Breathe right dog ear strips

breathe right dog ear strips

How to properly position your dog's ears

Ear taping is a procedure that owners of show dogs and those who want their dog to fully meet the requirements of the standard and breed type have to face. Its purpose is to give the erect or cropped ears the correct shape, to remove creases. For dogs with floppy storage container ears, there is also a standard-recommended appearance that this procedure will help achieve. We will tell you about the procedure and the necessary materials in this article.

Breathe Rite Strips – Doberman

Why glue the ears of dogs?

Those who have acquired a non-show dog very rarely worry about the shape of their ears. The main thing is that they do not interfere with the pet's life. However, if a show dog appeared in the house and her ears began to transform into something unimaginable during the change of teeth, then you will have to be patient and have the necessary materials to correct the situation.

It is best to consult with your breeder before deciding to have your ears cropped or set up. He will help you choose the shape of the ears that best suits your dog and glue the ears for the first time or advise non-resident owners of a specialist who will provide qualified assistance.

Nowadays, ear gluing can be necessary for any breed of dog. Equally often, owners are trained to glue the ears of a Chihuahua, Yorkie, and Pug. True, more often you have to glue undocked and docked boxer ears, put them on a Giant Schnauzer, Doberman or Great Dane – large breeds have much more problems with the shape of the ears.

For cropped ears, the procedure is performed after the cut hem of the ear has completely healed. For non-cropped – from 2-3 months until the completion of the change of teeth – that is, up to 6-9 months. In some cases, the show dog's ears need to be glued permanently, freeing them only a few days before the show.

Is it safe

Correctly performed gluing does not cause any harm to the dog. However, if the owner is inexperienced, it is better to entrust the first bonding to your breeder or another specialist who has experience with this breed. Since the procedure is repeated many times during the change of teeth, over time the owner will learn to do it on his own and the need for specialist intervention will disappear.

Among the most common side effects and problems, the following should be noted:

• Allergy to the patch in a dog;
• Ear too tight;
• Fixing the position of the ear that does not correspond to the breed standard;
• The appearance of irritation and bacterial infections;
• Painful sensations that the patch or glue delivers to the ear when they are removed.

Advice! At first, keep an eye on your puppy at all times. An attentive owner will promptly detect the appearance of a characteristic unpleasant odor, puppy anxiety, itching and redness. These symptoms are a sign of developing inflammation and require immediate removal of the patch and healing of the painful area.

materials

There are several methods for gluing ears:

• With the use of a patch;
• With the use of glue;
• With the use of weighting objects;
• With the use of assistive devices.

Before putting on a Chihuahua's ears, it is important to test the dog for allergies. If the patch is not suitable as a material, other materials can be used. This is for example:

1. Surgical breathable tape;
2. Reinforced construction tape;
3. Masking tape for painting cars. Breeders recommend Italian.

Alternative materials are less tacky, easier to remove and more rigid, but are not always available.

As a convenient addition, special tabs are available to help give them the necessary setting and shape. Such liners are made of foam rubber or other polymeric materials, which allows them to be reused on different dogs.

The role of special devices can be played by more accessible materials – pens, Tampax, ear sticks, empty refills from ballpoint pens – the choice of improvised means is limited only by the imagination of the owner or breeder. The main thing is that they do not injure the dog, are strong enough and not heavy, are easy to install and remove, and their size is appropriate for the task – it makes no sense to install a bulky crown if the question is how to raise the ears of a chihuahua.

Speaking of crowns. This is a special device made of wire, a plastic bottle or a washcloth for washing dishes, which serves as a light and durable frame that holds the auricle in the desired position. Their form can be very diverse. The main thing is to choose the size and material in such a way that wearing a crown is not burdensome for dogs.

How to glue

Applying a patch is an excellent answer to the question of how to put the ears on a Yorkie or other small breeds. Before gluing the ears of a Yorkie or a long-haired American Toy, they are trimmed with a machine according to the growth of wool.

The procedure consists of the following steps:

1. Fingers ear fold is given the desired shape.
2. The inner side is glued with a plaster.
3. The ear is folded along the cartilage, if necessary, a supporting structure is inserted inside (this is done with large, heavy ears).
4. Outside, the structure is fixed with tape or plaster.
5. If necessary, the ears are connected to each other. Docked – with a double figure-eight loop, and undocked – with a strap under the throat.

When gluing erect ears, several square strips are glued inside along the cartilage. If the dog's ears are small (for example, if you are deciding how to put the ears of a Yorkie at home), then this strip is simply glued with several layers of plaster until a sufficiently rigid structure is obtained. If they are medium in size, you can insert an ear stick, a cardboard cylinder from Tampax, or another device that can hold the sink in the required standing position inside. Then a tape or patch is glued on the outside. The small one folds in half and is loosely wrapped with tape, fixing in the desired position. Large – fastened around the inner frame with several layers of plaster or tape. Large ears, prone to disintegrate to the sides, are additionally fixed with a figure of eight from the patch and hold each other in the desired position.

The use of the patch has one not very pleasant moment. The owner sooner or later faces the question of how to peel off the patch painlessly. The issue is especially serious if it was necessary to glue the ears of a toy terrier or other decorative breed with a low pain threshold. A soap solution can be used for this. If the hair has grown back, you can carefully remove it along with the patch with a clipper or scissors.

When choosing glue for dog ears, it is important to test it for allergies. There are a lot of glue options – you can use Moment, special textile glues, eyelash glue, as well as special glue, which is produced by some specialized companies. Trademarks "Copidex", "Kilto", Cherry Knoll have proven themselves well.

Auxiliary items are various crowns, as well as weights, which are most often used coins of various denominations, depending on the size of the dog. Small coins are used when deciding how to properly glue the ears of a pug or a Jack Russell Terrier, and large coins are used for a Wheaten or Kerry Blue Terrier, Schnauzer.