Just a general question about a your thoughts on trying to correct soft ears in GSD's. I came across a post on another forum from someone who was absolutely gutted about the fact that their one of their GSD's ears had not stood up. They had decided to start "gluing" up the ear which was upsetting the dog and making it wee when they tried to restrain it in order to carry out the process. As an owner of a "floppy" GSD I remember being slightly disappointed at the time when I realised that Ben was going to have one ear up and one down. However, although I was vaguely aware it was possible to tape the ears up it was not something I seriously considered. Now I have a dog that I love to bits it does not seem important anymore. What are you views on taping or gluing of the ears? Have you tried it? Do you think it is fair to the dog?
I've seen people with pictures of their dogs ears taped. I don't like it really as they have to be like that for up to a month in some cases. If the dog has weak ears in its lines it may be inevitable that its ears flop, in which case, i don't see the point in trying. Glueing sounds a nasty business and if the dog doesn't like it in my opinion it shouldn't be done. I've heard that an increase in calcium or chewing on large bones can strengthen the tissue on the ears , apparently the chewing on the bone develops the jaw muscles which are linked to the ears which can help them stand up...bear in mind this is just what i've read. I also have a dog who should have upright ears but he has lovely floppy ears it doesn't make him any less of a dog. Would i have taped his ears?? no. I think if they are meant to come up they will. Alot of people don't like to see weak ears in their lines, but hey these things happen sometimes. For people with show dogs, if they have retained one from a litter they bred to find out the ears wouldn't come up i can see why they would do it, but personally if that was me i'd either keep the dog if i had space and do a different mating next time ( i believe both parents need to carry the gene) or i'd put it into a good pet home still at a reasonable age and try again...although i still do not like the idea of that much either! lol but then i'm not a hardcore breeder! the whole point of breeding is to improve on what you have, so i guess if you bred dogs with weak ears you should make sure they go to a good pet home that isn't fussed about it with a contract to have them neutered. I think the other thing that has to be taken into account is how old the dog is. If it was only 6 months, then there is still a chance the ears can come up, they go through stages with upright then floppy then upright again in some dogs, in others you might be lucky for the ears to go up and stay up. I beleive the depth of the ear leather is also a factor?? personally i wouldn't tape or glue. Ears should come up on their own
I've never come across it but IMO I would NEVER do anything like that. In my opinion it is cruel and you should accept your beautiful dog for who they are. If I knew someone who was going to do this, I personally would go mental at them and try to persuade them otherwise.
Absolutely wrong IMO. The owner of this dog should surely have the common sense to realise them trying to do this is upsetting the dog- so much so that it wets itself- why would someone want to continue to upset their dog just for the sake of cosmetic purposes. Ridiculous that someone would ask or try it in the first place...im sure they thought glue would be super comfortable for the dog
HI, I agree. Yiannis is only 5 months old and has 2 upright ears - well they were until he had an ear infection. Now his left ear is slightly floppy (possibly permanently according to the vet) and he holds it out sideways (a bit like a gremlin's ears!). But I don't care - it makes him look more cute even though he is a devil dog. At the end of the day a dogs ears are part of what and who they are and they should be left alone to develop naturally in any way determined genetically. I think to try to change a dog's features or phidical characteristics is basically wrong. If a person wants cosmetic surgery then so be it. Dogs don't care what they look like. Why can't people just accept their dogs for who they are and accept that although floppy ears may not be quite what they were expecting, it's part fo the dog and if they love their dog, they'll leave it's ears well alone. Laura xx
My GSDs ears have always been pricked, so I have never had to worry about it. I think I might be slightly disappointed if I had one with a floppy ear, but I would definitely not try and tape or glue (I can't believe anyone does that!) the dog's ear up. The dog my username is named after (Moobli) was a GSD who had a floppy ear. His breeder had suggested the ears should really be assisted no later than 7 months old, but if they were to be assisted to ... "take a template in cardboard of the inside of the ear, down to the first protruding bit, and shape it a little away from the edge and almost to the tip. When you are sure of the shape and felt (thin chiropodist felt) is cut correctly, wash the ear where the felt is going with soap and water, dry very thoroughly, then cut off any hair. When the ear is absolutely dry, peel off the paper on the felt, warm the sticky side slightly and place in the ear, pressing well on. This should stay put for three weeks". Apparently it did work for one ear, but the other drooped at the tip for the rest of his life. It all sounds like too much faff as far as I am concerned!
I was wondering if it is a common practice to tape ears in the UK? I get the impression it is done more often in the USA ......???
