When is it too late to start taping ears?

M

Myth

Forums Novice
Hi all! New here, and r/puppy101 wasn't TOTALLY helpful.

Duncan is an 18 w.o. Sheltie puppy. Around the 3 month mark, his ears started to prick from teething. It took a bit to get the Japanese tape - and then I had to leave town for nearly 3 weeks on a family emergency. (My partner took wonderful care of the dogs.) So now I'm back, he's 18 weeks and full-on cutting teeth, his ears are pricked, I have the tape, but I'm wondering if it's worth taping them. Can I still train them? Or are they a lost cause?

(His ear set is pretty good on its own and I wouldn't brace his ears. I'd just tape down the tips. Our other issue is that my partner LIKES that his ears stick STRAIGHT UP.)
Puppy tax, plus pics of our 5 y.o. rescue Sheltie, River, can be found at https://www.instagram.com/mythezza/


THANKS SO MUCH, TEAM!
 
Corbinam is correct. Tape those ears now! If the ear leather isn't too thick, you can still get a nice tip. Just taping the tips as you suggested is fine. I've corrected ears as late as six months old. You may have to keep them taped until he's a year old, but the result is worth it in the long run.

Once you achieve a good tip (since the taping thing gets old fast LOL), you can finish the process by just using pure glycerin. You usually have to ask your pharmacist to order this for you. Rubbing a small amount on the inside and outside of the ear tip every other day or so will weight them just enough to encourage the correct ear set. Good luck!
 
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