# Start gluing at 6 months or wait til teething is done?



## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

Our puppy is nearing the 6 month mark and her ears are always up and down, but neither will stay up. Should we start gluing now or wait til she's done teething? She still has teeth coming in.


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## N Smith (Aug 25, 2011)

If they have stood before, chances are they will stand again.

Have they been standing sporadically, then going back down?

A picture will also help, as the ear shape, size and weight can play a huge role on whether the ears will stand in the end.


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## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

N Smith said:


> If they have stood before, chances are they will stand again.
> 
> Have they been standing sporadically, then going back down?
> 
> A picture will also help, as the ear shape, size and weight can play a huge role on whether the ears will stand in the end.


 

N Smith had a good answer for you, I would agree.


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## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

N Smith said:


> If they have stood before, chances are they will stand again.
> 
> Have they been standing sporadically, then going back down?
> 
> A picture will also help, as the ear shape, size and weight can play a huge role on whether the ears will stand in the end.


Yes, they're sporadic. One will be up on and off throughout the day and then when she's chasing me or I chase her they'll both be up and when we go on walks they'll both usually go up.

I know the rule is that if they go up before they start teething then they'll come up again, but hers only started coming up _during_ the teething process.

Here are her ears over the past few days. None of them are good pictures so forgive the crappy quality.










Her biggest problem is that the ears are pretty big but they're also not that thick so the crease usually buckles and they flop down. You can see the little nooks of her crease in the second picture.

I'd say about 25% of the time she's awake an ear will be up, and both usually stay up during walks. The other 75% of the time they're flopped in the flying nun style.

She looks so good with them up but they still feel too floppy to ever stand for good.


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## N Smith (Aug 25, 2011)

PorkandBeans said:


> Yes, they're sporadic. One will be up on and off throughout the day and then when she's chasing me or I chase her they'll both be up and when we go on walks they'll both usually go up.
> 
> I know the rule is that if they go up before they start teething then they'll come up again, but hers only started coming up _during_ the teething process.
> 
> ...


To me those look like they have a great chance of standing on their own. Most puppies will finish teething at 6 months, but its not always 100%. My husky didn't finish teething until closer to 7 months, and my male Shepherd closer to 7 1/2 months. My huskies ears stood permanently by the time he was 7 months, and my Shepherd's stood at 8 months and never came back down.

I would leave them alone for now, let her finish teething completely (no more baby teeth and adult canines down all the way). If after that is complete they are still having trouble - then I would look at taping and/or glueing them up.


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## PorkandBeans (Nov 5, 2012)

Thanks for the replies! I guess we'll just patiently wait.


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## jesvw (May 31, 2010)

Hi! I was just curious if your girls ears ever came up? I have a pup who (it sounds like) is doing the same thing as your girls did, and the 'to tape or not to tape' is giving me ulsurs lol. He is only 5 1/2 months old so I'm just crossing my fingers for now!


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

Taping after 6 months doesn't do much good, honestly. I've taped my border collie's ears at 6 months and only got one to stand. 

If the ear has been up, it will go back up.


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

DJEtzel said:


> Taping after 6 months doesn't do much good, honestly. I've taped my border collie's ears at 6 months and only got one to stand.
> 
> If the ear has been up, it will go back up.


But I think it would be different for a breed like the Border Collie that has a multitude of ear aesthetics to genetically draw from. Maybe your Border Collie's ear didn't stand because it was meant, genetically, to flop, or tip? I know a Border Collie breeder. She can have two prick eared parent dogs and end up with a litter that has adult ears all over the map. Giving those ears a hand, by taping, isn't going to change the fact that they are genetically meant to flop, or tip. 

I have seen some GSDs that have been taped after 6 months that did end up standing on their own after the tape was removed. Jackson's litter-mate comes to mind. Her ears were taped at 7.5-8 months old and her ears did stand. 
Sheilah


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