# Taped ears for a week, made it worse?



## Bri624 (Jul 20, 2017)

Hello everyone, so I have an almost 6 month old male german shepherd with huge ears. Since I have had him at 7 weeks his ears have always been floppy with them periodically standing inside, but mainly only when he is outside. Then occasionally he has one up and the other down. He just lost his last tooth yesterday and his adult teeth are still pushing through. I decided to take it upon myself to start taping his ears this past week however. My GSD decided to get the one off in his crate last night though and considering it hasn't even been a full week the one has now been standing most of the day. Since the other ear had no tape I decided just to take the tape off the other ear as well and retape come Saturday. When I took the tape off he other ear it was completely floppy but like bent over the front floppy. He has a noticeable crease where the bend is so I am actually thinking maybe I made it worse with how it was taped possibly. This ear was the better ear before being taped as well. Both his parents have huge ears, with the moms not coming up til 7/8 months and the dads never came up but stayed floppy at about halfway down the ear. Anyways sorry for the long post but I am wondering if the one ear with the bend is doomed? If I retape it do you think it would work possibly? Pictures are attached. Currently as I sit here inside with him both his ears are standing, with the one bad one bending over every now and then. Pictures include his ears before taping both up and down then taped and after taping with the bend. Also the picture with the taped ears was beforeI fixed the ear on the right because the foam was moved up to high. I did fix it though and moved it down into the ear more. That ear ended up being the one now standing. Thanks in advance!


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## Stangbait (Sep 21, 2017)

I don't have experience personally with this, but I follow the_island_dog on Instagram and they glued a foam insert into her ear (as recommended by their breeder) and it worked. I think they had it in there for about a month at most?

Indy is still a super cutie with his helicopter ears, I love those! :smile2:


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## camperbc (Sep 19, 2017)

Your dog is only 6 months old, for goodness sake. His ears will most likely stand up permanently on their own, in due time... if you leave them alone. I really don't understand this obsession that owners have with their GS's ears. If they are meant to stand up, they will. If not, well... why bother messing around with nature? Surely you would not feel any less about your dog based solely on the shape of his ears, right?

Glen
Focus On Newfoundland


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

Should they be wrapped so tightly?


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Hi Bri!

They might stand.....they might not.....

Make sure that you get some knowledgeable instruction before taping his ears.

Here are a couple of things you can do to strengthen puppy ears.
1. Ear Exercise: Whistle or make a sound that will “perk up” the dogs’ ears. Do this about 30 times per day.
2. Give them large raw (not cooked) real bones: There are 150 muscles in the jaw that when exercised strengthen the ears due to the gnawing, tugging and chewing the bone. Introduce at short intervals as the rich marrow material or bone fragments could cause diarrhea. 
3. Feed one or two RAW skinless chicken necks daily. It has naturally occurring calcium. 
Or
4. *Unflavored *Gelatin powder (no sweetener's/no fat) - Supports cartilage development. 
Feed this every day for at least 4-6 weeks. 
Moisten the kibble with water and sprinkle on food 2 x daily:
2 teaspoons (50-75 lbs)
1 to 1 ½ Tablespoons (75-100 lbs) 
*A one ounce box contains 4 envelopes of Gelatin (each packet contains about 2 ½ tsp.). This is found by the “Jello” in the grocery store. It is made from animal collagen. The brand name is Knox Unflavored Gelatin or Great Lakes Unflavored Gelatin. 
*Great Lakes Gelatin can be bought in larger, cost efficient packages here: https://www.amazon.com/Great-Lakes-..._rd_wg=OIU2e&refRID=78KSA5C26MM7M5XR16VJ&th=1 

****DO NOT* use a “Calcium” supplement. 

5. Gently pinch the base of the ears together and massage the base without bending the upper ear. 
6. Make sure that his/her ears are not touching the top of the crate (crate pushes ears down) when sitting or standing.

Good luck!
Moms


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## Bri624 (Jul 20, 2017)

Thank you! I was thinking of trying the foam insert since he hates the tape and it is really difficult to get him to sit still and not bite at us lol


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## Bri624 (Jul 20, 2017)

Thecowboysgirl said:


> Should they be wrapped so tightly?


I actually didn't wrap them that tightly at least I thought I didn't. I looked at a lot of pictures before taping and other people's looked a lot tighter and went around the entire ear. I left room for them to breathe, but tape do just enough hat they would hold the foam in place since it kept falling out.


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## Bri624 (Jul 20, 2017)

camperbc said:


> Your dog is only 6 months old, for goodness sake. His ears will most likely stand up permanently on their own, in due time... if you leave them alone. I really don't understand this obsession that owners have with their GS's ears. If they are meant to stand up, they will. If not, well... why bother messing around with nature? Surely you would not feel any less about your dog based solely on the shape of his ears, right?
> 
> Thank you for your concern. I would not feel any less about my dog if they do not stand up. I will love him either way. I am simply asking for any suggestions on what can be done as of right now to at least try. It does not hurt the dog and does not effect him in any way. I don't see the problem with at least trying. Also, Germans are more likely prone to get ear infections with floppy ears, so if anything it isn't beneficial to have them up if they can go up. It would also be nice not to have to explain to others that I have a GSD and not a lab. Either way if anything I tried. If they don't go up they don't go up. I will love my Indy either way floppy ears and all.


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## Stangbait (Sep 21, 2017)

camperbc said:


> Your dog is only 6 months old, for goodness sake. His ears will most likely stand up permanently on their own, in due time... if you leave them alone. I really don't understand this obsession that owners have with their GS's ears. If they are meant to stand up, they will. If not, well... why bother messing around with nature? Surely you would not feel any less about your dog based solely on the shape of his ears, right?
> 
> Glen
> Focus On Newfoundland


I think there is also a health issue aspect to trying to get the ears to be upright. Folded ears trap moisture and can be more prone to infections. The dog I posted goes in the ocean everyday and they didn't want the seawater getting trapped in her folded ear and causing problems.


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## Hellish (Jul 29, 2017)

Bri624 said:


> It would also be nice not to have to explain to others that I have a GSD and not a lab.


Sadly, you will get this whether his ears are up or down. It is the curse of shepherds that are not your familliar black and tan / saddleback coloration. :frown2:


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

Well, the problem with at least trying....is the potential of damaging them and making them worse, which is why your here. The thing is - no one can prove that taping works. You just can't. Can't be certain that they wouldn't have eventually gone up w/o tape, and many have remained floppy despite tape. You already know that one parent has floppy ears and that the others didn't stand until 7/8 months. Your pup will most likely take after his parents... either way, I'd personally be doing nothing at 6 months knowing his background.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

My Shelby was a shelter pup. She is, at least, high content GSD. Her ears went up and down. Sometimes one up. Sometimes both up or both down. She is 3 years old now. I figured they would either go up or down for good. I was wrong. Her ears are HUGE. They are mostly down, but she can put them both up. And sometimes she still walks around with one up and one down. Shelby is an enigma. lol! I don't care. She's a beauty, whatever her ears do.

Enjoy your adorable pup!


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

The taping pictures look very sad and silly to me. The reason the ears are in this shape now, could be that they simply hurt. Even in adult dogs with erect ears, they they go sideways or even down when irritated by something. In the pictures there are spots that look like bruises or the hair came off with the tape removal. Leave them alone and try to enjoy your dog. He is beautiful as he is.


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## DaBai (Aug 13, 2017)

camperbc said:


> Your dog is only 6 months old, for goodness sake. His ears will most likely stand up permanently on their own, in due time... if you leave them alone. I really don't understand this obsession that owners have with their GS's ears. If they are meant to stand up, they will. If not, well... why bother messing around with nature? Surely you would not feel any less about your dog based solely on the shape of his ears, right?
> 
> Glen
> Focus On Newfoundland


I think 5/6 months is the right time to worry about ears actually. And I can personally relate to OP regarding the ears, I would feel upset myself if my GSD doesn't have erect ears, after all it is such a hallmark feature of the breed!

Best of luck OP and your dog is beautiful!


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

DaBai said:


> I think 5/6 months is the right time to worry about ears actually. And I can personally relate to OP regarding the ears, I would feel upset myself if my GSD doesn't have erect ears, after all it is such a hallmark feature of the breed!
> 
> Best of luck OP and your dog is beautiful!


agreed, it's the right time unless you are aware of the dog, genetically, being predisposed to having soft ears or late standing ears. I like erect ears too, but there was ways to stack those chances in your favor. If it were so important to me, I would not have chosen a pup from those parents. Otherwise... you just understand that it's a high risk and accept and enjoy your cute pup as a cute pup... more important concerns than ears from this breeding anyway.


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## HolyFriedFish (Mar 8, 2017)

Be aware that the whole "more prone to ear infection" argument is hotly debated. Most people these days seem to think it's entirely false. I don't buy into it myself, given how many breeds have floppy ears without a problem (breeds like basset hounds are sometimes different because of how extremely long their ears are; look at other breeds with relatively short ears that flop).

That said, I do understand wanting the ears to stand up. Of course you'll love your pup regardless, I think we all would, but sometimes there's an illogical nagging in our heads saying we want them up. There's nothing wrong with wanting them to stand. Ears add so much character to dogs, whether they stand, flop, or helicopter around.

Moms gave some good ideas. One thing I did with Schubert is give him chicken feet to chew. Everything I found said they're all around good for the dog. The chewing helps, and chicken feet have a pretty good natural source of gelatin. I can't promise it did much in the process of getting my pup's ears up, but his do stand (he's about 7.5 months old)

Schubert's ears stood outside much more quickly than inside. It made me think he just wasn't as interested in keeping them up indoors; I firmly believe he had them up outside partly because he wanted to hunt bugs, which has always been a favorite pastime of his. Anyway if your pup is putting them up outside, and therefore showing the ability to, I would try not to worry. If you do decide to go back to taping, see if you can find a vet or otherwise knowledgeable person to check that you're doing it right. Looking at pictures and watching videos is a great step, but imo there's no harm in getting a second opinion.


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## VickyNero (Nov 8, 2017)

I have to agree a lot with the last post.
Only read and seen most of this strange fascination with ear taping mostly in the US.
Never met one GSD owner in the UK that has or would ever tape a dogs ears.
I also agree a dog is not more prone to ear infections because they have floppy ears.
Neros ears were up at about 6 months but I know another GSD who's didn't stand up till 1.5 years.

If it does not matter what the dog looks like why does it matter if the ears are up or down.

In my opinion it is just another 'fashion' from the dog show world.


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## zeb1138 (Nov 7, 2017)

Stangbait said:


> I think there is also a health issue aspect to trying to get the ears to be upright. Folded ears trap moisture and can be more prone to infections. The dog I posted goes in the ocean everyday and they didn't want the seawater getting trapped in her folded ear and causing problems.


I think it depends on what you do with your dog. 

I have had quite a few Jack Russells in my life and their ears are intentionally flopped over to prevent dirt and twigs getting in the ear then they are running through brush or burrowing. Other hunting dogs have their ears docked because they can get caught on branches or bushes and get torn when running through a wooded area. 

Shepherd dogs aren't necessarily designed for that kind of thing (as they are, obviously, shepherding dogs). They are designed more for large open fields than forests or burrows. 

I don't think upright or flopped ears are necessarily a health risk one way or the other because upright ears are more prone to getting caught on things or getting dirt in them and flopped ears are more prone to accumulating moisture, like you said. Being aware about the risks specific to the ears in question is important so you can manage any complications, but I wouldn't say one kind of ear is superior to another kind from a purely functional purpose. Granted, the distinction IS important for show dogs, but I am speaking more practically than what is determined to be appropriate by breed standards.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

All these justifications for ears up or down, tails docked or not, dew claws on or off, ear cropped or not etc. Only humans are crazy like that. But I agree, as I am human, that it is nice when a GSD's ears stand finally.


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