I am of the "don't crop" camp...based on experience. This is a change for me.
When I had my first boxer, Annie, I just KNEW that it was very important to have the ears cropped. To me a boxer did not look like a boxer if the ears were down. Besides, even though she was white, Annie came from strong champion bloodlines..so she must be cropped for her "perfect show appearance." And yes, I had her ears cropped. They turned out good. We had the show cut, and after a few months, her ears stood good. The operation consisted of cutting the ears, and then followup taping. Initially she had to wear an e-collar (inverted cone so she couldn't get to the ears...she also had a tough time getting to anything!). Then tape was put on her ears, taken off daily, and reput on. Without it, the ears flopped miserably. Periodically blood came from the wounds, but it soon dried up. I felt no pain, so I assumed everything went well.
Annie died this past January. As part of my grieving process, I put all of the pictures of her into a photo album. When I looked at the pictures of her ear cropping and pictures of her with the e-collar on, the look on her face broke my heart. You see, at the end of her life, she also had an e-collar to prevent her from puling out the IV needle. Not only did I remember the pain from the end of her life, but I now saw that in the puppy pictures, she also had that same look of pain and discomfort. I then realized that ear cropping was only done for one reason...because I liked it. Annie didn't. It didn't mean she heard better. It meant nothing to her but pain. I switched from thinking "mandatory cropping" to "no cropping".
When I looked for the boxer I have now, I knew that I must like him or her as she was. Certain types looked better to me uncropped...all fawn with black face for one. No dog needed to go throgh cosmetic ear surgery for my personal likes. And so, the decision was made for me, because we got Emma at nine months old...not cropped and too old to have it done. I liked how she looked ...as she was. She is a brindle and white with a black mask. No change was necessary. She looks good, but most importantly, she has a sweet personality.
Now when I look at boxers, I prefer the non-cropped look. The "regal" look is now replaced by the natural look. The boxer appears more aerodynamic and powerful. The ears down calls greater attention to the trim elegant body shape of a boxer ...in my opinion. I have come to realize that we like a look because we expect a look. Ear cropping is slowly going out of style. I believe that in the next decade or two, the AKC will also not require it on show dogs.
Just my personal opinion.
:D A boxer does not have to be cropped to look like a boxer. I personally do crop my guys and like the look. However, it is a lot of work and can sometimes take 9-10 months of taping. Rarely, ears will never stand correctly, but most do if you have someone helping who knows what they are doing. My puppies will be playing within 4-6 hours after the surgery and usually have no problems.
