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Bowdu’s ears have always been bigger than standard for a Shiba inu. Their floppiness made me question his breed “purity” as a puppy (and come to hate that word and all that it entails, a thought I will continue at another time).
Photo taken 5 April 2005
His ears stood up by the second week he was with us. As he grew into his face and I encountered more Shibas from a variety of backgrounds, I concluded that his relatively large ears were a result of his haphazard breeding. At any rate, he does know how to make use of his auditory advantages…
Photo taken 6 October 2005. Caught going through the Doggy Daddy’s bag. Someone’s in trouuuuble.
Photo taken 23 February 2011
Something’s on the other side of the fence… and Bowdu doesn’t need to turn his head to know it’s there.
Photos taken 22 February 2011
Can’t sneak up on this guy…
Photo taken 4 June 2010
I confess, just as I have a soft spot for dogs with curly tails, I am more drawn to dogs with pricked ears.
Cute baby picture. Lots of shiba puppies, even those from the best breeders, get floppy puppy ears even if they are the “correct” size. It has to do with cartilage thickness, growth spurts, and ear length.
That is reassuring to know. I know floppy puppy ears are pretty common, and they all stand erect eventually. Though Bowdu’s flop seemed so much floppier compared to other pictures I saw. I suspect maybe that’s why he was the last of his litter to go. If his breeder/broker was even telling the truth about how many others were in his litter…
I also have some old pictures of when Bowdu’s ears first stood up (overnight, it seemed) — they were really big! Or, disproportionate to his head at the time. It’s kind of funny.
It is interesting to me how different Shibas can look, too.
blech. purity.
i had to look at the standard again, I never (cared to) notice they had an ear standard.
I like Bowdu’s ears, some of our foster shibas had small ears, big ears. All soft, cute, and get the job done.
I thought I was drawn to pricked ears, until I met my Buckley. I adore his fuzzy little beagle ears.