Last Updated on January 22, 2022 by Griselda M.
French Bulldogs aren’t the only dogs with their ears pointing up, causing owners to wonder when do a French Bulldog’s ears go up. This, among many other characteristics, is another lovable thing about these pups. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at the shape and the behavior of French Bulldog’s ears!
When Do French Bulldog Ears Stand Up?
Similar to other breeds, the German Shepherd, for example – their ears don’t go up as soon as they’re born. Instead, it will likely take months for their ears to go up completely. Sometimes it can take as little as a month or as much as four months before their ears go up and stay up!
It’s also possible for one ear to go up at a time. This isn’t at all odd and it’s a completely natural part of their growing process! It’s normal for the ears of a French Bulldog to stay down for a long time before they spike up and stay up.
There are cases of the ears of a French Bulldog never going up – this isn’t a problem in any way and you shouldn’t worry about their health. A general rule of thumb is that their ears start standing up when they’re done with teething. Teething usually lasts for about eight weeks.
If you’re wondering what does teething has to do with ears, you’ll be surprised to learn that it’s actually connected! Teething is one of the most important objectives of your dog’s body in its early life! Because of this, it’s using most of its calcium to grow teeth. Only after growing the teeth can the body start focusing on other, less important body parts. One of those parts is the ears!
During this time, your puppy’s ears will go up one or both at the same time, but they likely won’t stay up for long. Once teething ends, though, the body will start to work on the ears more!
During this early stage of the dog’s life, many owners think that adding a lot of calcium to the food will help the dog with their ears. This is completely false. Adding a lot of yogurt or milk to your dog’s diet won’t help them develop standing ears quicker! Moreover, tinkering with a dog’s diet isn’t that good of an idea!
Helping Your French Bulldog With Its Ears
It’s possible that your puppy needs a little bit of help with its ears. There are many owners who do this by taping. This process is usually harmless and isn’t painful, but it’d be best if you spoke to your vet before you went through with it!
When owners use tape to keep their dog’s ears up, they usually wrap some masking tape around the base of the ear after pulling it up. The tape will ensure that the ears stay like that. Then, they connect those two tapes with another part of the tape, fashioning a bridge. Leaving that on for a few days will usually result in your puppy developing ears that stand up!
Some owners have to do this twice or even three times as their dogs don’t develop standing ears immediately! If your dog’s ears don’t stand up after that, though, it would perhaps be best to leave them alone. Let nature take its course!
If your French Bulldog’s ears are down and you seemingly can’t do anything about it – that’s not a bad thing. This won’t cause any problems with their health and you certainly shouldn’t make a big deal out of it.
The American Kennel Club defines the French Bulldog ear as the “bat ear”. By definition, they should be “broad at the base, elongated, with round top, set high on the head but not too close together, and carried erect with the orifice to the front.” This only means that your French Bulldog won’t be able to compete in dog competitions, but it doesn’t carry any bad meaning regarding their health.
There are a few health problems that can happen to a Bulldog with both standing ears and floppy ears!
French Bulldog Ears And Health Concerns
One of the most common problems with their ears is ear infections. This has nothing to do with their ears standing up or being floppy! Their ear canals are narrow by nature, which makes them susceptible to ear infections.
Ear infections aren’t that easy to spot – they’ll usually manifest through redness, a build-up of wax, and your pup might become prone to excessive scratching. If you notice these symptoms, you should definitely take your dog to the vet. Luckily, you can easily prevent this by properly cleaning your dog’s ears.
It’s best to do this with an ear cleaner – you can usually find it in a pet shop. Apply it on some cotton and rub it on your dog’s ear. Afterward, just dry your pup’s ears with a piece of dry cloth!
Another possible health concern regarding your pup’s ears is sunburns! French Bulldogs are susceptible to ear sunburns because of their thickness. Their ears are very thing, so they burn very easily. However, you can prevent this by buying dog-safe sunscreen and keeping them out of the sun when it’s really hot outside.
It’s also possible for your dog to develop deafness or to be born deaf. Unfortunately, there’s usually very little you can do about this. This is usually determined by the genetics of the dog.
To Sum Up
If you see your French Bulldog ears down, there isn’t a reason to worry. This is completely natural, especially if they’re young. It’s also possible that they’ll never develop standing ears, but this isn’t that likely.
You could try to help your dog with its ears by taping them, but make sure to consult a vet and more experienced owners before you do this. If your Frenchie’s ears do stay down for their whole life, know that that won’t affect their health in any way! The only difference it makes is in dog shows!
Read more about How Much Do English Bulldogs Drool?
