How long to leave ears taped?

[rayzor]

Unlike others who tape up the ears, we are taping down our mostly floppy eared yorkie.

I am sure I will get a lot of flack for this, but it seems common to tape them up.

Regardless, how long should I leave the ears taped? My yorkie is 11 weeks.

[JennaPenny]

Originally Posted by rayzor

Unlike others who tape up the ears, we are taping down our mostly floppy eared yorkie.

I am sure I will get a lot of flack for this, but it seems common to tape them up.

Regardless, how long should I leave the ears taped? My yorkie is 11 weeks.

Um.. no flak. Just, in the research that I read, most of the time the ears go up on their own. very rarely do they not stand up. So, what you're doing is pretty much making the ear muscles atrophy. It's also can be dangerous to tape and can cause infections, enough to where the doc will have to take the skin out of the ears entirely. A painful and very costly procedure. As well as gait and nausea issues along with an infection. At 11 weeks the baby SHOULD have floppy ears. My Chewie came to us at 13 weeks with one ear up, and one ear down. She had both standing up within a month. She uses her ears as little radars, and it horrifies me that she wouldn't be able to. She's a picky girl, but the mornings she wakes up ravenous, which is sometimes, she'll do dominating ears on my daughter to feed her. She'll turn both of her triangles inwards like a furious wolf. They are so expressive with those ears. I really hope you'll reconsider.

[matese]

I don't advise taping the ears down even if they are floppy now, let mother nature take it's course, floppy or straight you're gonna love this baby regardless.

[Micah my love]

Keeping the hair shaved off of ears will help them come up, it always worked for me...

[Lovetodream88]

Just let nature do what it's going to do, taping just seems painful!

[rjwalt]

Not a good idea, yorkies are not a floppy eared dog and the only reason why most floppy eared yorkies have floppy ears is because the hair is too heavy and was not shaved off. Yorkie's are genetically designed for the ears to eventually stand up, floppy ears are a genetic fault.Its one thing to tape ears that are trying to stand up to allow the weak muscles and cartilage to form/set properly, its another to force the ears to do something they are not supposed to do. There are plenty of floppy eared breeds available, there is no need to try and force the dogs ears against nature in that way.

[LunarBerry]

I agree that it's best to let nature do it's thing if you're actually hoping for floppy ears, as opposed to standing. Having floppy ears is cute and stuff but more prone to ear infections (had a past yorkie that was floppy eared and had problems with that).
My current baby is "half" floppy eared, which they stand a little but the upper part flops and even she occasionally gets ear issues, granted not as bad as my past female that had complete floppy, but right now she's being treated and recovering from a fairly bad ear infection in one ear and a mild on in the other. I've tried lifting, massaging and occasional taping when she was a baby and well, she still just has somewhat floppy ears :P Some are just destined for it.

[Kimmieann]

My Lily has one ear standing beautiful, the other will stand as well, however, I believe she is lazy. It stood and fell, stood and fell. I thought it was from teething, shots, etc. Now, she is almost 7 months old and when she gets excited or hears something outside, that ear will go up, otherwise, it is flopping around. So, my opinion is, she is being lazy with the ear. I have massaged but not taped it and am not going to tape it and put her through it, hopefully her ear will eventually stand on its own all the time. She is a doll either way and I love her just the way she is, my little one flopped eared yorkie. It gives her character. I have not had any problems with ear infections, praise Jesus for that.