BClover Posted July 1, 2002 Report Share Posted July 1, 2002 I've been wondering for a long time about the ears of a border collie but never asked. Can the ears standing up or flopping be hereditary? I ask because a bc at my obedience class ears stand up. So to do some research I saw the sire of this dog and he has prick ears. And I've done more searching on the internet and saw that the majority of the dogs whose ears are pricked have a sire with the same. So I guess my point is,do the genes matter in the ear carriage? If so,do the pups get it more so from the sire than the dam? Or does it really matter? Just bored and wondering... April ------------------ BORDER COLLIES...AINT THEY GREAT? [This message has been edited by BClover (edited 07-01-2002).] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KansasCowboy Posted July 1, 2002 Report Share Posted July 1, 2002 Hi April, I'm no expert on genetics but I'm certain that having prick ears or flop ears is definitly an inheritable trait. My reasoning behind this statement is that some breeds have all prick ears and some are all flop eareed. So somewhere along the line someone bred for that quality in that breed. Since the Border Collie isn't and shouldn't be bred for qualities such as ear stance or color, it's a random thing in the breed. It may very well be passed by male BC's in certain (or all) bloodlines. I don't know the answer to that. I would guess that it's a throwback to some type of dog used to create the BC. Have a good one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikw Posted July 2, 2002 Report Share Posted July 2, 2002 Hard to guess April. Pups with prick ears becomes very noticeable at around 8-10 weeks old,even then one day it may flop down or go completely flat then up again. Those with a definite prick ears have a look of a conehead,ears stands so high,touching. Also during teething,ears will begin to do some very strange things. In my pups now at 9 weeks,2 will definitely be prick eared even though the sire's ear set is like a hound dogs while the dam is prick eared. One pup will have his sire's ears,his already reaching his mouth. Coats are similar to ears,never know how they'll turn out. I've had two which were fluff bals,two smooth coats and one bare skinned.The sire is medium rough,dam is smooth,so don't know where the bare skinned one came from. Color is another hit or miss unless it's muddled by breeders. Out of two very black parents without any traditional markings,I've had two black,one almost black,one brown with black and tan dots all over and one B/W marked traditional. That's what makes this breed so interesting,when chosen for the complimenting working abilities,you get everything under the sun. More interesting part is to find out which genes hit right in which pup and the only way to see that is when they begin to work stock. That's when they look their best anyway. ------------------ Inci Willard Clearville,PA 814-784-3414 ikw@pennswoods.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted July 2, 2002 Report Share Posted July 2, 2002 Hi April, My Tweed is from a litter of four. Both parents have prick ears -- in fact, both of them will have their ear tips touch when they're really concentrating on stock. I think two of the four pups ended up with prick ears, the other two with floppy ears. Unless we start selecting for a particular ear set the way AKC breeders do, ears will continue to be all over the place. ------------------ Bill Fosher Surry, NH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brookcove Posted July 2, 2002 Report Share Posted July 2, 2002 I'm waiting on a pup from a bitch at my friend and mentor's place. There's not much these pups COULDN'T potentially be as both parents are smooth black/white. Smooth, rough, red (we know one parent could carry red), tri, blue could even pop out. And color is the easy one. I'd hate to be one of these breeders that has to care about a complex trait like earset or coat type and length. ------------------ Rebecca Brook Cove Farm, NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTlady Posted July 2, 2002 Report Share Posted July 2, 2002 My dogs are both prick eared. As they grew, however (they'll be a year old tomorrow), their ears seemed to get too large for their heads and the muscles couldn't hold them up. Always knew when a growth spurt was promised. The ears would not stand up, then they'd start eating like crazy!! I love how their ears are also a barometer of their mood! Makes it much easier for me to know how to handle them. Georgette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam Wolf Posted July 3, 2002 Report Share Posted July 3, 2002 April-- the ears should hear and listen. I've had everything from drop to prick. I prefer tipped in some fashion, but it's not important when selecting a dog. It's the dog's working ability, heart and character which matter most. My old bitch, Pi had ears which we called 'flag signals' they varied from tipped to prick to many variations between (and were frequently changing) depending on the weather, the presence of sheep and what the sheep were doing etc. We just laughed at her ears but admired the dog for her talent and honesty. Guess my point is, it doesn't really matter what the ears do as long as they hear and listen. Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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