Autumn-Argus Farm

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Ear Taping

Barbara B. Garibaldi
Autumn-Argus Farm

Here is a simple blurb on ear taping that might help. A small piece taped long ways up the center should do it, but here's a little information that may assist you.

There are no hard and fast rules on ear taping procedures. Done correctly, most ears will stand erect. Anything that works for you is correct. The ears can be rolled, twisted or tilted.

There are four main factors to remember:

You must have PATIENCE, PATIENCE, and PATIENCE.
You must recognize and compensate for any fault the ear may have.
You must remember that every ear is different and must be taped accordingly.
You must always stretch the ear upward when taping.

Kendall Curity standard porous tape...one inch size works best or very similar. At four to six weeks of age, shave the ears and use the one inch tape to roll the ears together. Put tape around the base of the ear; this usually covers most of the ear at this age. Tear or cut the one inch tape down the middle — you will use this as your bridge from ear to ear to hold the ears up. Run the bridge from one ear base to the other in a figure-eight pattern. Leave this on until the pups are 7 or 8 weeks old. Most of the time when the tape is removed, the ears are standing. If not, go to the next step.

Take the mole foam (Dr. Scholl's makes some) and cut it to fit the ear of the dog. Mole foam has a sticky back already but you will want to spray the mole foam with the starting fluid. This will make the tape stay put for about a month. Using the one inch tape and place it around the base of the ear, leaving one-half of the ear exposed to allow for air circulation. Repeat the bridge figure eight.

Always remember, when the base of the ear is up, you have won half the battle. Just think of the base as a foundation; a building won't stand without a good foundation for support. When things look like they are getting nowhere, remember "factor #1" — have PATIENCE. Look at each ear to see what the fault is and then compensate for it. If the ear goes one way, tape it the other way. Just remember to NEVER cover the whole ear with tape. It is necessary that air get to the ear.

At teething time, four to seven months, maybe a bit longer, the ears often refuse to stand. Just give them a little more time and remember to have patience, above all. This should give you some idea of how to properly tape a Crested ear. Just adapt all those "ideas" into what is needed for your Chinese Crested or Powder Puff.

Enjoy your new puppy!