When do chihuahua puppies ears stand up?
One of the trademarks of this breed of small dogs is their erect pointy ears. That’s why some owners are concerned and want to find out when their Chihuahua puppies’ ears will stand up. What new furparents need to know is that Chihuahuas are born with floppy ears. In the first few weeks of their life, the cartilage in their ears is still developing. It will begin to be firm as weeks pass until their ears can stand up on their own. They need to develop their cartilage until they become firm. Their ears will stand up when they are around 5 to 6 weeks. You might also notice that your Chihuahua’s ears begin to flop when they are teething. This is because your pups are using up a lot of their body’s calcium for the development of their teeth rather than the cartilage on their ears. But once all their teeth are finally out at around 6 months, you can expect their ears to get pointy again.
Some Chihuahas with floppy ears are disqualified from the show ring according to the breed standards of the American Kennel Club. It could be that those Chihuahuas were mixed with other breeds that caused them to have floppy ears. However, there are some pure-bred Chihuahuas whose ears stay floppy all the time. Some owners are alarmed at the thought that they weren’t given a pure-bred Chihuahua but as long as they have the registration papers saying that their Chi is 100% Chihuahua then they have nothing to worry about.
Some owners do things that would help their Chihuahua’s ears to stand up. Some would tape their Chis’ ears to make them stand up while others increase the calcium content of their furbabies’ diet. Follow the breeder’s advice when it comes to your Chi’s diet because they know the nutritional requirement of your pet so your Chi’s optimum growth including the nutritional support needed to develop strong cartilage. It is also recommended to provide a calm environment for your Chi as stress can cause their ears to droop temporarily.
Whether their ears are standing up or down doesn’t make them any less of a Chihuahua! Floppy ears don’t make your pet abnormal or unhealthy in any way. It’s just part of their unique trait and adds to their individual character. So let nature take its course as to when your Chihuahua’s ears will stand up and love him just the same – pointy ears or not just as he loves you with all his puppy heart.