how do i tape my dogs ears - Page 1

ive got this 6 month old puppy whose ears havent erected as yet.id like to know at wht age i should tape and wht is the best way to tape my pups ears.im really worried since the male is an ursus great grandson and has got odin von tannenmeise all over the pedigree through zamb,jeck and visum.also his ears are really large for his age.

You know I had this issue before and I followed the trick GSD author Fred Lanting uses which is getting some moleskin which is sold in same aisle your ordinary footcare products are sold. He then cuts the moleskin in the shape of the pups ear to support it to the base and removes the adhesive cover and inserts them in the ear. I had some luck with this before although the adhesive only last for 3 or 4 days if the pups doesn't shake his head enough within a couple hours to get rid of it. THere are many many methods out there including using toilet paper rolls, supplementation with calcium, etc None of these I can validate or have used so I won't give a testimonial on them.

I have used German moulds which are glued with leather glue. Moulds are made of a foam-like substance and very light. Inside of the ear should be shaved for better sticking. Dogs get used to them very quickly, after hour or two. They are resistant to water and when properly glued they stay for 2 weeks. I used them once on my dog and about 6 or 7 times on other people dogs. Allways with good result. You should go for taping immediatelly, do not postpone it for a single day. Good luck.

There are so many methods, I like the pink hair roller's, and thin tape. You will have to tend to it often and move the tape around so the pups ears don't get sore and infected. Use a glue on the rollers too, so they stick to the inside of the ear. The problem with some of the foam is, that the glue wears off the bottom and starts to pull the ear down or over, so if you use the foam pads watch out for this. Word of advice, keep at it, don't give up if it hasn't worked after two or three weeks. My sister had to tape her dog's ears for almost 3 months, but their up now.

I have had only one pup who had one "lazy" ear which would stand up but then "go lazy" again at 6 months old - then I started to worry about it but didn't know what to do, having never EVER had this problem before - this pup is a BIG pup with HUGE ears, big, tall and heavy. The base was up, but there was a crease which didn't seem to be hardening. Afraid that it would be permanently damaged by flopping over, I asked around for different methods of "posting" it. The roll/tape method made the inside of her ear very sore, and worse because she then would shake her head and hold that ear down and back, not helping at all. The moleskin I could not get to stick well - even with inside of her ears shaved, she would just shake that right out immediately. Someone told me to glue her ears together - after trying every brand of glue on the market ("skin or surgical" glue was recommended but would not hold) - I used Krazy glue, which worked perfectly. On direction, I put a little Krazy/Super glue on the outside edge of her ear, the edge closest to her other ear. Then glued both ears together, along the edge of both ears. I glued to the hair, so the glue would not actually touch her skin. This worked perfectly - ears were upright, though stuck together on the top of her head, and the "stick" lasted several days at a time before I would have to re-do it. Yes she lost the hair on the outside edges of her ears, but now her ears are up perfectly and the hair is growing back. Good luck!

Are the ears "moving" -- changing positions week to week or hanging / folded over from the top half ?? Were they up before, and now fallen again ?? It's a tuff decision to make, because the outcome may not be what you expect. I have only taped a (male) puppy's ears two times (and only one ear each time) I had great success with very thin cardboard (I use the example of cereal box cardboard) because that is indeed thin, and a hypo-allergenic ladies eye-lash adheasive. The "form" needs to be cut to the exact shape of the ear - and reach all the way to the tip. Glued in securely, and left in for 7 to 10 days. This little bit of weight seems helpful in strengthening the muscels and when the material is removed - ear's are sturdy . I don't care for the anything with the rolls that you must wrap the ear around, as I've seen poor results with that and even ears that remained in that "curled" position (and did not flatten out). It's a difficult decision -- how long do you wait - ? What's normal for these lines ? Big boned male puppy may with less than the strongest ears for a background may indeed take longer - But at some point - you may lessen the effects of any taping if the dog is so used to the hanging tops that he continuously shakes them back down, or there is more permanent cartilige damage.

My 4 month old males ears were both up at 10 weeks of age. At 12 weeks, the left ear flopped over toward his head. I have been giving him two teaspoons of knox gelentain twice a day. After two weeks, his ear is now coming back up slowly but surely. It will go up for a few minutes and then go over. I feel it's on the way back for good! (Hopefully) Not sure if the gelentain is really helping but have read a few posts that seem to think it does? I also add a tablespoon of cottage cheese with his meals. I will glue or tape if the ear does not stay up for good by 5 or 6 months. Would be interested to hear more posts on this subject.

Just a follow-up... My pups ear is looking even better today! Has been standing firm most of the morning but flops over a little every now and then. I feel it's on it's way back up and hopefully, will stay put within a few more days. No way of knowing for sure if the gelentain has helped, but I think it just may have! I will continue giving gelentain for a few more days or until his ear stays up for good. Good luck to all...

Pink foam curlers inserted with Automotive Weather strip glue works the best. The method is explained in Winifred Strickland's book. This glue lasts for WEEKS!

Lots of chewing on large knuckle bones, gelatin & lots of house/people time. Good luck.