cropped or natural (Revised Poll)
- Thread starter doyle9732
- Start date
- Status
Kate Rowles
Boxer Buddy
Cropping is illegal in England and most of the European countries. the docking of tails also became illegal in 1993 but most breeders do find a sympathetic vet to do the job and a boxer complete with tail is a rare sight.
I must admit that I do like the natural look. The first time I saw pictures of boxers with their ears bandaged I thought they were wearing some sort of hat!
I must admit that I do like the natural look. The first time I saw pictures of boxers with their ears bandaged I thought they were wearing some sort of hat!
Bliltxgirl
Boxer Buddy
I haven't quite finished reading all the posts on this thread yet, but thought I'd toss my two cents in... Molly has natural ears and I love them! They are so soft and she loves to have them played with. It's one of the few things I have found that can calm her down pretty quickly. I guess it's kind of like someone brushing my hair. :D I've been around others who have chosen to crop, and while I do think they are gorgeous after it is all said and done, I feel so much for both the dog and the human while it is happening. I'm a la nautral all the way!
Jaime&Louie
Super Boxer
I kept Louie's ears natural. They're so soft, and I love pulling on them (soft, not hard).
I have read in several books that the AKC requires that you have them cropped to show your dog. But I'm not planning to show Louie, even though he is absolutely GORGEOUS.
I know that the history of the boxer tells that the reason the ears were originally cropped, is because they used to fight boar and bear's. Their floppy ears were a target for the animal to grab hold of and rip. Also, they used to use boxers for dog fights, and cropped them for the same reason.
But Louie is a lover, not a fighter......
I have read in several books that the AKC requires that you have them cropped to show your dog. But I'm not planning to show Louie, even though he is absolutely GORGEOUS.
I know that the history of the boxer tells that the reason the ears were originally cropped, is because they used to fight boar and bear's. Their floppy ears were a target for the animal to grab hold of and rip. Also, they used to use boxers for dog fights, and cropped them for the same reason.
But Louie is a lover, not a fighter......
Alex Carroll
Boxer Pal
cropped or natural
hi,
I live in Ireland where Boxers are very popular pets. The law here does not allow the cropping of ears so I have never seen a cropped specimen in the flesh allthough I have seen them in photographs and film of course.
To me my fellow looks just perfect as he is and I would never knowingly do anything to hurt him. But then, I am not an expert on the subject
Alex
hi,
I live in Ireland where Boxers are very popular pets. The law here does not allow the cropping of ears so I have never seen a cropped specimen in the flesh allthough I have seen them in photographs and film of course.
To me my fellow looks just perfect as he is and I would never knowingly do anything to hurt him. But then, I am not an expert on the subject
Alex
Emma'sMamma
Boxer Booster
Even though I think the cropped looks very distinguished on some boxers, I still have to go with the floppy! I love the way they flop all over and they just look so cute. :D
dbjr77
Boxer Buddy
According to the reasearch I have done and the experiences I have had as the son of a breeder who did crop the tails and ears I will offer this:
1. The tail of a boxer is very strong just like the rest of them. As boxers are typically very people oriented and more so child oriented they tend to get exited around people and children. When a dog gets exicited their tail wags. A boxer wags with their entire hind quarters and can very easily hurt a child unintentionally so I cropped the tail and will from now on unless my opinion is changed by some other information.
2. The dog regardless of breed has a different cooling system than a human. Humans sweat through the skin, dogs do not they sweat through the head( panting and such). However the ears have very large veins running through them to help in this process. The ear is typically a large flat area which would help in funneling off heat somewhat like a natural heatsink. When the surface area of the ear is cut down such as in cropping there is not as much cooling ability.
3. If you have the occaision to do it watch a cropped dog and an uncropped dog during a loud noise. The cropped dog will slink back from the noise as if it is uncomfortable to them. The uncropped dog will actually pull the earflap closer down as to protect the inner ear from the noise. I have personally witnessed this in different dogs and therefore 100% support the current trend to leave the ears as Mother Nature intended them to be.
I hope that as a caring organization for the betterment of all breeds of dogs the AKC will soon reconsider the rules concerning showing uncropped animals. Many countries have already adopted laws stopping this practice an I personally would like to see it happen in America.
As another little tidbit I wanted to add that one of my puppies littermates went under for the cropping operation and never woke up. She was going to be a therapy dog and based on the experiences I have had with my boy in the 18 months I have had him I think she would have done great. It was of course not the actually cropping that was to blame for her death but her loss was still painfull for her owners.
1. The tail of a boxer is very strong just like the rest of them. As boxers are typically very people oriented and more so child oriented they tend to get exited around people and children. When a dog gets exicited their tail wags. A boxer wags with their entire hind quarters and can very easily hurt a child unintentionally so I cropped the tail and will from now on unless my opinion is changed by some other information.
2. The dog regardless of breed has a different cooling system than a human. Humans sweat through the skin, dogs do not they sweat through the head( panting and such). However the ears have very large veins running through them to help in this process. The ear is typically a large flat area which would help in funneling off heat somewhat like a natural heatsink. When the surface area of the ear is cut down such as in cropping there is not as much cooling ability.
3. If you have the occaision to do it watch a cropped dog and an uncropped dog during a loud noise. The cropped dog will slink back from the noise as if it is uncomfortable to them. The uncropped dog will actually pull the earflap closer down as to protect the inner ear from the noise. I have personally witnessed this in different dogs and therefore 100% support the current trend to leave the ears as Mother Nature intended them to be.
I hope that as a caring organization for the betterment of all breeds of dogs the AKC will soon reconsider the rules concerning showing uncropped animals. Many countries have already adopted laws stopping this practice an I personally would like to see it happen in America.
As another little tidbit I wanted to add that one of my puppies littermates went under for the cropping operation and never woke up. She was going to be a therapy dog and based on the experiences I have had with my boy in the 18 months I have had him I think she would have done great. It was of course not the actually cropping that was to blame for her death but her loss was still painfull for her owners.
JulieM
Boxer Insane
Small nit-pick - tails are docked, ears are cropped. 
Well, sort of. It's not actually sweating, they only sweat through the pads of their feet. Panting removes hot air from the body, and the tongue can swell to 2x its normal size to give more surface area for evaporation.
Interesting theory. But what do wild dogs and wolves, with smaller erect ears (and thus, less surface area), do in the heat, then?
Another interesting theory, and one I'll be sure to be obeservant of in the future, among my own cropped/uncropped dogs as well as those breeds born with erect ears vs. dropped ears. The only time I really purposely observed a loud noise reaction was during training class with my uncropped girl - and she pricked her ears forward as if to say, "WHAT do you think you are doing making all that noise?" The instructor got quite a kick out of it! :D
LOL - well, if you choose not to crop that is perfectly fine with me, but remember that Mother Nature intended the ears to be erect - dropped/floppy ears are a human invention!
Well, sort of. It's not actually sweating, they only sweat through the pads of their feet. Panting removes hot air from the body, and the tongue can swell to 2x its normal size to give more surface area for evaporation.
Interesting theory. But what do wild dogs and wolves, with smaller erect ears (and thus, less surface area), do in the heat, then?
Another interesting theory, and one I'll be sure to be obeservant of in the future, among my own cropped/uncropped dogs as well as those breeds born with erect ears vs. dropped ears. The only time I really purposely observed a loud noise reaction was during training class with my uncropped girl - and she pricked her ears forward as if to say, "WHAT do you think you are doing making all that noise?" The instructor got quite a kick out of it! :D
LOL - well, if you choose not to crop that is perfectly fine with me, but remember that Mother Nature intended the ears to be erect - dropped/floppy ears are a human invention!
Tico, my first boxer, had cropped ears and they were gorgeous. He had the surgery and six weeks of bandages and those ears were erect from then on.
My Elmo has beautiful natural ears. They are really long. I mean they are REALLY REALLY long. You could check out his pics in my gallery. It would have been a shame to crop his ears. They are his best asset. And so soft too.
Tyra has flying nun ears. When we first rescued her we thought they were the result of a bad crop job. But the Yoda effect just adds to her goofiness.
I guess I am not fussy about ears. Had them all, loved them all.:D But I do have a thing for muzzles.
My Elmo has beautiful natural ears. They are really long. I mean they are REALLY REALLY long. You could check out his pics in my gallery. It would have been a shame to crop his ears. They are his best asset. And so soft too.
Tyra has flying nun ears. When we first rescued her we thought they were the result of a bad crop job. But the Yoda effect just adds to her goofiness.
I guess I am not fussy about ears. Had them all, loved them all.:D But I do have a thing for muzzles.
- Status