Do his ears do that all by themselves?

Now they do, but Nash's were cropped. In this country they can be shown with either a natural or a cropped ear. The first Briard we met was English, where cropping is not done. It was the look we first fell in love with and so our first two Briards had natural ears.

At the time, we were a strong advocates of the natural ear, preferring the look and believing it not right to crop. After losing Bones and Houlette before their time, health record and longevity of the line became a priority when we searched for our third Briard. Nash's breeder has a strong preference for cropped ears and in the big scheme of considerations, cropping fell to the bottom of our list.

Now that we've had it both ways, I've come to prefer the look of the cropped ears. They are much more expressive. With regard to the impact of the procedure on the pup, I think it is about as traumatic as piercing your ears. And the post-cropping care of the Briard is not as invasive as one might assume. Unlike Dobermans and Danes, the Briards do not require taping and sticks to support the ears. A little glue in the hair between the ears in the begining, and voila, beautifully erect and wonderfully emotive ears! Thom still prefers the look of natural ear. It probably was the best choice for Bones, who at 29" would have looked like a pony with cropped ears.

The AKC Briard standards says: "The natural ear must not lie flat against the head, and, when alert, the ears are lifted slightly, giving a square look to the top of the skull. The ears when cropped should be carried upright and parallel, emphasizing the parallel lines of the head; when alert, they should face forward, well open with long hair falling over the opening. The cropped ear should be long, broad at the base, tapering gradually to a rounded tip."