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setting puppy ears


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I know :rolleyes:

 

But I took Sammy to the vet for his last scheduled visit this year and since his ears are wildly "cock eyed" with one ear totally erect and the other hound-dog-floppy, I asked her opinion. I was surprised to find out that apparently, you can set them by devising a brace of some sort? So i googled it when I got home and watched a few ridiculous youtube videos of people using glue and yarn! Even if I did go to that trouble I'd still need to throw a party hat (cone) on the poor little guy as he'd tear it off the first few seconds upon completion.

 

And the only reason I'm putting it out here is because the vet said that at 4 months, now is the time to do something like this if that's what I decide. I know its all cosmetic and that will most certainly and reasonably get frowned upon in these forums....so I'm guessing the way to go is just all natural? Let them set and have fun watching what develops?

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Yes, after messing and fussing with my Shelties ears with varying success, it was very fun to just let Quinn's turn out as they would. At around 3 or 4 months, he had a funky one ear up, the other at a crazy cross angle. I figured however the ears turned out, they'd be great. He ended up with airplane ears, which I didn't expect but love. Maybe you could start a pool with your friends for how they'll turn out? :-)

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Who says what a border collies ears are supposed to look like? Prick, flop, half-half? Also, during teething ears can go up and down to a certain extend.

In a GSD, sure, if at a certain age I see problems I may help. But it is often a sign of bad breeding. If I showed shelties, maybe I would also "help" as there are breed standards. and yes, there is a window to do so.

But with my Borders? All natural. And Belle stll has different ears. I love it.

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My Rose is almost 4 months now (August 17th) and her ears were straight up and big at 8 wks old...and they are still like that. This picture is at 7 wks old (not 8 like the pic says.

post-3985-0-32248800-1376347484_thumb.jpg

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Rose about 10 1/2 wks

post-3985-0-41429700-1376347724_thumb.gif

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The only collies I have seen with their ears tapped are show dogs, I have an agility friend who breeds AKC border collies, and I was morbidly fascinated what she had to do to get the "perfect" tipped ear, but even she admitted it would not stay forever she was trying to get dogs championship then would give up, apparently pricked ears are not AKC approved... And yes the dog has pricked ears nature won

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apparently pricked ears are not AKC approved

 

 

According to the AKC website (http://www.akc.org/breeds/border_collie/breed_standard.cfm): "Ears are of medium size, set well apart, one or both carried erect and/or semi-erect (varying from 1/4 to 3/4 of the ear erect)."

 

So it must be that tipped ears, rather than fully erect, is the current fashion, regardless of the actual, ahem, "standard."

 

It looks to me like a totally drop ear, which is not uncommon in BCs, is what's not permissible.

 

 

And yes the dog has pricked ears nature won

 

 

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

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huh.

 

it would seem painfully obvious to the most casual of observers that a forum full of folks that have clearly expressed to select exclusively for livestock working ability would be less than supportive of an effort to set ears.

 

the question seems out of place in this forum... why do you ask the question?

 

dave

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More AKC hypocrisy. In the breed ring, supposedly, a dog is to be "excused" if any trace of surgical alteration, or chemical residue is found in the dog's ears - along with chalk, etc. in the dogs's coat. Does it happen? Almost never. Dogs with glue residue, unnaturally creased ears and a coat so full of powder that it leaves a particulate cloud in the dog's wake or surrounds the animal when it is patted, are routinely granted rosettes. Most breeders brace the puppy's ears regardless of carriage, "just to be sure." A naturally-tipped ear is the alleged desiderata, but nature is routinely aided by moleskin, string and a variety of glues and/or solvents. Why? because "low" ears or "prick" ears destroy the "sweet" expression so highly valued in the fancy. <_<

 

He can't walk? he can't see? he shrinks in terror from the approach of the judge? He barks inanely and incessantly? No matter... his head-planes are perfect.

 

 

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Well and all other considerations aside, shouldn´t these kind of manipulations be considered cheating?

I thought those AKC showdog fanciers were all about breeding those superior looks( :rolleyes: ).

How about "champions" who have had surgeries to correct skeletal and joint faults that resulted in unsoundness? I think that other than its inherent ridiculousness, the show ring is largely about what you can get away with.

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huh.

 

it would seem painfully obvious to the most casual of observers that a forum full of folks that have clearly expressed to select exclusively for livestock working ability would be less than supportive of an effort to set ears.

 

the question seems out of place in this forum... why do you ask the question?

 

dave

It sounded to me like the OP was aware of that and looking for confirmation from folks here after his vet talked to him about setting his puppy's ears. My guess is this is his first Border Collie and he was interested in a little helpful feedback.

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Well and all other considerations aside, shouldn´t these kind of manipulations be considered cheating?

I thought those AKC showdog fanciers were all about breeding those superior looks( :rolleyes: ).

 

Exactly. I'v enever understood the idea that we can breed for desirable traits and yet we need to alter a dog's (or any other animal's) body parts by other means because we are unable to achieve the same result through breeding. The "corrected" dogs win, and people continue to produce dogs that don't meet whatever crazy criteria the breeder/fancy has and thus need to be "corrected" by unnatural means. And the vicious circle just turns and turns. :wacko:

 

The thing I find funny is that those ears that have been glued, taped, etc. to get that oh-so-desirable tipped look NEVER look natural to me. I love a dog with tipped ears (almost as much as prick ears), but dogs I see whose ears have been forced into that position are not at all aesthetically pleasing to me (vs. the dogs who come by it naturally).

J.

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Do you think there is more of an obsession with how ears look in the US than here in the UK? After all, it's still legal to crop ears there, isn't it?

 

And/or is it also a manifestation of the fact that the majority of people don't see enough BCs in real life to know that there is no "supposed to be" about what they look like, including ears?

 

The only person I have ever known try to "fix" wayward ears was a sheltie breeder who put blobs of wax on the ears of one of her dogs to make them tip. Afair it didn't work.

 

Anyone trying to do the same with a BC would be ridiculed, although one person (owner of real working line BCs) did say that she couldn't live with our dog's ears because they were not symmetrical. Lucky she doesn't have to then. Weird people do exist but fortunately she is the exception in my world.

 

I look upon one ear up and one down as a feature that distinguishes him from the multitude of other b/w collies, but if they were both up or down that would be fine too, of course.

 

I don't know or care about what the show people get up to amongst themselves since they are such a tiny minority of BC owners.

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My boss had her dog's ears (giant schnauzer) cut and had to use styrofoam cups with masking tape to keep his lasered off ears up... For months that poor pup walked around like that! But now he is working is way through ribbons in the show ring so it is all worth it. ;) And that white powder is awful that she coats him with.

I still don't get why people want perfect looking dogs. I love my boys goofy helicopter ears.

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