Erect and Floppy Ears: An Obvious Key Sign That Says a Lot About a Dog (11 Photos)

Why do some dogs have ears that are upright, while others have floppy ears? What does this depend on, how does it affect a dog's hearing? In cats, lop-eared breeds were specially bred, but in dogs, the division happened on its own, how is that possible?





Floppy ears are not just a fad of selection. They are one of the official signs of a pet!



Which ones do you choose?

Grandfather Darwin called drooping ears a consequence of the "domestication syndrome." They say that under human care, animals feel safe, become calmer and stop listening to all sorts of rustling sounds, and their ears fall down. As scientists have found out, there is some truth in these judgments.





When a bear really stepped on his ear.

At one time, wolves became domestic animals only because some individuals had features of the endocrine system. As a result, their bodies produced slightly fewer stress hormones. These same features affect the formation of the embryo and cause such deviations from the wolf "standard" as white spots in the color and hanging ears. Further selection of dogs led to the current diversity of breeds and, accordingly, dog ear shapes.



By the way, long ears actually help dogs that search for prey by smell! They hold scents near the nose, making the dog smell better.

But why then do most hounds, greyhounds and spaniels, which were actually bred for hunting for centuries, also have floppy ears? Don't they need sensitive hearing to track down prey? A reasonable question, but it's not that simple. Joint hunting for an animal or bird implies a good connection between a person and his dog.



We tried to remember which hunting breeds have erect ears. And we couldn't remember anyone! Maybe you know such breeds? Write in the comments!

In addition, they often go hunting in large groups. It is completely unacceptable for mutts to fight among themselves or bite strangers. Therefore, throughout the entire period of selection, people have selected the kindest and most obedient dogs as hunting assistants. And kindness, as we know, is due to a low level of adrenaline and, accordingly, hanging ears. And no, this shape of the ears does not interfere with the work of mutts at all, because hearing is not the main landmark of a hunting dog. Most often they rely on their sense of smell.



Earrings that any hunting dog has to wear in winter.

And what about large guard dogs like molossers. Like, for example, the Boerboel, Ca de Bo, Cane Corso and others? Don't they need good hearing, a vicious disposition and erect ears when on guard duty? This question is even more interesting, since it touches on several eared problems at once. Yes, large guard dogs need sensitive hearing, they cannot rely only on sight and smell, like hunters. And yes, the most distrustful mutts are usually selected for guard duty, there must be a lot of adrenaline. But here the selection itself plays a cruel joke.



— But I read in the Book of Animals that dogs with hanging ears are kind! — You didn’t read to the end!

Remember what the dogs of the above breeds look like? As a rule, they are large-boned, with thick paws and a barrel chest, they have a lot of loose skin, there are folds. This is all the costs of selection for size. Simply put, if you want to double the size of a shepherd, it will also look like a mastiff, it will have wide strong bones to support its own weight. But the ears will inevitably fall. Since the ears will also increase in proportion to the rest of the dog, become more massive and heavier, they simply will not be able to stand up straight. This is approximately what happened with molossers - the size and typical appearance affected the cartilage of the ear, which became heavy, and now the ears hang down all the time.



Such a giant will not only lay down the ears. But also anyone!

For a working dog, such a position of the ears is traumatic. During a fight with a violator of boundaries, be it another dog, a wild animal or a person, ears dangling on the sides of the head are a very easy target. In addition, the ears of animals are penetrated by many small vessels and nerve endings. If in a fight the opponent injures the dog's ear, it will be very unpleasant, painful, the guard may surrender.



An eye for an eye. An ear for an ear. Put your head out there!

That is why people started to practice the procedure of ear cropping in guard and service dogs. Some breeds have their ears cropped in early puppyhood, such as Alabai and Caucasian Shepherds. Others have it done at the age of 2-5 months. Service breeds have their ears taped up after healing and secured in a so-called "crown" so that they stand up straight - think Dobermans, Schnauzers and Boxers.



A crown for dogs does not look like an ornament. More like plaster.

And what about cats? Cats are not, in fact, fully domesticated animals, because they walk on their own. They were not selected based on the principle of friendliness, and therefore there was no serious hormonal restructuring.



And the ears of the famous Scottish Fold cat turned out like that as a result of a natural mutation that people decided to fix. Moreover, this mutation has a negative effect on all cartilage and bones in the body.