What Are the Disadvantages of Floppy Ears?įloppy ears can be disadvantageous to Labradors (or any dog with floppy ears) because they increase the risk of injury or infection. They announced in early 2019 that they were looking for more floppy-eared dogs for their security programs because people-especially children-find them less frightening. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) seems to think it's true. However, it might also be that just like the genetic link to tameness, any connection between scenting ability and ear length is coincidental.īecause we associate floppy ears with tame animals, there is some evidence that people tend to find floppy-eared dogs less intimidating than dogs with upright ears. What all these dog breeds do have, however, is an exceptional sense of smell. Lists of the best dogs for scent work often rate breeds like German Shepherds and Belgian Malinois, neither of which is known for their floppy ears, higher than Labradors, despite their soft ears. It's plausible, but I haven't been able to find any scientific studies confirming that it's true. Their trainers believe this helps scoop or sweep scents into the dogs' noses. Bloodhounds and Basset Hounds, frequently the top-rated trackers, have ears so long they often brush the ground.
There's a common belief that floppy-eared dogs bred for scenting purposes-like tracking, hunting, and retrieving breeds-obtain an advantage from their ears. However, geneticists think that floppy ears are merely a side effect of breeding for the desirable trait of tameness. Many dogs with floppy ears are known to have the best sense of smell. Do Floppy Ears Have Benefits?įloppy ears can be beneficial as they make dogs appear tamer and less intimidating than dogs with upright ears. Not everyone is convinced that neural crest cells are the answer, however.Īnother study argues that because the classic signs of domestication syndrome are different in different kinds of domestic animals, it's unlikely that there's one single genetic cause.Īdditionally, pointy-eared modern dog breeds are not demonstrably less domesticated than those with floppy ears. Modern breed standards continue to reinforce the trait. Researchers believe that over many generations, these traits compounded. The same genetic change that makes animals tamer may also give them floppier ears. It also makes them less likely to have the kind of strong ear cartilage needed to make an ear stand upright. Neural crest cells are a kind of embryonic cell linked to the formation of both the adrenal glands and the cartilage that makes up parts of the ears.īreeding for weakened versions of these cells leads to animals with smaller, less active adrenal glands, which makes them less fearful of humans. Why Labrador Ears May Have Changed Over Time
They believe floppy ears result from changes in something called neural crest cells. Over 140 years later, some researchers believe they found the answer. But since he was writing in the 19th century, he didn't have any way of identifying exactly what that common cause might be.
More docile temperaments, shorter (or absent) horns, and smaller teeth and jaws are also typical differences.ĭarwin theorized that these changes must have a common cause. Tame rabbits, sheep, goats, pigs, cows, and donkeys tend to have floppy ears than their wild counterparts. He noticed that domesticated animals all tended to be different from their wild cousins in many of the same ways. In his book The Variation of Plants and Animals Under Domestication, Charles Darwin first identified what he called Domestication Syndrome. The Link Between the Domestication of Labradors and Floppy Ears
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