Ear Cropping in Giant Schnauzer Puppy

Part 1. controversial topic warning Did you know that floppy ears do not occur in the wild (besides in Elephants)? Darwin saw this odd trait in many domesticated species and wrote about it in chapter 1 within his origin of species. He mentions that domesticated mammals possess a distinctive and unusual suite of heritable traits not seen in their wild progenitors — "cats in China, horses in parts of Russia, sheep in Italy and elsewhere, the guinea-pig in Germany, goats and cattle in India, rabbits, pigs and dogs in all long-civilized countries." This was caused by selective breeding which caused a malformation in ear cartilage. Because the development of neural crest cells (in embryos) is degraded in domesticated animals, these cells don't have the chance to spread uniformly throughout the body... Cartilage, too, is derived from neural crest cells, which is why domesticated animals tend to have floppy ears. This has been labeled a “domestication syndrome”, in genetics studies and by Darwin (Adam S. Wilkins, Richard W. Wrangham and W. Tecumseh Fitch.) Another study by Russian fur farmer turned geneticist Dmitry Belyaev showed the captive breeding of foxes for “niceness” to be a pet. Each generation of foxes, he bred from animals that showed the least aggression towards their captors. Although selected only for their temperament, the later generations of foxes also had shorter faces, smaller teeth, soft and droopy ears, curly tails and altered colour. The embryology that goes into this topic is extremely interesting. An animal hoping to hear well isn't going to benefit from having the ear flopped down alongside its face. This has been modified again in working breeds like the Giant Schnauzers. They were originally cropped by farmers to assist them in their guard role and their role of being ratters. (We specifically sought out the perfect farm dog js) I tried to make this video educational and positive and of course keeping it real with showing you the reality of animal care. This video I talk about the process of ear cropping in our giant schnauzer puppy. This one might bring the mob to my door 🥵 but I  hope this video helps someone who is curious or on the fence about this procedure. I would never tell someone it’s a quick, easy, or nice process but I hope that this Helps share information that is educational and helpful to make it safer and more professional. This is the reality of your cropping especially in the beginning process. Luckily the procedure in our puppy was done very professionally and there have been no issues, but there has been terrible stories that come from bad jobs  and improper care. This is a very dedicated process that will take months and it does change the typical puppy experience for you. Ear cropping should be done by the most experienced and talented veterinary surgeons out there. Your vet should be working with you every step of the way when it comes to ear cropping your puppy. A YouTube video should never substitute veterinary mentorship and advice. I hope this helps any pet owners who have A working dog like a giant schnauzer or similar breeds with this breed standard. You can follow Vader‘s life at @ instagram.com/giantschnauzervader