Fears About Ears

Dear Dog Lady,

Last year I purchased a Wire-Haired Fox Terrier. I love her dearly and by the time she was eight months both of her ears were standing straight up. I recently bought another (from a different breeder) and it seems one of her ears is starting to stand up. They are such small dogs to have these ears standing up. Is there anything breeders do to keep them down or do I have no other choice but to let them stand? I still love them, ears up or down. I just wondered if there was something I should be doing.

Betty, Lake Minnetonka, MN

Betty, you're doing just fine. It took forever until Dog Lady’s darling’s ears stood at attention and I worried about it the whole time. Later, I realized my concern was so irrelevant compared to everything else involved in keeping a dog healthy and happy.

Don't fret about pointy ears or relaxed ears unless you plan to enter your wiry sweetheart in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Sounds as if your dogs are pets to you, not show ponies. Let the ears flop, or stand, or go sideways, as long as your dogs are otherwise sound. The ear issue doesn’t matter to them, so it shouldn’t matter to you.

Posted by Dog Lady at February 3, 2006 11:27 AM