# are they taped wrong? :(



## rich91 (Sep 23, 2013)

hi

I have a GSD (possible mix) of 4.5 months old

his ears are not up but barely stand on their own sometimes and especially when he looks down.

seing them so heavy and still floppy i decided to go ahead and do what most ppl do and tape them

please tell me if i did it wrong from the pics
is it still too early?...how long should i keep them taped?


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

Why are you taping your mix's ears?

Even if he was a purebred GSD, I wouldn't tape them until at least 6 months.


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

I wouldn't bother taping a mix's ears, they're either going to stand or not based on genetics and which genes are strongest. I also agree 6 months would be the earliest I would worry personally


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Shade said:


> I wouldn't bother taping a mix's ears, they're either going to stand or not based on genetics and which genes are strongest. I also agree 6 months would be the earliest I would worry personally


I'm not saying he should be taping them. But can't that be said for purebreds as well then?
They're either going to stand or not based on genetics. 

So why tape any dog's ears? Just trying to follow the logic


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

lalachka said:


> I'm not saying he should be taping them. But can't that be said for purebreds as well then?
> They're either going to stand or not based on genetics.
> 
> So why tape any dog's ears? Just trying to follow the logic
> ...


Taping gives them a *chance* of standing, but there's no guarantee even with proper taping any dog’s ears will stand. I'm not against taping a purebred's ears for a breed that are meant to stand to try and help if needed, but taping a mix where the chance could be slim to none depending on the genetics...personally I wouldn't bother. But that's just my opinion 

OP - something you could do is contact a local GSD breeder, preferably a SL breeder as they deal with soft ears more often then WL and get them to teach you how to properly do them. I don't have enough experience to comment on whether you did it right or not but I would get someone experienced to look at it just to make sure.


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## rich91 (Sep 23, 2013)

I know that they can eait till 6 months but i feel like they are growing thicker everyday in the wrong un erect position so i dunno if i should panic and tape them...would it hurt to keep them taped for 3 days

I dun think there's a down side to taping unless sone1 can tell me about it

He's a handsome dog but i prefer erect ears on the cute and floppy ones...

What do u think? Remove the tapes or try a bit?

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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Shade said:


> Taping gives them a *chance* of standing, but there's no guarantee even with proper taping any dog’s ears will stand. I'm not against taping a purebred's ears for a breed that are meant to stand to try and help if needed, but taping a mix where the chance could be slim to none depending on the genetics...personally I wouldn't bother. But that's just my opinion


I wouldn't either lol

I just can't help myself when I see something that doesn't make total sense and I must ask)))))


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Find a good GSD breeder and ask their opinon, they should give you honest advice and help you if they think it may work.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Back to the taping. Is it done right? It doesn't look like it to me but I don't know what it should look like but this looks like it's squashing them. 

Also, why not stand them up like doberman's ears. I saw they stand them up and keep something between them to have them stay that way. 


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## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

lalachka said:


> Also, why not stand them up like doberman's ears. I saw they stand them up and keep something between them to have them stay that way.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


It's not the same. Doberman don't have naturally standing ears, they are surgically cut and stitched into an erect position with foam and tape to keep them in place while they heal to get them to stand erect. It doesn't always work and should always be done by a professional with experience in cropping to have the best chances of success.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Shade said:


> It's not the same. Doberman don't have naturally standing ears, they are surgically cut and stitched into an erect position with foam and tape to keep them in place while they heal to get them to stand erect. It doesn't always work and should always be done by a professional with experience in cropping to have the best chances of success.


I only mentioned them because people are essentially aiming for the same results, ears up, not on top of each other. 

So I thought maybe not folding them and keeping them propped up was the way to go

I might be wrong, I don't know anything about it. Just guessing what would make sense


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## rich91 (Sep 23, 2013)

Well i followed a youtube video how to-
They are folded and not tight at all...they are held only with taoe without any plastic or pencil thing attached...his ears have the form but need a little help i think

If genetically it's not gonna happen well then i hope me taping them for a bit won't do any harm...

Any1 with a little exp on this one?
I'm from lebanon...we don't have certified breeders nor pedigree's :/

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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

rich91 said:


> Well i followed a youtube video how to-
> They are folded and not tight at all...they are held only with taoe without any plastic or pencil thing attached...his ears have the form but need a little help i think
> 
> If genetically it's not gonna happen well then i hope me taping them for a bit won't do any harm...
> ...


I hope someone comes on who can help. The only thing i do know is that if you tape them wrong you can mess up the ears (I saw a pic from someone here where that happened). 

A few days though won't matter, it won't mess anything up but it won't fix it either. IMO 


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## rich91 (Sep 23, 2013)

Guys...i removed my dog's tapes today to replace with new ones....the left ear stood by itself for a bit but now they are both half standing with a stronger base than i've seen before...

I think we have progress 

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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

rich91 said:


> Guys...i removed my dog's tapes today to replace with new ones....the left ear stood by itself for a bit but now they are both half standing with a stronger base than i've seen before...
> 
> I think we have progress
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Good luck))))))


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## Dbrooke407 (Apr 18, 2013)

Kane is purebred and it took 7 months before his ears stood completely erect. I'd just give it some time. 


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I once had an Italian Greyhound whose ears stood up, so the opposite "problem". I folded and taped them in the correct (according to us crazy humans) shape and when my son saw that, he told me flat out, "you are crazy!" I took another look at the dog and knew he was right. So the dog lived happily ever after with erect ears.
It teaches you acceptance. Kids are a lot smarter than most adults in that department.
While I am at it; I was teaching kids at a camp in a local about the crop and dock procedures as most kids thought that these breeds were born that way. Some look horrified and one boy asked, "Why would they do that?"


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

Also, taping can do more harm than good and actually keep them from standing. 

There's no guarantee they'll stand if he's purebred GSD, even less so if he's a mix. 

Whatever will be will be-- either way he'll still be adorable.


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