[quote1299855782=LeeRobinson] Cropping serves two benefits. 1. It opens the ear canal for sound. Cover your ear with your hand (like a hanging ear flap) and sounds are muffled. Dogs still obviously do well though because they have good hearing, but it seems better and truely more "natural" to have a more open ear canal and "dished type" erect ear (if we look at nature all wild canids have erect ears as do felines and other mammals there is a REASON for this). Then try making a dish with your hand and hold it over the ear. Sounds are almost "amplified" as they get caught by the dish and directed into the ear canal. [u]When we consider "survival of the fittest by natural selection"...we discover that nature has proven the erect ear is superior to the floppy ear[/u]. 2. If anything, a dog with a cropped ear is LESS prone to infections in the ear canal...especially in mastiff type breeds with thick heavy ear flaps that restrict air flow ventilation. If the ear is prevented from "breathing" yeast type infections and some bacterial infections can become common in such "heavy" eared dogs. [/quote1299855782] I agree on cropping a dog that will work facing a wild animal or a human threat or if I am showing the animal. My dog has super hound mastiff ears and I never have to worry about infections. I wipe his ears once a week and his ears are clean as a whistle. If I cropped his ears my dog would look quite intimidating and with all the BSL going around the last thing I want is unecessary attention.