# Taping Dogs Ears Up



## Starlite (Sep 9, 2009)

Having a gander at one of my fav breeds daydreaming as usual lol, but saw a few pics of pups with their ears taped up to make them stand.

I have to admit ive never seen it done in the UK, when mals and chi's ears flop they stay that way. So just wondering if its common in other breeds here or even at all?
:confused1:


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## Patterdale_lover (Sep 25, 2008)

Yep its done lots. Both ways to stand them up and pull them down.

I have seen tap used another way i am aware of is smoothing it up with your fingers a couple of times a day.

Breeds like airdales I have heard you put sweets on the bottom of their ears to pull them down etc etc.


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## Starlite (Sep 9, 2009)

Patterdale_lover said:


> Yep its done lots. Both ways to stand them up and pull them down.
> 
> I have seen tap used another way i am aware of is smoothing it up with your fingers a couple of times a day.
> 
> Breeds like airdales I have heard you put sweets on the bottom of their ears to pull them down etc etc.


i know i shouldnt laugh but the image of the airdale :lol:

never seen it done, do you know how long they are bandaged for?


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## cutekiaro1 (Dec 15, 2009)

I have seen it done with a few GSD's. TBH I think its cruel


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## Guest (Oct 8, 2010)

Its advised to do it with shelties too but I refuse to do it. One guy actually said to me if I didnt glue Alaska's ears up I should have her put to sleep...


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## Cleo38 (Jan 22, 2010)

I worked with someone who had her dogs ears GLUED down (I can't remember what breed he was) 

Apparently it was becuase she might have wanted to show him at some point ......oh, well that's ok then!


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## francesandjon (Jun 3, 2009)

Why do people do this??

Clearly they have a "perfect" dog idea in their head, and won't accept anything different....Surely this is (although not as bad) in the same league as docking tails "as thats what the breed should look like" - I'd think they both cause distress to the dog - but at least with docking its over quickly whereas taping/bandaging/weighting ears would be a longer term thing....


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## Gemmaa (Jul 19, 2009)

Our Bulldogs breeder glued his ears down. She said something about them potentially going like pigs ears otherwise (I was 10 at the time, can't really remember), but he was a pedigree and I think him and his brother had a fair bit of potential as a show dog so they had to have the 'right' ears.
We didn't glue them again though and he didn't end up with pig ears, but he didn't seem upset by the glue - not saying I agree with it, by the by.


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## nikkynoo (Apr 6, 2010)

Thats just cruel . Why does it matter what there ears do. Tia's ears are half and half there up the but the tips of them fold over. Does it really matter?


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## new westie owner (Apr 30, 2010)

Seen it done in westies if ears arnt up within 3 months of age


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## Furry-4-Paws (Oct 7, 2010)

Well, they say you learn someting new everyday ....

I never knew this happened - ever !!!

Oh My ...

I'm learning lots of things reading posts here - I think i must of lead a very sheltered life


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## paddyjulie (May 9, 2009)

yes ....people often do it to bullterriers...myself i wouldnt have a problem with a bullterrier that had floppy ears...i think they look kind of cute in a way ..


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## Furry-4-Paws (Oct 7, 2010)

paddyjulie said:


> yes ....people often do it to bullterriers...myself i wouldnt have a problem with a bullterrier that had floppy ears...i think they look kind of cute in a way ..


Your sig photo's - Just wow .... So So Beautiful.


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## Spellweaver (Jul 17, 2009)

I've seen it done in border collies - the people who do it say it doesn't bother the dog at all, but I've never done it myself and never will.


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## SEVEN_PETS (Aug 11, 2009)

I've heard it's done with chinese chested. I don't personally agree with it, the breed standard should accept any ear style, either drop or erect. If the ear is meant to be drop, then leave it that way. Why try to make it any different?


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## sequeena (Apr 30, 2009)

i wanted my german shepherd to have erect ears. Its one of the features i love but i didnt and i wouldnt go so far as to tape them. I dont think its right.


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## dexter (Nov 29, 2008)

americans do it in roughs i hate it............... it looks gross
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100309141834AAwSSWH


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## Starlite (Sep 9, 2009)

it was xolos i was looking at but not this persons, i found the image on Google.

Im gonna get pelted but I think if i had something as rare as a xolo and wanted to show then i would consider taping the ears as it doesnt look painful, possibly irritating like when they have to get used to their collar?


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## BrucieBonus (Dec 7, 2009)

shetlandlover said:


> Its advised to do it with shelties too but I refuse to do it. One guy actually said to me if I didnt glue Alaska's ears up I should have her put to sleep...


Wow some people are on another planet


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## Tigerprawn (Sep 19, 2010)

:scared:.....


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## LostGirl (Jan 16, 2009)

Starlite said:


> it was xolos i was looking at but not this persons, i found the image on Google.
> 
> Im gonna get pelted but I think if i had something as rare as a xolo and wanted to show then i would consider taping the ears as it doesnt look painful, possibly irritating like when they have to get used to their collar?


I agree actually, As long as it doesnt hurt the dog, i dont have a real problem with it. I wouldnt do it myself even with a breed like a gsd as i love floppy ears on them. but i dont see a huge problem with it.


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## luvmydogs (Dec 30, 2009)

I've done it with Bullmastiffs. It doesn't hurt the dog at all. At first they scratch like they would when you first put a collar on but then they ignore it.


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## ClaireandDaisy (Jul 4, 2010)

This is a very silly practice. If the dog`s ears are going to stand up, they`ll go up. If not, all the faffing in the world won`t alter it. And before someone says their cousins mothers aunties dogs ears were taped and stood up - how do you know they wouldn``t have stood up anyway?


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## luvmydogs (Dec 30, 2009)

With Bullmastiffs, they almost always start off looking great, but go wonky when teething. The taping is done during the teething period so the ears don't set wonky. They aren't prick ears though.


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## Bexy (Apr 11, 2010)

They do it with boxers outside the UK, as the desire is to have the ears cropped and upright for show...










However, as it is illegal to crop in the UK and the ears should be floppy and flush against the face we were advised to massage Triggers ears whilst he was teething as they can have a tendancy to have a mind of their own. Trigger did quite enjoy his ear massages


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

I remember the RC I grew up with came to us with chewing gum stuck to the tips of her ears to weigh them down.

I read somewhere a long time ago that not only is it show standard for RC but also there were health reasons for doing this. Apparently they are susceptible to ear infection if they go out in harsh weather, as the wind blows straight in their ears and rain. This causes infection. This was prevalent to RC's used as working dogs on mountains though, many many years ago. So I don't see that argument standing these days. Though perhaps it is necessary for working collie that do work on mountains and hill sides alongside farmers herding sheep and whatnot?

Tigerprawn those two images are awful. am I right in thinking that in the second picture the dogs ears are either sewn or stapled to the strap?


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## Starlite (Sep 9, 2009)

Tigerprawn said:


> :scared:.....


thats just downright extreme! This is some of the info ive found which reguires bandages and tape so didnt seem to hurt

German Shepherd Ear Taping - Tips for Taping German Shepherd Puppy Ears


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## Tigerprawn (Sep 19, 2010)

Aurelia said:


> Tigerprawn those two images are awful. am I right in thinking that in the second picture the dogs ears are either sewn or stapled to the strap?


No, I believe they are just stuck to it with a medical plaster. Doesn't make it look any better so.

I have used a bit of medical plaster on my dogs ears in the past when he was a puppy and puppies don't mind it at all as they forget about it in 10mins. But I have to admit that there was no medical reason for me doing so, I just wanted his ears to look even and they didn't at the time… well, they do now 

But these photos I've posted are just ridiculous, I do believe that this is very disturbing for the puppy 
And I seriously have no idea how this ridiculous "crown" stays in place while the puppy sleeps, runs around etc..


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## Souris (May 24, 2010)

I've met a sheltie puppy with their ears glued, and honestly, the puppy was happy as larry. If it's done from a small age, they're normally happy and fine with it.

I can *fully* understand why people do it with the show dogs. For shelties, it is one of the specifics of the breed that the ears must be tipped, and if glueing gives them a better chance of tipping without irritation to the puppy- what's wrong with it? It doesn't deform the dog, there's no pain involved and as Aurelia said it does have a few health benefits. (Of course on the other side of the coin, glueing does have to be done correctly for this statement to hold any weight, that picture on the previous page showed a perfect example of how it shouldn't be done!)

Below is the exact specification for sheltie ears from the kennel club.



> Ears
> Small, moderately wide at base, placed fairly close together on top of skull. In repose, thrown back; when alert brought forward and carried semi-erect with tips falling forward.


Of course, it's not for everyone, but if you can look at a pup at eight weeks and he/she has clear show potential- and you want to show him/her, then glueing/taping his or her ears is an excellent way to make sure you can control how they sit. After all, if you dont do it, then you're running the risk of having an older dog that is possibly perfect show confirmation in every way other than his ears.

For answers on how long a puppy is to be 'glued', most websites I've seen suggest you brace the puppie's ears at the top of the head until four and a half months old, and then you glue the tips down until they have a full set of adult teeth in, or for females until after their first season.

It makes perfect sense, after all as a puppy grows, if their ears are 'set' in a certain position, they are far more likely to stay in that position in later life. The people I have spoken to about it have described a puppy's ears as far thinner than an adult dog- when the pup has fully grown (or at least his ears have fully grown) they call the ears 'leathery'. So, if you can train the ears before they are fully grown, they are far more likely to stay in the 'correct' stance.

In fact, when I was browsing a few American sheltie breeders, most of them suggested that all new owner's tape their puppie's ears so that any pup from them will look like the kennel club's 'true' perception. They just wanted to make sure that any puppy that left their home looked like a good standard to the breed- and I take my hat off to them for that. They're trying to improve the breed, and if the breed standard states ears must be tipped, then hound eared puppie's are not going to look like a good representation of their kennel. It's much like a really posh shop like Waitrose suddenly selling lower quality products that you'd expect to find in Asda Value (I'm not knocking Asda Value mind, just using it as a clear comparison), it'd just bring the entire brand down.

This Link is fantastic for explaining how to brace and glue a puppy's ears, and here's a good website with a video of how it's done. As long as the puppy is fine with it, and isn't allergic to the glue/tape, then I really don't get how it's "cruel".


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## Limits (Aug 2, 2010)

Well i thought it was obvious that most Dobermans have their ears taped up, and their tales docked. If you picture a doberman and then look at an image of one they actually have floppy ears. 

I like the dob with taped ears but i dont think i'd do it.


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## noushka05 (Mar 28, 2008)

Limits said:


> Well i thought it was obvious that most Dobermans have their ears taped up, and their tales docked. .


ear cropping and tail docking is illegal in the UK.


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## Limits (Aug 2, 2010)

Is there any other way of doing it without the operation then? From this thread i gather that there are multiple legal ways, i just thought taping was just the name for making their ears erect?

Im still not gonna do it though lol.


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## hawksport (Dec 27, 2009)

Limits said:


> Is there any other way of doing it without the operation then? From this thread i gather that there are multiple legal ways, i just thought taping was just the name for making their ears erect?
> 
> Im still not gonna do it though lol.


A Dobes ears won't stand unless they are cropped, too heavy


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## luvmydogs (Dec 30, 2009)

There's a massive difference between cropping and taping. You can only tape a dogs ears who are supposed to sit a certain way naturally but have gone a bit wonky with teething. Cropping is changing ears from their natural state to a completely unnatural state for that breed, and involves cutting lumps off the dogs ears - it is totally barbaric.


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## Tigerneko (Jan 2, 2009)

As long as it doesn't cause the dog any pain or prolonged discomfort (it will probably irritate them for a short time but you could say that about collars as well and nobody thinks they are cruel) then I don't see an issue with it.

Cropping I don't agree with (although I actually like the look of dogs with 'properly' cropped ears - not just hacked off) but taping or gluing is fine in my books as long as it doesn't hurt the dog.


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## cavmad (Jan 27, 2009)

Years ago one of my friends bred and showed border collies. She had a very nice young merle whoes ears started to stand up and so she put blue tack on them to help them tip. Only thing was one blob was heavier than the other so they werent evenly tipped so she couldnt show her anyway. Afraid i laughed i would love a dog to show but if it turned out with the wrong set ears or any other thing i wouldnt care it would just be my pet.


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