How long do I need to tape his ears?

[Russ]

I had a boxer when I was young & we taped her ears for about 2 wks. We got Baron's ears cropped about 4 months ago & they are still not standing properly. Both ears are curling back @ the tiips & the left ear still flops back @ mid point some to most of the time.

I know I did bad during those 4 months. They would fall down & I would wait a wk. or so to bring him back to get them taped up again (the vet said to bring him back the day after they fell). I have since learned to tape them myself for convience sake.

My wife has given up, saying to leave his ears alone as they are & let him be (she will not go thru the ear crop again). But we've come so far that I hate to stop once I'm 80% there. When should I through in the flag & give in to my boxer's floppy ears?

They say to crop ears @ an early age while the muscles are still developing. @ what age does this stop & I can assume that Baron's ears will never stand erect? Please advise.

PS: Baron has the long, show cut. My childhood dog's ears were shorter, which explains the shorter seting time.

Russ, Luz, & Baron (brindle male boxer - full o' energy beyond our comprehension)

 

[JulieM]

It would help to know how old Baron is to determine if he's too old for his ears to ever stand or not.

Many people tape ears for over a year and still eventually get them standing. As you've learned, consistency is the key. You might want to talk with his breeder about alternate ways to tape (taping them down instead of up, etc.) to offset the problems you're having right now.

Also, many people use Vitamin C during ear taping to help strenghthen the collagen.

 

[Russ]

Baron's ears were cropped @ 12 wks. of age. He is now just over 7 months old.

 

[JulieM]

At 7 months there's probably still a pretty good chance you'll get them to stand, if you're consistent. Don't leave them down more than 12 hours at a time (unless they're standing on their own; then tape them as soon as they start to fall). We usually take the tape down at night and put it back up in the morning. Also, we've had the best luck using foam hair curlers with the plastic rod still in the middle (you may need to tape two together to fit the length of the ear). Cut the plastic rod to fit inside the foam without sticking out, and tape the ends to prevent it slipping. This seems to give that extra bit of support that is missing from the window caulking, and is still padded for comfort.

Good luck!