My GSD puppy's ear is floppy. Will biting damage her cartilage?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It takes time for the cartilage in the ear to strengthen and stand up permanently. I wouldn’t be concerned at this time about his ears as he is still young and growing. It is also normal for his baby teeth to fall out- and all should have fallen out by 6 months. It sounds like Noble is right on track! Kisses to Noble!

Unfortunately there isn't anything you can do to make her ears go up, and stay up. Some GSDs have erect ears, and others don't. To me, it seems that her nervous system and muscles are working fine if the ears go up when she hears something, so I wouldn't worry about this, and would just embrace it as part of who she is.

The ears will not have developed completely before the age of approximately 18 months. Until then they will stand up and flop many times. At the age of 2 months ears of a German Shepherd dog naturally flop, ie do not stand up. Your dog is normal and his ears should start to stand up in a few months.

Typically, if a GSD's ears have not stood up by 6-8 months it is likely that they will not stand up at all. There are however, some taping methods that can assist the ears to stand up. You should talk to your veterinarian before taping the ears because it may make your puppies prone to developing ear infections. The amount of cartilage in a puppy's ears is determined at birth. Oral or injectable supplements will not affect the amount of cartilage in the ears.

I am sorry to hear about your concern for your puppy! Unfortunately in many dogs we can have changes in the carraige of the ears as they grow/mature. In some breeds, such as german shepherds, the ears will be taped by a vet or experienced dog breeder in an attempt to get them to stand in a certain manner, but this is not a gaurantee of the altering of the ear carraige. If you are not planning on showing your dog, I would accept her for ear sweet self and learn to love her funny ears (and they may continue to change as she grows). I myself have a lab mix with ears that do not match in their carriage. It gives them character!

The ears can stand anytime between 2 and 6 months. Rough play will likely cause no harm, but if you are concerned then separate them if play gets too rough. You can "exercise". The ears by clapping or whistling to get Addison to use them frequently.

Congratulations on your new puppy! He definitely needs to start his vaccinations as soon as possible, so I would recommend bringing him to the vet for his first visit as soon as you can. Your veterinarian can advise you on what vaccines are recommended in your area, and will also give him a general check up to make sure he seems healthy. The pup may also need to be dewormed, if this hasn't been done recently. In German Shepherds, it's common for the ears to go up and down quite a bit until six months of age or so - so I wouldn't worry too much just yet, if he has one ear up and one down. It's likely that this will straighten out over the next several weeks.