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| If you are anything like I was when I started in Dobermans, you have a puppy with cropped ears, and no clue how to make them stand. In a perfect world, your breeder would be there to help, or would have at least given you a lesson on taping cropped ears. Unfortunately, that is not always the case and we go searching high and low for advice or directions on ear taping. I used this method on my young puppy who has a medium/long show crop. I prefer not to use a brace between the ears, and try to avoid the ears pointing "in" .....EVER. This will create ear "pockets" which form at the base of the ear and will cause the ears to fall or point inward, rather than standing straight up. This is not the end all be all of ear posting, and it is for sure not the only method of taping, but it is what has worked for me. Hopefully, it will work for you too! You can click on any of the photos below to make them larger. Oh, and thank you to Brownie (Layne's Burkhard von Schlottke) for being such a wonderful model. |
| I personally only leave the ears up for 3-4 days at a time. I take them down, clean them, let them air out for a half hour or so, and put them back up. If you have any skin irritation, unusual smell, discoloration, or anything else unusual PLEASE see your veterinarian ASAP. Good Luck! -Amanda Shadforth |
| You can find backer rod at Home Depot or Lowes. |
| I prefer 1/2 inch or 5/8. |
| Cut the backer rod to the length you need. (Measure from snugly inside the ear canal, up to the tip of the ear, plus about 1/4 inch. A little long, is better than a little short. These will be your posts. |
| Also cut one piece, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long. |
| Cut the short piece in half lengthwise. (Shown in previous picture) You now have 2 half moon shaped pieces. |
| Supplies you will need: Backer Rod (I use 1/2 inch on younger puppies, 5/8 inch on older puppies) Porous Tape (I use Johnson & Johnson Zonas tape) Duct Tape Scissors |
| Cut a piece of duct tape long enough to cover the posts I make it about 1/4 inch short, so that the foam is barely sticking out. |
| Roll the duct tape around the foam. This will add strength to the post. |
| Repeat for both posts. This will be the finished product. |
| Now cut a piece of duct tape long enough to cover the "short" piece of foam that you cut in half. |
| Tape the "short piece" to the post. The flat side should face the post, the rounded side should be out. |
| Repeat for both posts. This is the finished product.The rounded "bumper" part will be the bottom part of the post, and the "bumper side" will face the ear. |
| Use your Zonas tape to wrap once around the top of the post, and then flip the tape and wrap in the opposite direction. |
| Backtape the entire post. The sticky side of the tape will face outward. |
| Finished post. |
| Repeat for both posts. |
| Finished - first piece of tape. DO NOT WRAP TAPE TO TIGHT!!! You will cause permanent damage, and cut off circulation to the whole ear!!!!!! |
| Puppy Time! You may have to have a helper to hold your puppy still. Having a tired puppy (like Brownie is in this photo) helps too! :) |
| Pull the ear up taught and smooth it onto the sticky post. |
| Now you are going to cut 4 long pieces (about 4-5 inches) 2 medium (3-4 inches) 2 short (2-3 inches) |
| Tape and posts, ready to go. |
| Take one of the long pieces of tape and stick it to the post. Wrap the tape around the ear. Always tape inward toward the head. |
| Place one of your posts inside the ear. You want it down in the ear, but not so far as to cause damage. The bumper on the post will face in toward the ear. |
| Finished - bottom piece of tape. |
| Now it is time to do the other ear. Again, make sure that the bumper is at the bottom, and facing in toward the ear. Wrap the tape TOWARD the head. |
| Now take the short piece and wrap it around the top (tip of ear) AGAIN......NOT TO TIGHT. This is SOOOO important. You will lose the tip of the ear if it is to tight. |
| Take the medium piece and do the same thing, starting just above your previous piece of tape. |
| All done! |
| I will usually take the last long pieces of tape and tape the base of each ear one more time for support. |
| Finished post. |
| The top again....wrapping inward. |
| Now wrap the medium piece of tape just above the bottom piece. (Just like you did on the other ear) |
| Your puppy might give you a sad face...but don't worry....this will all be over soon enough! |