# 13 weeks...vet said glue or tape them????



## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

I am so confused.......I have never known a breed to have so much conflicting info! Went to vet today for conjunctivitis and they mentioned I really need to get those ears up by way of glueing or taping....HELP!

I was thinking if this is the case I'd rather try fabric glue, don't want to scare him by taping so young.....any comments on what type of fabric glue, I can't find tear mender here....


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## Andy-jr. (Mar 1, 2010)

At 13 weeks I would leave them alone. Wait untill he is done teething and then if there still not up then worry about putting them up. My pups ears didn't go up untill he was 4-4.5 months old.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

That's what I thought BUT then when your vet says....those creases look big....you need to do something it makes you wonder. He's not loosing teeth yet....but is growing like a weed, gained 9 pounds in 2 1/12 weeks! Just so freaking confused...


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Well, for anyone who wonders when is it too late....Hondo is 8 months old and his ears are just now standing 100% of the time. Actually, one still flops every once in a while. My vet said if they stood at all when he was young, they'll both be standing by the time he is 1 year old. If they don't....oh well.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

that's what I thought....here I went in for eye issue and left with ear issue....his try to come up from time to time when he is running around.....just freaked me out that I SHOULD be doing something that I'm not!


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

However is regular tear mender glue ok? I just located some at a fabric store near by in the event I need it soon.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

If he is still teething, there isn't any reason to even worry about it. My boy plays very rough with our Golden. I was concerned that if I did tape his ears, they'd get torn during play. 

Every once in a while I'll use the nose strips on the ear that still flops. But I didn't start that till he was about 6 months old and the only time his ears stood was when the wind blew them up.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Thank you everyone for commenting.......


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## The Judge (Mar 26, 2010)

If the vet thinks there is a issue with a crease. Just glue the ears. I dont see how it could hurt anything. Better be safe then sorry.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

all is can find is tear mender glue (regular kind) at hancock fabric, is that ok to use????


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## The Judge (Mar 26, 2010)

I used tear mender. No clue they had more than one kind. It worked GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

so I just glue them up attaching on the inner sides all the way up, right?


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## The Judge (Mar 26, 2010)

Not all the way down two his head. I left about 2 inches above his head than glue like a teepee. His ears are glued in the pic if that helps.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

ok, the pic helps...so it's really midway up the ear to the tip...
Edges need to be perfect???


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## milkmoney11 (Feb 11, 2010)

I heard from my breeder and also read on a website that if you have seen the ears up on occasion, they will eventually stand on their own without any help. Its the ears that you have NEVER seen standing up you have to worry about. Take that for what its worth.


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## The Judge (Mar 26, 2010)

Ours were a little sloppy. Just put a little glue on your finger. It will last only a couple of days that way. If it goes easy and you get a hang of it put more glue so it will stay longer.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

okay, going to get some tomorrow, wear him out with my mini flirtpole and see if I can do it....at the moment the leash is a toy to him so walking to burn off energy doesn't cut it.... I will post how it goes!


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## The Judge (Mar 26, 2010)

Good luck.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

tear mender is perfect to use..


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Thanks I have a feeling I am going to need it....and my hands and arms......LOL


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

Don't mess with his ears for another couple of months. It looks like Jake has some big ears, but they take time to go up...If there is a crease you can usually feel it. You can also damage the ears if you try to glue or tape improperly and I would bet that your pups ears will be just fine with time. If you're nervous ask the breeder about her dogs and other pups. 

This dog had improperly taped ears and now has permanent puppy ears.










Argos at 12 weeks had some pretty windswept ears. The one was pretty floppy.









At 4 months the one was still down.









By 6.5 months ears were good.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I also got tear mender removal stuff, (when I was glueing my aussies ears DOWN

It's kind of like a soft soap, and works great removing any mess or mistake you make with the glue itself.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

this is last week....but nothing this week.....


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

I hope this pic helps everyone one weigh in....seems the left one tries for a few seconds, at least it did last week and when he is running they perk....but soon as he stops.....down it goes...

After all the reading I have done I thought it very odd she tried to get me to tape or glue asap...I understand the "window" concept but as far as I understand it I am not in it yet....


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

I think they'll be fine. You can give things like bully sticks to chew on to help build the muscles that support the ears, and I actually found that the more active and outside my dogs were the better their ears did. It's almost like if they were crated alot and more inactive the more floppy their ears were. We used to call them sleepy ears, because it's how they looked when they got up from sleeping.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

This was taken Friday, one up and one down....


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## bianca (Mar 28, 2010)

OMG he is adorable! Floppy ear and all!!!!! It's funny but everyone I speak to here (Australia: owners, breeders and vets so far) don't seem to worry about it as much. Molly still only has one ear up at times and she is over 6 months and they all seem to think that they will come up...."don't panic Bianca". I admit I am just leaving them to their own devices.  Although I would like them to both be up!


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## 4loveofadog (Mar 3, 2010)

to jklatsky - what are bully sticks, at what age can they have them? jakeandrenee your dog is adorable. he just looks like an adolescent.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Thanks! He is acting like one, too! As you can see I changed avatars and still one ear up...the left one comes up when play hard with the flirt pole.
He is 15 weeks (3.5 months) I have the glue on standby while I hold my breath....


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Bully sticks are dried bull penises. Sounds gross, but dogs love them, and I know they saved my sanity a few times when I had puppies. Now my dogs get one a couple times a week and they can go through a 12" long stick in no more than 10 or 15 minutes, but when they were younger a 5-6" one would last a half hour. 

Renee, at 3-1/2 months old he's really too young to worry about the ears yet. The stage in your avatar pic is VERY common, and it's also really normal for ears that are up completely at a young age to go up and down during teething. If you look at the pictures in this forum you'll see all sorts of weird ear stuff going on!


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Halo, before we got her - both ears up at 7 weeks old:










2 weeks later, the Conehead phase:










First day home (10 weeks old), left ear up, right ear flopping inward:










Oops, left ear tipped over at 12 weeks old!










A week and a half later, my favorite phase, the Flying Nun :wub:










Puppy class at 14 weeks old - "my ears have fallen and I can't get them up!" :wild:










And a week later, both ears are totally up:


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

I have a HUGE bag of bully sticks, unfortunately both times he had one. (he LOVED) he threw up...so, I am waiting another month or so to try again. I spent 200.00 on a huge bag of jumbo 12'' sticks....figures they made him sick...LOL I do see so many pics that look just like Jake, I really do but once you get reading your mind goes amuck!


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

A 12" stick is a lot for a puppy, that might have something to do with it. I gave the smaller size to mine when they were little, and then when they started blowing through them in 5 minutes we graduated to the bigger size. 

I know it's hard to not to be paranoid about ears when it's your own puppy, but try not to worry. You can always tape or glue if you need to once he's done teething, but I guessing that won't be necessary.


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

Come on....gluing ears at 13 weeks of age? You got to be kidding me... 

Give that dog some time. It's a baby, of course they are going to be floppy!


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## HMV (May 17, 2010)

Mrs.K said:


> Come on....gluing ears at 13 weeks of age? You got to be kidding me...
> 
> Give that dog some time. It's a baby, of course they are going to be floppy!


I agree, you should also avoid the temptation to play with the ears during the puppy age, If you stroke them backward you take the risk of breaking the veins and capillaries in them which supply the blood to make them stand.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

He's almost 16 weeks, the original thread was from weeks ago.....the vet said back then JUST DO IT but I have not touched them. I agree with waiting...just want to be sure I don't MISS window need be....
About bully sticks.....he only ate about 2 inches of it before he quit....he didn't eat very much at all.


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## kensbuns1 (May 19, 2010)

Chewey's ears were the same way, I say give it time.


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

jakeandrenee said:


> He's almost 16 weeks, the original thread was from weeks ago.....the vet said back then JUST DO IT but I have not touched them. I agree with waiting...just want to be sure I don't MISS window need be....
> About bully sticks.....he only ate about 2 inches of it before he quit....he didn't eat very much at all.


Even 16 weeks is way to young to even think about touching the ears. 

Give the puppy time. Seriously. You'd screw up more than it would do any good. Wait until after the teething.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

and that is roughly at six months? Well those of you who said to wait all say the same thing....I could mess them up and that's the very last thing I want for Jake...I will revisit this thread in two months with an update....and hopefully a pic of a gorgeous GSD pup with both ears up!


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

I guess a person could mess up the ears, yes. I am sure it has been done. But, I have taped or helped with taping lots of ears in pups and no ears were messed up but rather stand nicely.


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## HMV (May 17, 2010)

Why don't you do a Poll to get a rough idea of success rates and effectiveness of taping vs unassisted development, something like:

1) My GSDs ears drooped after I had tried taping them
2) I never taped the ears and they droop
3) I never taped the ears and they stand erect
4) I taped the ears and they are erect

To give nature a fair chance I would only make it open to people who have or have had GSDs over 9 months old. Then on the results of the poll make your decision.


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## gsd_bella (Aug 6, 2006)

If the ear is badly creased I wouldn't wait until 6 months to tape it, I'd probably start taping at 4.5 - 5 months.


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

Sometimes you can kind of tell if you might have an issue. Creases that are persistent of very heavy ear leather would inspire me to tape. After seeing a number of ear issues, I have no problem with pre-emptive taping. I don't breed.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Good morning,

ok, here he is today, they were both up for a bout 20 minutes....


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

bump...


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

They seem to be staying up!!!!!


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## Wolfiesmom (Apr 10, 2010)

Wolfies ears were up at 8 weeks. The breeder told us that, and I believe her since I saw 1 of her 6 week old pups with ears starting to stand. Chiefy's ears weren't up at 13 weeks. We never taped them, and they came up strong. I don't remember when it was that they were fully up, but at 12 weeks they were starting to stand. I have this pic of him at 11 weeks. Maybe because it's just one ear on Jake that isn't standing has the vet concerned.


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## Wolfiesmom (Apr 10, 2010)

Wow I didn't see the latest pics before I posted. The ears are looking good! Jake is a handsome boy!


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

I need to update my avitar but the left one is also up.....16 weeks!!!!! YIPPPEEEE!


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## gsd_bella (Aug 6, 2006)

Yay for ears!  So happy for you


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## bianca (Mar 28, 2010)

Oh my goodness, Jake is even more adorable with both his ears up if that's even possible to look cuter!!!!!!


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

Thank you I was nervous! So far the left one is still up, it's a little funky looking..but UP!!!!


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