Piper's mom
Moderator
I use rubbing alcohol on a cotton pad to very very slowly release the glue in the tape.
When should a Sheltie puppy's ears start coming up?
- Thread starter SRW
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- ears hound ears
SRW
Forums Enthusiast
I've got all the stuff I need now I think. Devon was 10 weeks old yesterday and his ears seem to be coming up just a tiny bit, meaning that they stick out from the side of his head just a little bit now rather than hanging straight down. I hate to do all this if I don't have to, but I am worried because of the picture of the father with floppy ears that I saw. Here's a picture of Devon taken yesterday. Any thoughts by anyone as to whether or not his ears will come up on their own?
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1RNi3WDYDiWoTKu6NAaH8B2TaEYZ_Ui-y
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1RNi3WDYDiWoTKu6NAaH8B2TaEYZ_Ui-y
Ann
Moderator
They may come up on their own....the trouble is, they may come all the way up. But you can monitor that and if you see them tending toward standing up, you can glue them down then. What I would do is to brace them together on top of his head at least, so as his head grows, his ears stay more on top of his head. As puppies grow, those ears will slide to the sides more than you'd like without some help.
All you need to do for that is to put a pinch of glue on your finger and take a piece of hair from about halfway down the inner side (not the inside, just the inner side) of each ear and glue them together so the ears are pulled to the top of the head. See if that's enough to control his ears. If you're lucky, you may not have to do the tips at all. On the other hand, if it looks like they're going hound, you will want to brace them.
All you need to do for that is to put a pinch of glue on your finger and take a piece of hair from about halfway down the inner side (not the inside, just the inner side) of each ear and glue them together so the ears are pulled to the top of the head. See if that's enough to control his ears. If you're lucky, you may not have to do the tips at all. On the other hand, if it looks like they're going hound, you will want to brace them.
SRW
Forums Enthusiast
OK, thanks. How does one keep a puppy still to do this? Devon is wild and willful, much wilder and more willful than Baron was at that age. I can't imagine him sitting still for me to do this. Also wondering how easy it is for them to undo everything afterward, as I think it quite unlikely that Devon is going to ignore all the stuff on ears and head.
My initial thought was to try to brace the ears using the procedure Piper's Mom linked to, and I guess I could try what you just suggested and glue the hair together to pull the ears toward the top of the head rather than using the yarn or cross piece that I've seen. I'm not as concerned with him ending up with pricked ears as I am hound ears, as Baron had pricked ears and he looked just fine; so I guess what I'm saying is that if one must err to one side or the other in doing this I'd rather do my best to ensure that he doesn't end up with hound ears even at the risk of him ending up with pricked ears. A friend of mine has offered to come over and help me do it, and I suspect that I will need her help to keep him still long enough to do it.
My initial thought was to try to brace the ears using the procedure Piper's Mom linked to, and I guess I could try what you just suggested and glue the hair together to pull the ears toward the top of the head rather than using the yarn or cross piece that I've seen. I'm not as concerned with him ending up with pricked ears as I am hound ears, as Baron had pricked ears and he looked just fine; so I guess what I'm saying is that if one must err to one side or the other in doing this I'd rather do my best to ensure that he doesn't end up with hound ears even at the risk of him ending up with pricked ears. A friend of mine has offered to come over and help me do it, and I suspect that I will need her help to keep him still long enough to do it.
Calliesmom
Moderator
yes, until they get used to the process it is a 2 person job. I had a friend who helped me with my first puppy. we would let her dog and the puppy run around and then do puppy ears. Second puppy, I was taking handling classes once a week and so was another friend. she learned more about sheltie ears than she ever wanted to know as we glued ears every week. I didn't really have issues with the puppy messing with the ears but as I had more dogs, the older dogs messed with the ears which made keeping them where I wanted a big challenge.......
Ann
Moderator
I second Calliesmom, it's a two-person job, at least until they get to the point that they'll hold still for you. The earlier you start them, the easier this is. We start puppies by 8 weeks so they learn to get their ears done.
You can certainly use the tape/yarn to brace them on top of the head. I've just found a single drop of glue is easier and feels like less "stuff" on the dog's head if you're worried about him pulling it out. I've done it both ways and with some puppies, you could use cement and they'd still find a way to pull them out in five minutes, so don't be discouraged if that happens!
You can certainly use the tape/yarn to brace them on top of the head. I've just found a single drop of glue is easier and feels like less "stuff" on the dog's head if you're worried about him pulling it out. I've done it both ways and with some puppies, you could use cement and they'd still find a way to pull them out in five minutes, so don't be discouraged if that happens!
SRW
Forums Enthusiast
Thanks for the info. One question though regarding the "single drop of glue". I've seen pictures of cross pieces, and it looks like it's a couple of inches long, but are you suggesting that I pull the ears close enough to each other on the top of the head that I could glue the hairs at the base of the inside edge together?
Ann
Moderator
Not quite touching, but close. Hopefully, you'll take a longer piece of hair from each ear, cross them with each other and apply the glue.
Here's a picture of my Ruffles at 20 weeks with her ears done and at one year old when they were done. You can see they're on top of her head but not touching. When you take them out, they'll spread a bit so they won't stay this close, but it keeps them from slipping to the side while the head is growing.
ghggp
Moderator
Very helpful Ann!
Good job on Ruffles ears.
Good job on Ruffles ears.
Calliesmom
Moderator
