a big hug and then he’d put his head down and want his ears massaged. I was the only person that he’d want to massage his ears. 😊🐾

    Liked by 2 people

  5. What a wonderful piece this is! I remember GSD puppy ears from my childhood (the only breed my father would have)! Adorable! And the photos are marvelous, one made me LOL (yeah, the tomato paste look of both dogs), one made me cry (the dock). Most of all I so love and appreciate the depth of your knowledge of your beloved pack members! Lucky dogs! Lucky you!

    (PS I suspect the ears were the last bit of returning strength after his physical ordeal. I had surgery last year and it took MONTHS for stamina to return…bit by bit by bit.)

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Thank you for your wonderful writing and sharing great photos of these beautiful boys! I am so glad that Auggie continues to heal and that you’re all back together safe and sound and happy. ❤️💙

    Liked by 1 person

  11. I love this essay. Thank you for educating us about the ears of a German Shepherd. I knew none of this and it’s most interesting. And, the pictures are heartwarming, even the ketchup one. I guess like we humans, it takes a while to fully heal. And, even though I have never met Auggie, his illness touched me so deeply. I’m so happy and thankful Auggie is back to his old self.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Long time reader. I follow you on Twit.

    I did not know the ears part.

    We got our first GSD in June 2021. Unfortunately we were only able to keep “Greta”. We fostered out and were able to place her 2 pups in the same home. Great place! The boys new Mom is a Vet Tech at a place we’ve been going to for years. We were lucky she volunteered.

    It would be another year before we were able to get Greta mostly healthy. Heart worm, parasites, spay and gastrointestinal. It has been a slog. She still has gastro issues and has frequent relapses. Even with her daily supplements.

    But she fits right in with the rest of our family.

    Like

    • Yay for Greta–and for you!! It’s possible that Greta may also have a bit of what we call”princess tummy”. All our GSDs have had extremely sensitive digestions. It’s sometimes a challenge to figure out what needs treatment and what needs waiting out. Sending you my regards and Greta a kiss on the nose.

      Like

  15. Yay for the news about Augie! With a houseful of Berger Picards, we have a lot of upright ears. I always tell my puppy families that there will be a few weeks of crazy ears but Picard ears always go up and no, they never “grow into them”. Picards love having their crazy ears rubbed but maybe because they love to show them off. Cheers to Augie feeling better.

    Like

  17. Thank you for this wonderful posting.
    I can’t have a German due to allergies, but I love and admire them.
    I can experience what it might be like to share space with such an honorable spirit through you and your Boys.
    N

    Sent from my iPad

    Liked by 1 person

  18. I did not know this about GSD ears. You teach me new things all the time.

    We had Shetland Sheepdogs & their ears are supposed to flop over about halfway. Neither of mine did. One had ears standing straight up, the other they flopped over too much. Needless to say, they didn’t care & once I got over the first ones ears standing straight up, neither did I.They both had their own personalities & were very much loved. Just like your very loved GSDs. e

    Liked by 1 person

  19. What beautiful photos. They must bring back so many wonderful memories. (Pete!) Happy to hear that Auggie is in great shape. Dogs are indeed sentient beings.

    Received four J.F. Riordan books for Christmas and have chosen to start with the first two novels of the North of the Tension Line series.

    Wonderful way to spend these very cold winter days!

    Get Outlook for iOShttps://aka.ms/o0ukef ________________________________

    Like

  21. Your dogs’ ears are one of primary reasons my daughter switched from being a Cat Only sort of person to someone who definitely would like to have a dog someday (as long as it has adorable pointed ears like GSDs do.)

    They are quite the ambassadors, your boys!

    Liked by 1 person

  22. This is spectacular. You sure love your furry pals. You pay very close attention to their unique signals for human care. They know they are safe with you and Dad! Thanks for the photo memories!

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Being a crazy cat lady, I learned a lot about German dog ears today. So detailed and interesting! I loved the pictures! So glad Auggie is doing well. I love your writings and dogs!

    Liked by 1 person

  27. They may not like being touched on the ears, but if they even sort of like you, Germans (or at least the 2 long-gone ones my sister had) love being scritched right behind the ears.

    The ears on my sister’s German/lab mix don’t quite stand up; they sort of stick out a bit before drooping like a lab’s. When I was over for the Packer game Sunday, and he was laying his head on my leg while I was giving him a belly rub (one of several; he can be very insistent about that), they flopped up like a German’s.

    Good to hear Auggie’s back to normal.

    Liked by 1 person

  28. I am so glad to hear that he is back to his usual self.

    Just want you to know that I read all of your posts. Miss you on Twitter but glad to get you in my inbox every day!

    Like

  30. I so enjoy your dog posts. I still miss Pete! and his little personality – loved his little gray face. That little laugh at his brother is just too cute!

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.