# Going on 5 1/2 Months



## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

I bought the ear forms from Dogsportgear. Is it a good time to start using them? My breeder says not until 7 months. I called the Texas' owner (Damian's dad) and he said to just go ahead and start the ear forms now. Damian's ears show no signs of standing anymore. Even before, there wasn't much proof of them standing. Let me know your guys' opinions! Thanks!


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## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

Wait!!
My Brady's ear didn't totally go up until he was 11 months
he is still a baby enjoy the goofy ear stage its the best!


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## HeidiW (Apr 9, 2009)

How do the forms stay inside the ear? I have never seen them before. If he is done teething? His ears are flopping outwards like angel wings and never go up?


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

They never go up, just hang to the side. The ear forms get glued in, I would use Perma-Type Surgical Cement.


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

I saw one picture with them used on a GSD, can't find it anymore. After buying the forms, I regret it because I could have went to a fabric store and got the same stuff for $2. But now I have them, oh well.


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## HeidiW (Apr 9, 2009)

Can't hurt to do it now then. Bella had one bad ear and I did glue it up at the same age, the glue came undone in two weeks and the ear stood up weakly by itself but I think it helped her.


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

I wouldn't wait until 7 months, thats just too long. 

I think it was around 5.5 months when i taped Lucy's ears and they were standing strong within about a month.


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

Woke up this mornng..

Ears were both up!!

Left for work..

They were still up!

They seem weak and they will probably fall by days end, but its a sign and it made me happy!


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## georgiapeach717 (Jan 28, 2010)

so did you use the ear form things? or were you still waiting? I am happy to hear they are up! I have heard 6 months is when to start helping them out, but there are 8million different opinions! Lets see the ears!


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

I did not use the forms yet. I really want to try and hold off. The ear forms will keep them straight, but it will stick out away from his head. I'm gonna have to figure a way to yarn them together, and I'm nervous about that, due to not wanting to put to close together. 

Right now I'm just gonna hope for the best that they go up naturally. I did take some quick pics this morning, I'll post them up tonight when I get home from work. I hope his ears will be up when I get home!


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## georgiapeach717 (Jan 28, 2010)

i bet they will be


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

I'm gonna take some of your hope!


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

This was the pic I took this morning:










And here is a pic from lunchtime:










I came home this afternoon and the left ear was back down


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

Give him 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese to help his ears. (ask vet first)
It worked for me!


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

well they are looking like they want to come up)) 

My puppy ears have always gone up and stayed up by 12 weeks,,I think I'd panic if I ever get one that doesn't since I'm used to that 12 week mark LOL..

Is he teething??? That may be why they are up/down..I think if me, I'd wait one more day, if they stay up fine, if not, I'd definately use the things you bought. I just wouldn't wait until 7 months, in fact I would have glued them up a month ago..

Hope they stay!!


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

> My puppy ears have always gone up and stayed up by 12 weeks,,I think I'd panic if I ever get one that doesn't since I'm used to that 12 week mark LOL..


I also am use to my dogs' ears going up early so when Akbar's ears didn't go up and stay up till he was 14ish weeks, I paniced badly, even made the breeder worry since I freaked out so much. Now I feel stupid, lol. Of course that experience was new to me since both Cody and Isa's ears went up around 8-9wks and stayed up. 

I've heard of some dogs' ear's going up at almost a year so you have hope. Though I wouldn't hold off on the ear taping thing, I'd do it now.


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## triordan (Dec 5, 2008)

dresdens ears were up/ down until almost 6 months, i bought "supplies" just in case they werent up by 6 months~ have they _ever_ been up before today? marrow bones also help strenghten the muscles around the ears...i did start using yogurt at 5 months


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

He gets a tablespoon per meal of yogurt and I give him about two marrow bones a week to chew on. He's pretty good to go when it comes to that stuff. We will see how it goes tomorrow. I will probably wait until 6 months to use the ear forms.


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## georgiapeach717 (Jan 28, 2010)

Clover's ears are no where NEAR ready to come up...as a matter of fact, i thought they WERE on the way up and then overnight last night the folded WAY down again like when he was 8 weeks!!! LOL! I agree his ears are coming up on their own. I hear chewies (like rawhides) can help build ear muscle. and to also massage the ears (if you can do so without them shredding your hands and arms like mine, sigh) I think they will be up and perfect in less than 3 more weeks! I am willing to bet a new wubba on that one!


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## georgiapeach717 (Jan 28, 2010)

I have to add....that pic of him in the crate still has me laughing. poor thing looks so sad...like he knows you are home and wondering why you are taking pics of him instead of playing with him! LOL!! Such a cute cute boy!


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

That was his sad face. My gf comes home at lunch to feed him. She took the pic just before putting him back in the crate. Thats his, "Your leaving again?" Face.


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## georgiapeach717 (Jan 28, 2010)

awww poor guy.


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

They look like they want to go up. But like others I would tape them now. Helping can't hurt.


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## triordan (Dec 5, 2008)

so how are they looking today??


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

I agree that they look like they want to come up.

Personally, I don't think it's any coincidence that they were standing after training...  Just keep doing what you're doing with the bones aand I would make sure he gets plenty of running time. My puppy has some pretty monster ears, and I found that they stood better when I gave him lots of time in our big kennel as opposed to his crate. Something about having the ability to move around and keep his ears erect rather than just laying down in his crate seemed to help.


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## Lila (Dec 7, 2009)

Don't be too quick to want the puppy stages to pass... and that includes the "floppies".

These two pictures were taken 4 months apart. The first is at 9 weeks and the second at 6 months. Time flies and so does the puppy stage. Maybe I got cheated and got a horse?




















Several reputable breeders have told me that if the ears stand up "at all" in the first 6 months they're going to stand up. Dunno what others experiences are but it seems to be true. Like the others here have said chewies (not on people!), jaw strength, tuggies, all those things make it happen sooner.


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

Ya know thats weird, Kilos ears have ALWAYS been up. SInce I got him at 7 weeks.
Is that strange?
Like his ears never went through that cutie floppy stage.
Well one ear did for like day....


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

I'm ok with them being floppy, if I knew for a fact they would go up. They didn't really do anything this morning. His ears were just like they are in the last pic when I left for work.


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

I don't know how the bought ear forms work, but we yarned the ears together like the sheltie folks so they weren't brought in so tight across the head. It does take ears awhile to firm up. If there is any doubt, I put them up and then tie or tape to have them at the right set on the head.


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

*ears tied*

I am okay with floppy ears on a puppy, but if I don't get a good feeling I am going to put them up. If you really think they are coming up, it would save the hassle to let if happen naturally. Your decision.

I have had some up at 6 weeks that never fell and others that struggled along.
Genetics, ear size and leather strength... all that.


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

Here are some pics from today. I'm going to upload a video in a few minutes.


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

Hey, they're up!


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

Looks like he didn't need help afterall.


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

Yeah they still flop up and down, but today has been a great day. They are still up as we speak! I'm confident that I do not need to tape now. I truely believe that teething is the cause of ears delaying on going up. He had all four of his baby canines last week, they were slightly going up but not much. He lost two since then, and they are up alot more now! Video is coming soon. It takes forever to upload. 

I'm really just being an idiot in the video, but I want people to see his ears up, and you can still see them flopping around, lol.


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)




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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

Back down today.


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## lrodptl (Nov 12, 2009)

ch3ckpo1nt said:


> Back down today.


I wouldn't worry about those ears at all.


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

I wonder why they could do so well yesterday and go right back down today?


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## CainGSD (Nov 15, 2003)

He's a puppy and they love to STRESS us out over the ears. It's like an unwritten puppy code of behavior.

I'd keep doing what you are doing and if it makes YOU feel better massage the ear upwards. He's cute as can be and I bet the ears will be up once the teething is complete.


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

CainGSD said:


> He's a puppy and they love to STRESS us out over the ears. It's like an unwritten puppy code of behavior.
> 
> I'd keep doing what you are doing and if it makes YOU feel better massage the ear upwards. He's cute as can be and I bet the ears will be up once the teething is complete.


Well thank you for the reassurance! I've got some faith now at least.


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## georgiapeach717 (Jan 28, 2010)

oh my gosh...how freaking CUTE is he????? On my way to FL next month...can I take him to play with Clover on the beach? He is so sweet I wanna shmush his face!

His ears look great to me...I am thinking the teething thing too!


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

Haha, well I know a few of us in the bay area were planning on a dog day sometime in March.


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

Also, you may want to smush his face now, but not when you are here with him. While you are smushing his face, he is biting your ears and nose.


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## georgiapeach717 (Jan 28, 2010)

i am nursing a split lip from clover...why not add a split ear! then i can match my husband!!! 

hmmmm when in March?


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

The thread hasn't been updated really. It was just an idea thread. Talk to GSDsunshine, we were thinking about waiting until March because thats when she is coming down to this area as well.


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## georgiapeach717 (Jan 28, 2010)

i am headed down to Daytona to see the grandparents from the 17-20th  Hint hint nudge nudge, lol!!!


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

Lol.


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

Some more pics of Damian. The last few days his ears have been up about 20-30% of the day. Usually, his left ear is always standing and the right ear is the one that drops alot. He seems to be in HEAVY teething mode right now. He will be relatively calm and all of the sudden go nuts jumping on me and biting on me. He will not listen at all. He got ahold of my sweatshirt sleeve while doing this and all of a sudden he just calms down and bites down on my sleeve. The first time it happened, I didn't think anything of it until he stopped. My sleeve was covered in blood. This has happened a couple times since, I usually redirect to a frozen wash cloth or something. I've never had a pup at this age so I'm not familiar with teething. He seems like he bleeds pretty bad when this happens. Is this normal? Could this also be why his ears are still weak? He lost all of his baby teeth of last week I believe. 

Here is some pics with his ears up:


















And here is a picture as to what his ears do throughout most of the day:










Should I still be concerned with his ears?


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I hear their ears tend to go down when they teeth, and since his ears are up some of the time, that's great.

Have you spoken to the breeder to see if this is 100% normal with their dogs and the rest of the litter?


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

Yeah but his ears never actually stood before. They didn't start standing until he started to teethe.


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

MaggieRoseLee said:


> I hear their ears tend to go down when they teeth, and since his ears are up some of the time, that's great.
> 
> Have you spoken to the breeder to see if this is 100% normal with their dogs and the rest of the litter?



Well the breeder said to not tape until 7 months. But EVERYONE here says 5-6 months. I figure its a good sign that they are up sometimes, I just don't want to lose the window of opportunity.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

ch3ckpo1nt said:


> Well the breeder said to not tape until 7 months. But EVERYONE here says 5-6 months. I figure its a good sign that they are up sometimes, I just don't want to lose the window of opportunity.


I see what you mean, I haven't ever had to tape my dogs (all up by about 12 weeks or so) but that's normal for working line dogs. 

If people here suggest 5 -6 months from personal experience, I'd maybe be thinking about it too.


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

MaggieRoseLee said:


> I see what you mean, I haven't ever had to tape my dogs (all up by about 12 weeks or so) but that's normal for working line dogs.
> 
> If people here suggest 5 -6 months from personal experience, I'd maybe be thinking about it too.


Yeah, the only reason I've been hesitating is because they show signs of going up. I mean, the past couple of days they have gone up for a couple hours at a time.


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## lrodptl (Nov 12, 2009)

If you're worried then a piece of moleskin in each ear won't hurt. Fritz' left ear has been moleskin and taped for 2 weeks. When the tape comes off I redo it (almost daily). The ear was up last time the tape came off but I redid it anyway as this window will close permanently soon. I also find a lot of blood on his tennis balls and in his mouth.


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## HeidiW (Apr 9, 2009)

Looks like your making progress, he is such a handsome boy, you want those ears up.
He definite has soft years, they will get stronger as he gets older Bella had really soft ears too. You just want them strong in the right direction. 

Try not to crate him to much, because he maybe laying in his crate with his ear folded down, is it a plastic or wire crate?


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

Wire crate.


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## HeidiW (Apr 9, 2009)

That is better than Plastic for ears! Well keep us posted he may just go up now on his own. I helped one of Bella's along.


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

How the plastic is worse?


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

Plastic crates tend to be not as tall and they're solid, so they push the ears down. Wire crates tend to be taller and the ears often will stand through the bars.

That said, I have also known someone who had dogs who had hematomas in the ears develop from the dog banging it's head into the top of a wire crate. (The major barking and bouncing you get at protection training)


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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)




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## ch3ckpo1nt (Nov 30, 2009)

The left ear insert fell out. The ear is floppy when he walks or runs, but other than that, it sticks straight up. I would say its a success so far.


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## TSA (May 17, 2010)

How are the ears now???


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