Brain-damaged Beast

Schultz, our two-year-old German Shepherd, likes to play rough.  That beast is downright dangerous when he's pulling on his tug. In fact, he scratched up my face pretty good one time when he jumped for it.  I'm lucky I didn't lose an eyeball!

Today, I took that hundred-pound creature outside to play.  I threw him his rubber ball which is attached to a rope.  "Fetch," I said.

He bounded off like a bullet and brought that thing back to me.  "Good boy," I said.  "Now drop it."

Apparently he didn't feel like dropping it.  He felt like thrashing his head from side to side.  The ball swung back and forth from the rope, bonking him on the head.

"Goofball, what the heck are you doing?"

He kept bonking himself.  This went on for a good five minutes.  Finally, he stopped. 

He dropped the ball toy and stumbled sideways.  He looked like he was drunk.

"What's the matter, boy?  Did you beat yourself up?"

He looked at me - one ear straight up, the other tipped to the side.  I shook my head.

It is now two hours later, and his ear is still tipped to the side.  I think he has permanent brain damage.  What do you think?