# The Ears



## Dr. Teeth (Mar 10, 2011)

So I'm on the fence about gluing the ears. Breeder says don't do it, wait. 
Background:
My male pup is 6M 7days. The ears feel thick and the bases are firm. He will carry them up on his own for brief periods during intense play, and yesterday two ears up ( shaky but up) for the 40 minute morning walk. We come home, he relaxes and they flop. I'm running out of patience and don't want to blow it by waiting. His demeanor is a little bit lazy for a GSD, he has some drive, but he is definately a softer temperment than I am used to. Is this part of the problem? Physically he was a big pup but has averaged out nicely, thick bones, big paws, big ears, gorgeous coat. He lost his last tooth two weeks ago. Is it time to glue?

He is a highline dog with a V father and a VA1 grandpa with V and VA as far back as the page goes. Am I wrong assuming they should go up. I'm sitting here thinking how is this possible in a gorgeous helathy pup from these lines. Am I over reacting? or is it time.


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## koda00 (Apr 27, 2009)

I am also on the fence as well  Zorro is also 6m 7 days today. he has 1 ear totally erect for over a month now, his left ear will come up in the morning, then go back down. 2 months ago it was the opposite ear. So i know it has potential.


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## horsegirl (Aug 11, 2010)

I would glue , now


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## cta (May 24, 2011)

from what it sounds like, they should stand on their own.what about his siblings were any of their ears up? i'm curious as to the actual success rate or ears standing after they are glued...does it really work or is it something that is completely genetic?


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

GET OFF THE FENCE and plant your feet
on the ground and make a decision just
kidding. Dr. Teeth; the dog i have now
is from a line with all the bells and whistles
also and his ears went up a 5 months. before that
his ears did the "ear dance", they were up, down and all around.
my last GSD was from close to ok lines and his ears went up
at 6 months. his ears did the dance also.


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## koda00 (Apr 27, 2009)

cta said:


> from what it sounds like, they should stand on their own.what about his siblings were any of their ears up? i'm curious as to the actual success rate or ears standing after they are glued...does it really work or is it something that is completely genetic?


 
For me....Zorro was from a litter of 9, ive only seen 3other sibling recently, and yes their ears are all up. i just want to know if anyone knows...is there still a chance it will stay up????? what would be the lastest i should think about helping him out??? is 7 m too long to wait?


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## cta (May 24, 2011)

my dogs ears were up and down until about 6 months. at 9 weeks, his sister's ears were totally up, but his were as floppy as can be. i could be wrong, but i feel like if they don't go up on their own soon, they will never go up. i don't mean to rain on the parade...maybe somebody with more experience will chime in about the whole ears up/gluing thing.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

I would wait. Some of the bigger dogs' ears go up later because they are expending all their energy growing (JMHO). Take him on frequent walks so that he has more opportunities to exercise his ears. Take him to places that are interesting to him like the woods where he can look for things to chase.


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## kayek9 (Aug 27, 2002)

Why wait? What's it gonna hurt to tape? I would seriously be in a panic if I had a 6 month old with soft ears. My rule of thumb here is if they're up young and fall, wait to tape till 5 months, but if they're not up at all by 4-4 1/2 mos, I tape as a precaution. I generally have very strong ears in my line, so to have a pup who's ears are not standing by 5 months is rare, but it sure wouldn't hurt to get your pups in tape at this point. Why leave it to chance????


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## Dr. Teeth (Mar 10, 2011)

I ordered the glue and the breathe right strips, they'll be here next week. 

My only fear on gluing is that I turn my back for 10 minutes and he's ripping a whole in his ear with a claw. After I posted I looked up taping methods for a previous breed I owned, Giant Schnauzer they are much more into foam forms, and then both ears are braced together with tape.


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## koda00 (Apr 27, 2009)

i tried the breathright strips, they didnt work for me, the ear still fell. I even tried doulbing them up for strength, still fell. i think i'll look into the foam inserts.


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## DunRingill (Dec 28, 2007)

I've always been told that if the ears ever go up, don't panic if they do the "ear dance" because they'll end up fine. 

That said, if your dog has genetically soft ears taping won't stop them from being flippy when he's moving.

I had one dog (show lines) whose ear tips were very soft when he was teething and several people who looked at him panicked and said I needed to tape him PRONTO. My mentor said leave him alone. I left him alone, and he ended up with perfect ears.


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## koda00 (Apr 27, 2009)

Dun... at what age was your dog? Zorro, the one im concerned about, its his left ear. It was up at 5 mth, then went down and has been down now for over a month. His right ear is very strong and perfectly up.


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## Dr. Teeth (Mar 10, 2011)

Koda, 

My guy has the same look. He was doing ok with righty as the strong one until he started teething, now lefty seems a little stronger. It almost seems like he is holding them down sometimes, not that they hang down from gravity. 

I will try the glue when my products come in, but I know my biggest challenge will be getting him to sit still while I play with the inside of his ears, and then the effect glue and bandaids will have on his calm.


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## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

Have you tried giving him some yogurt? If I were you, while waiting for the stuff you ordered, I'd give him some yogurt/cheese anything with calcium. Big raw knuckle bones too.


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## Dr. Teeth (Mar 10, 2011)

I just found a link to another style of ear fixing... has anyone tried this, good or bad?

gluing both ears to each other.

How to get a German Shepherd puppies ears to stand up.


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## koda00 (Apr 27, 2009)

Josie/Zeus said:


> Have you tried giving him some yogurt? If I were you, while waiting for the stuff you ordered, I'd give him some yogurt/cheese anything with calcium. Big raw knuckle bones too.


Yogurt,cottage cheese, cheese, knuckle bones ( he's chomping on 1 now)...yes all of them, but its only been a week as i just found this info. I just found out about plain gelatin as well. Does anyone know how long to keep giving him these?


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## bianca (Mar 28, 2010)

Dr. Teeth said:


> I just found a link to another style of ear fixing... has anyone tried this, good or bad?
> 
> gluing both ears to each other.
> 
> How to get a German Shepherd puppies ears to stand up.


I did the exact same method but unfortunately I left it too late to try. Around 8 or 9 months I think. I used the Tear Mender glue they recommend (you only need a tiny bit)











After a week they came apart (playing with another dog...silly me), they stayed like this for an hour and I was beyond excited :blush:










I have accepted Miss Moo with floppy ears and love her dearly as she is but I would certainly never wait to glue or tape again.










Good luck with your pups ears


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## DunRingill (Dec 28, 2007)

If the dog is still teething, I try not to panic. But Jo looking at your pictures, it looks like his one ear is up pretty solidly. I'd be seriously tempted to give the other ear an "assist." 

methods I've seen breeders use include a soft hair roller glued into the ear, and a piece of moleskin cut to the shape of the ear and glued in. if you're going to do this, you have to be prepared to keep the ears taped for a good amount of time (I'm not really sure how long!) and do maintenance to make sure the skin underneath doesn't get infected.


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## koda00 (Apr 27, 2009)

Dun... I think your right, im going to look into something. It does have potential to stand as when we're outside playing occassionally it goes up, just doesnt stay.


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## kayek9 (Aug 27, 2002)

You don't need to buy fancy forms to do the ears, I use pipe insulating foam. You can get it at most hardware stores in the plumbing aisle, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, etc. You will also need Johnson's Sports Tape, you can purchase it at Walgreens, make sure you use Johnson's, I have tried other brands and gotten skin reactions, never with Johnson's. If you intend to glue, you will need to purchase a can of skin bond, or I believe it's called "Osto Bond" now, you can usually find that at any medical supply store, some pharmacies also carry it, but you won't find it at the drug store (like Walgreens or CVS). You'll also want to have an exacto knife available. So, to begin with , you will want to take the foam and cut a piece the length of your dog's ear, making sure you cut it long enough to fit down into the base all the way to the tip of the ear. Coat the back of the foam with the skin bond, also coat the inside of the ear with the glue. Firmly press the foam into the ear, making sure you get it all the way into the base, smooth the ear around the foam. Now the tricky part, you'll want to cut the foam with the exacto knife to the shape of the ear, so when you're done, the dog will just have a piece of foam glued to the shape of his ear, not a big round piece hanging in there. (wish I had some pictures!!) Next, use the sports tape and wrap it around the ear to secure the foam, it will be itchy while the glue is setting, the tape will help secure it for a couple of days. I always like to do the other ear as well, even if it's standing, them brace them together while the glue sets up. So for the good ear, you can use the foam, cut an appropriate length, use the sports tape and run it down the foam, then turn the tape so it's sticky side out and wrap it back up the other way. Place that in the dog's good ear and wrap the ear with tape. Now you need to cut a longer length of tape, start at the base of one ear with it, go accross the top of the head and wrap the base of the other ear, back accross the top of the head to the 1st ear, this braces the ears together. Make sure you are careful with the set of the ears while bracing, don't pull them too tight together so they'll be overset, try and get them in a natural position. You can also add another strip of tape on top of the 1st piece that's at the base, just to make sure it holds. I will usually keep the tape on for a couple days, just to make sure the glue is set. You can then remove the tape and form from the good ear and the tape that you have around the bad ear, the foam will remain glued in the bad ear for several weeks. Just watch that he's holding the ear properly on the head, if he starts hanging the ear, you will want to brace them together again. Also, try and have someone available to help you, you will definitely need the extra set of hands!!! Good luck, I have been taping ears this way for over 20 years with good success.


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## koda00 (Apr 27, 2009)

Thanks for the info Kathy


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## kayek9 (Aug 27, 2002)

You're welcome, hope it works for your pup!!


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## koda00 (Apr 27, 2009)

ok, so i ordered the glue "tear mender" will be here on Fri. i went and picked up the moleskin padding. So this is my project for the weekend. I sure hope it works. If not, he's still my "cutie patutie" either way

Dr. T... let me know how you make out with you pup


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## koda00 (Apr 27, 2009)

So far so good...its been two days and he's not fazed by it. Yet!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

if you feed yogurt use organic yogurt.



Josie/Zeus said:


> Have you tried giving him some yogurt? If I were you, while waiting for the stuff you ordered, I'd give him some yogurt/cheese anything with calcium. Big raw knuckle bones too.


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## koda00 (Apr 27, 2009)

doggiedad said:


> if you feed yogurt use organic yogurt.


:thumbup:

still going strong....he hasnt even touched them yet 5 days today!


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## GSDAlphaMom (Jul 20, 2010)

I just saw this thread and while I haven't read the entire thread I see from this last page (pics) you have taken action. GOOD!

Anytime they aren't up by 5.5 months I give them support. While there is a chance they can come up late, the possibility greatly decreases with each passing month. Once the cartiledge hardens they are going to be where they are.

One of my breeders recommends Seal Meal (by Solid Gold) supplement any time the ears aren't up by 4-4.5 months and she claims it works wonders. You may want to add that to your mix as well.

It looks like you did a good job with the form. Keep it in as long as it will stay and as soon as it comes out put it back in. If his ear is up and then falls after a while put it back in immediately. Good luck!

ps....he's a very handsome boy!


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## koda00 (Apr 27, 2009)

GSDAlphaMom said:


> I just saw this thread and while I haven't read the entire thread I see from this last page (pics) you have taken action. GOOD!
> 
> Anytime they aren't up by 5.5 months I give them support. While there is a chance they can come up late, the possibility greatly decreases with each passing month. Once the cartiledge hardens they are going to be where they are.
> 
> ...


 
Thank you:wub: 
This is what he gets 2x a day 1 1/2 c totw, 2-tbls cottage cheese, 1-2 tbls plain org. yogurt, 1 tspn plain gelatin. Is it ok to add another ingredient? Like seal meal?


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