Mid 18th century; earliest use found in Samuel Richardson (bap. 1689, d. 1761), printer and author. Either from dog's-ear + -ed, or from dog's ear + -ed.
Definition of dog's-eared in US English:
dog's-eared
(also dogs-eared)
adjectiveˈdɒɡzɪəd
rare
Dog-eared.
Origin
Mid 18th century; earliest use found in Samuel Richardson (bap. 1689, d. 1761), printer and author. Either from dog's-ear + -ed, or from dog's ear + -ed.