Photos of Common Ear Shapes For Dogs and Puppies

1 Prick Ears

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A very common type, these upright ears stand stiffly and can have either rounded or pointed tips. Included in breeds with prick ears are German shepherds, Siberian huskies, and Pomeranians.

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2 Candle-Flame Ears

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Notice how the shape of this ear tapers off near the top in a pointy shape like a candle flame does? Well, that's how these got named. They are commonly found on breeds such as the toy fox terrier, the Manchester, and the miniature pinscher, shown here. (Note: while larger Dobermans can often appear to have a similar shape, their pointier versions are created via surgical cropping, not nature.)

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3 Blunt-Tipped Ears

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Breeds like the French Bulldog, shown here, have blunt-tipped ears. Also referred to as round-tipped ears, they are large, upright lobes with clearly rounded tips — sometimes Frenchie ears are also described as tulip ears!

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4 Bat Ears

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At first glance, this ear type can look similar to those found on a Frenchie. However, bat ears are not only upright, but they're also in proportion to the head size. Chihuahuas have them, as do cardigan Welsh corgis, like the dog shown here!

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5 Hooded Ears

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Yet another variation of a prick ear, hooded ears are small and appear to curve inward. Look carefully at the outer edges of this basenji's ears to see the evidence.

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6 Cocked Ears

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These ears have plenty of other names — semicrop, semiprick, or tipped — but the identifying feature is that the erect ears are bent just slightly forward enough to fold over at the tip, though not as much as in button ears. Breeds with this type include collies and Shetland sheepdogs.

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7 Drop Ears

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Also a popularly spotted style, drop ears come in many shapes and length varieties, from fully dropped to pendant or pendulous ones. But they all share this similarity: they hang down from their junction at the side of the dog's head. Basset hounds, like the dog shown here, always have drop ears.

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8 Button Ears

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Button ears, also called hooded ears, get their second name since the front flap of the semi-erect lobes fold forward to hide the ear canal opening (like a hood). While some Jack Russell terriers have pointed ears, other Jack Russells (along with fox terriers and some pugs, for example) have these cute-as-a-button ones.

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9 Rose Ears

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A slightly dropped button ear by any other name still looks as sweet! Whippets, bulldogs, and greyhounds have something called rose ears. The way to tell these from a button ear is that the rose style is a small, drop version that folds a bit backward.

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10 Folded Ears

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These pendant-shaped ears hang in downward folds poking a bit out at the top and not lying flat. Lobe-shaped ears are commonly found on spaniel breeds like cavaliers.

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11 V-Shaped Ears

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As the name implies, these ears look like the letter "V." On the longer side and always the same triangular shape, v-shaped ears may be dropped or not. Breeds sporting this style include the bullmastiff and the vizsla, shown here.

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12 Filbert-Shaped Ears

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I'd say this is the easiest ear type to correctly identify. The Bedlington terrier is the only breed with this type of ear. The name comes from its shape, which is similar to a hazelnut or a filbert nut. That's nutty!

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