# How exactly do I tape up ears?



## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

Hi All,

Winnie is 17 weeks old and his right ear is still only popping up every now and then. He's still teething and the breeder assures me they will go up, he just has big ears, but i'm just worried that if it doesn't go up soon it never will. I know people 'tape up' their dogs ears but how exactly is this done? I tried this morning with a band-aid and it worked to keep the ear up but he just sat there looking miserable so I took it off. I'm sure there is a better way. Also, how long do yo recommend to keep it taped? A week? Two weeks? I will try adding vitamin c and gelatin to his food too as recommended by Flippedstars (thanks!) coz i'm deperate to get this little cutie's ear up!


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## pam6400 (Oct 5, 2008)

Why would you tape up his ear?


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## CHITheresa (Apr 30, 2011)

You don't need to tape it. They will go up on their own. just be patient..


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

> Why would you tape up his ear?


Apparently taping it so it stays in the upright position can help it stay that way after the tape is removed. As you can see from my siggy pic little Winnie has one floppy ear and I'd like to help it along a bit.


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

> You don't need to tape it. They will go up on their own. just be patient..


I'm just worried because both his littermates have their ears up so it really should be up by now.


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## pupluv168 (Mar 7, 2012)

Often, their ears don't perk up until after they are through teething. Max's didn't perk up until he was over 10 months old. I've been told that taping her ear is not good for them, but I don't know if that's true or not. Toby's and Rocky's both went up around 5ish months, so you may just need to play the waiting game. I really think it depends on the dog's individual traits. If they aren't up by 6-8 months, maybe then I would start to worry.


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## AussieLass (Mar 1, 2012)

Hey Sarah, check out this page to see how the Russians do it - it looks like some sort of thin reinforcing wire under the tape, which makes a lot more sense than just normal soft tape imo: http://chihua.ru/main.phtml?clon=main&rubrica=70&lang=eng&lastposit=25


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

> it looks like some sort of thin reinforcing wire under the tape, which makes a lot more sense than just normal soft tape


Yeah, that makes more sense to me too! Was wondering how tape alone was going to do the job. The ear is really trying to get there, it's popping up and down constantly, I think it just needs a little help.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Do you have breathe right strips? That you put on the bridge of your nose to open nasal passages and stop snoring? That's what people here in the US use for ear taping.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

I was going to mention the breathe right strips as well.


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

> Do you have breathe right strips? That you put on the bridge of your nose to open nasal passages and stop snoring? That's what people here in the US use for ear taping.


I have to go to the pharmacy for myself today so I will check it out.


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## Mona Lisa's Smile (Mar 16, 2012)

Ah...I was also going to mention breathe rite strips. There is a page of instructions somewhere...I'll see if I can find them...


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## OzChi (Oct 26, 2011)

Ok, I have the breathe right strips and I'm awaiting further instructions.


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## bayoumah (Nov 30, 2010)

Hi just checking in to see if you taped little winston ears im pretty sure when its time they will both stand tall he sure is a darling little fellow


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

Wipe down the inside of the ear with alcohol. Cut off one end of the strip. Affix the wider part of the strip to the lower part of the ear. It works better if you have Torbot skinbond cement (diabetic product) on the strip. Otherwise the older dogs can scratch out the strips in a hot hurry.


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## Mouvelous (May 31, 2012)

ive seen this done 2 ways one is taking a long strip of tape on both ears long ways put tape on front and back the tape proping the ears to stand straight this can easily bee done with small breeds there ears dont weight to much . the other is tape the whole ear up individually kind of like tape atteneas. its a very common practice with bloth floppy and standing ear to tape them to get them to do what you want them to do. Ive even heard of people tapping there own ears back when they stand out to much. 
.


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## Kalisee (Jun 1, 2012)

I think he looks cute like that...it will go up eventually, I dont know if forcing it will do anything. When all else fails scotch tape and popsicle sticks


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## KittyD (Apr 2, 2010)

I guess there are varying schools of thought on this matter.
Unless you plan to show and it's 100% necessary that he have both ears perfectly standing I don't think I would personally be taping the dogs ears.

Regardless what some think/feel I am sure it's somewhat uncomfortable for the dog and if the end does not match the means I'd probably let it go.

He's still so young and darling as is!


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## Mona Lisa's Smile (Mar 16, 2012)

Oh my gosh...I don't have the instructions, I'll get them from my friend. She got them from her breeder. I remember we shaved her pup's ear and cut the strip in half and used a special kind of glue. It was on her ear for about a week and that's all it took to get her ear up. ....BUT - it seemed to take forever to grow the hair back on the ear.


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## 4bsingreece (Apr 11, 2012)

I was concerned that Chloe's ears would not go up. Her sister ears were up at 10 weeks. It took till about 20-23 weeks for them to stand on their own.


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## 4bsingreece (Apr 11, 2012)

Here is a picture of her today at 23 weeks


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## Chi Nation (Mar 7, 2012)

*I'm curious how teething would stop the ear from standing? Why does that happen?
*


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