So, I'm thinking about gluing Ele's ears [Archive]

juliefurry

03-05-2007, 10:28 PM

So, like the title says, I'm thinking about gluing Ele's ears. They both stand straight up and I wanted to put a little tip on them. I know it's not really neccasary since she's a pet. I just think with the straight ears she's got some pretty big dumbo ears on her:lol-sign: . Mark renamed her Radar:lol-sign: ! Has anyone had an experience with this. Summerriot has helped by sending me a video of how to glue but I just wanted to know, is it easy and how long would they need to stay glued? I don't want to do something that's gonna be a pain where I'll have to constantly watch her and keep her from scratching her ears or anything.

Zoom

03-05-2007, 10:32 PM

So you're keeping her then?

Melissa_W

03-05-2007, 10:34 PM

How old is she?

Buddy'sParents

03-05-2007, 10:40 PM

Is it necessary? And are you sure you're keeping her?

juliefurry

03-05-2007, 10:50 PM

I'm pretty sure we're keeping her. It's not neccasary though which is why I really don't want to take the time to do it. She's about 3-4 months old (not quite sure we're still waiting the vet said to wait to see when her teeth start to come in). I want to keep her but there's that nagging little feeling in the back of my mind that always says "are you sure you want to get into this?" I love her a lot though and we can afford vet/food. I give them all a lot of my time but sometimes she is a lot, but I think it's just because she's a puppy though. I do want to keep her though and Mark has given me the ok, just keeps stressing that once I make the decision to have her spayed then she is definetely mine to keep and we will not be rehoming her.

~Tucker&Me~

03-05-2007, 11:04 PM

Well if it helps your decision...
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She's very cute :D

:D:D

~Tucker

FoxyWench

03-05-2007, 11:25 PM

she is cute, i dont know anything about gluing ears, i do know that during teething many breeds ears flop anyway, mabe if you want to tip them by gluing it might be a good idea to do it while shes teething.

juliefurry

03-06-2007, 12:23 AM

well her ears completely flopped over when we found her than they slowly started to stand straight up. It took a couple weeks but all of a sudden it was one ear that was standing straight up and then a couple days later the other ear stood straight up too. It really doesn't bother me but I really like the classic collie look with the tipped ears is all. I've never wanted to change the way my dogs look though that's why I don't think I really want to. I'm not a fan of changing appearances but I love the look of a collie with the little tip to their ears.

rabbitsarebetter

03-06-2007, 06:59 AM

glue/tape them until she is 8 or 9 months old :)
in my opinion YES its easy as pie to tape/glue ears. not to mention how sweet they look with thier ears all done up!

go for it!
no its not necissary, but if you have a collie i think it wouldnt be best for it to look like a collie, same goes for any breed as far as ear taping.

Buddy'sParents

03-06-2007, 08:21 AM

... but if you have a collie i think it wouldnt be best for it to look like a collie, same goes for any breed as far as ear taping.

What's the logic behind that? :confused:

Melissa_W

03-06-2007, 09:55 AM

The time it takes varies, but you will probably have to work on them until she's about a year old. We tried it with Kai for a short time, but found that it wasn't worth it. It seemed to really bother him. He scratched at them all the time, and I was constantly having to redo them. I didn't think it was worth all the trouble, when he looks just as adorable with prick ears. But some people don't have any trouble. It's purely a cosmetic thing. You can give it a try because if it bothers her, you can always quit. Kai didn't like it at all, so I decided to quit.

juliefurry

03-06-2007, 12:12 PM

What's the logic behind that? :confused:

I think it may have been a typo. I THINK we're going to try gluing them for a couple days and if it's too much of a pain then we'll stop. I just don't want to be constantly following her around regluing and telling her to stop scratching. If she doesn't seem bothered by it them we'll keep it up to see what kind of tip we can get out of them.

bubbatd

03-06-2007, 12:13 PM

juliefurry

03-06-2007, 12:21 PM

I sure wouldn't ....but that's just me . Who knows what the ears will look like at maturity . Julie , I sure hope you aren't taking on too much . I know financially you're watching your pennies . Hope no emergencies come up .

gluing isn't expensive. I would just have to go out and by the eyelash glue and put a dab on her ears. If it was a big expensive surgery there is no way I would even consider it. We're still saving back up our savings that we used to buy this place.

Laurelin

03-06-2007, 01:36 PM

Gluing is not a big deal at all. It is easy, our dogs didn't even seem to notice it. It's not hard to maintain. Trey kept his ears glued/taped until about 8-9 months. Yes, it is cosmetic, but it's not anything major, and I'm surprised so many people seem to think of it so negatively.... :confused:

Imo, if you want the tipped ears, then glue/tape them and make sure you keep it up properly.

rabbitsarebetter

03-06-2007, 02:13 PM

Giny

03-06-2007, 02:18 PM

rabbitsarebetter, I think the confusion is due to a typo. You wrote "it wouldnt be best for it to look like a collie" when I believe you meant "it would". :)

Hope that's what BP was questioning you about.

rabbitsarebetter

03-06-2007, 02:19 PM

OHHH
lol sorry!!
i do that alot :(

Giny

03-06-2007, 02:21 PM

Aw, don't feel bad. I do the same thing all the time also. I think that's why I understood what you meant. ;)

Gustav

03-06-2007, 03:57 PM

I personally prefer them as nature intended.. Fiddling with them is akin to me having a boob job I think.. But it's up to you in the end! ;)

rabbitsarebetter

03-06-2007, 04:26 PM

how do you figure that?
dogs dont have to be put under, cut open or have their health risk getting there ears taped. during a boob job you do.

hm, to each his own i guess.
now i dont agree with docking, or croping.. now THATS like having a boob job, etc to me

Gustav

03-06-2007, 04:36 PM

I only meant it in as such as it's apperance modification.. I didn't actually mean it is literally akin to having a boob job in a pain or mental sense! ;)

rabbitsarebetter

03-06-2007, 04:51 PM

ohh i see....
but do you wear a bra? because i see taping a dogs ears more like wearing a bra.
if you dont wear a bra you get saggy, if you dont tape collie ears they get perky.. or saggy... LOL

juliefurry

03-06-2007, 04:54 PM

I don't believe in docking or cropping but this is nothing surgical which is why I would consider it. She looks cute no matter what but I like the tip in the ear I would like her to have as much of a collie "appearance" as she can. I think we're gonna try and just see how it goes if she doesn't like it/can't keep them glued then we won't do it.

Laurelin

03-06-2007, 05:29 PM

I was discussing the gluing ears threads with my friends and they all gave me horrified looks when I mentioned that I'd glued Trey's ears. Oh well... lol

rabbitsarebetter

03-06-2007, 05:49 PM

yeah i was at the park when i had ruckus ears tape and everyone acted like i was mean and crazy

Luvntzus

03-06-2007, 06:24 PM

Jynx

03-06-2007, 06:26 PM

I glued my aussies ears at one point, most use TearMender, which you can find at any craft store. Just watch out the dog doesn't have a 'reaction' to the glue...at one point my breeder taped my aussies ears, and she had a reaction to the tape,,short version,,a mess :((

Diane

rabbitsarebetter

03-06-2007, 06:33 PM

i use japanese tape, and some sort of cement glue that is fine for dogs. i dont remember the correct name of it though. but usually i just use the tape. the tape is also called
"adhesive cement" (or was it adhesive plaster?) you can easily use it to brace the ears too, if her ears are a bit too low set for your liking.

juliefurry

03-06-2007, 07:24 PM

"Mark has given me the ok, just keeps stressing that once I make the decision to have her spayed then she is definetely mine to keep and we will not be rehoming her."

This is a little off topic, but why is it that if you have her spayed then you couldn't possibly rehome her? And why is that his decision to make?

Keeping her is MY decision. He just doesn't want to spend the money getting all her shots and spayed and then give her away is all. Ele is not his decision at all she's mine BUT he pays for her and her food and all medical care and he does not want to see his money go to waste by getting everything done and then rehoming her and not being able to enjoy her.

Love That Collie

03-06-2007, 08:13 PM

She will grow into her ears!:D Really.
I know what you mean though, I wanted the ears to tip also, but I have to say, it's a "pain". It wouldn't be but you will probably have to do it much much longer than normal because she's older and then it might not "take" or one ear could tip and one not. Most show breeders begin tape/gluing at 7 weeks old and continue through 7 or 8 months or however long it takes for any one particular dog. I let Chloe's ears go "up" after giving up on the tape, medical cement and Unisolve. No, it's not that hard but struggling with a wiggly pup by myself was hard. And too, when they play and rough house around they normally need fixed again. Both my breeders are not in close proximity to me where I can just hop over there for them to do it.
And nobody in my area knew how to do Collie ears except for one of the Sheltie breeders here locally and I even tried to offer her $25.00 each time Chloe's ears would need re-taped/glued or braced if needed and she declined.

Actually, 86% of all Collies are born with prick ears, it's not common to find those that do have naturally tipped ears. So really prick ears are natural. Ele's in her gangly, baby colt, lanky, big head age right now. LOL......but she will grow into those ears! My daughter used to ask Bailey just how many stations do you get on those ears?

Buddy'sParents

03-06-2007, 11:55 PM

buddies parents... my logic is

PRIDE in your breed. maybe thats just me, but if i have a purebred dog, i want to to look as close to the breed standard as possible. i love Ruckus with all my heart, but i even keep his face in a show trim most of the time. whats wrong with wanting your dog to look a certin way?

Umm. You said:

it wouldnt be best for it to look like a collie, .

So before you jump all over someone.....read what YOU wrote.

how do you figure that?
dogs dont have to be put under, cut open or have their health risk getting there ears taped. during a boob job you do.

hm, to each his own i guess.
now i dont agree with docking, or croping.. now THATS like having a boob job, etc to me

It's purely for aesthetics... sounds like a boob job to me. :rolleyes:

juliefurry

03-07-2007, 12:11 AM

It's purely for aesthetics... sounds like a boob job to me. :rolleyes:

I wouldn't mind getting one of those done on myself either though:lol-sign: ! Anyways, it does seem like a pain and watching her run all over today I realized I don't think I'd be able to keep up with it and the other dogs and the kids. I just don't think Ele would have the patience to allow her ears to be glued and to let them stay glued:lol-sign: !

jess2416

03-07-2007, 12:16 AM

it wouldnt be best for it to look like a collie, .

Not that it matters, but they meant to say would ;) instead of wouldnt

rabbitsarebetter, I think the confusion is due to a typo. You wrote "it wouldnt be best for it to look like a collie" when I believe you meant "it would". :)

Hope that's what BP was questioning you about.

OHHH
lol sorry!!
i do that alot :(

showpug

03-07-2007, 01:44 AM

showpug

03-07-2007, 01:45 AM

"Mark has given me the ok, just keeps stressing that once I make the decision to have her spayed then she is definetely mine to keep and we will not be rehoming her."

This is a little off topic, but why is it that if you have her spayed then you couldn't possibly rehome her? And why is that his decision to make?

Why wouldn't it be part Mark's decision? He has to live with the dog too and contribute to it's bills...

I think all family members need to agree in order for a pet to stay.

juliefurry

03-07-2007, 01:55 AM

Why wouldn't it be part Mark's decision? He has to live with the dog too and contribute to it's bills...

I think all family members need to agree in order for a pet to stay.

Well ultimately if Mark did not want another dog then end of story we don't have another dog but he told me when we found out her story that he didn't care one way or another if she stayed or if she went but I am the main care taker for all the dogs so basically he feels when it comes to the dogs since I feed, care for, and train that I need to have final say in the matter. He did have a say because we both decided to get her out of her prior home and we did sit down, map out bills and the added expense of another dog before we even considered keeping her.

showpug

03-07-2007, 02:13 AM

Well ultimately if Mark did not want another dog then end of story we don't have another dog but he told me when we found out her story that he didn't care one way or another if she stayed or if she went but I am the main care taker for all the dogs so basically he feels when it comes to the dogs since I feed, care for, and train that I need to have final say in the matter. He did have a say because we both decided to get her out of her prior home and we did sit down, map out bills and the added expense of another dog before we even considered keeping her.

Sounds fair to me!

Luvntzus

03-07-2007, 02:34 AM

Why wouldn't it be part Mark's decision? He has to live with the dog too and contribute to it's bills...

I think all family members need to agree in order for a pet to stay.

I totally agree! The original sentence was:

"Mark has given me the ok, just keeps stressing that once I make the decision to have her spayed then she is definetely mine to keep and we will not be rehoming her."

It just sounds like a dad telling her that once they have her spayed they will NOT be rehoming her... Instead of a partnership where they both make the decision, regardless of whether they end up losing money because it didn't work out keeping her.

juliefurry

03-07-2007, 02:35 AM

Sounds fair to me!

I'm not very good at wording what I mean though so what I say makes sense to me but not others sometimes.

juliefurry

03-07-2007, 02:38 AM

I totally agree! The original sentence was:

"Mark has given me the ok, just keeps stressing that once I make the decision to have her spayed then she is definetely mine to keep and we will not be rehoming her."

It just sounds like a dad telling her that once they have her spayed they will NOT be rehoming her... Instead of a partnership where they both make the decision, regardless of whether they end up losing money because it didn't work out keeping her.

I've already explained what I meant twice. Once to your original post about that sentence and then agian to showpugs posts please read them. This is about ear gluing not about why we don't rehome her after we decide to keep her and spay her.

So getting back to the ORIGINAL topic, which is not spaying. I'm still not sure. I think we will give it a try and see if it works for her but if I can't get them to stay glued or she keeps messing with them then we'll stop.

Luvntzus

03-07-2007, 02:40 AM

I understand that. I was explaining to Showpug since she questioned me. ;)

showpug

03-07-2007, 02:46 AM

How old was Ele when you brought her home? At that time they were tipped and are now sticking up?

It may just be a teething thing and when she's done teething they will tip again?

juliefurry

03-07-2007, 03:36 AM

Sorry I'm just having one of those weeks, don't mean to be snippy. Hormonal thing or something :). Ele was about 13 weeks old the woman didn't remember her exact birthday but the vet estimated it's around November 20th.

Buddy'sParents

03-07-2007, 08:45 AM

I see absolutley nothing wrong with taping or glueing ears. I have dealt with ear taping for a few years and have never had a problem. My dogs never seemed to notice much and went on with their days.

Julie, she's your dog so ultimatley it's up to you. You know what she tolerates and how much maintenance you can handle, but don't by any means feel bad if you want to give it a try. It's not an inhumane practice.

Not sure if this was directed at me- but I do not have a problem with doing something to a dog to make it "cuter" it just seems like a waste of time. I like dogs in their natural state. :)

And, in all honesty... does sound like a boob job! :lol-sign:

Julie- you may be biting off more than you can chew, maybe you should just enjoy Ele right now. :)

Pomp

03-07-2007, 08:53 AM

I wouldn't want my ears glued.

puppydog

03-07-2007, 09:33 AM

I am in the school of thought of letting your dogs be dogs, I would hate to have my ears glued.

I also think that if Mark pays the bills he should have a large say in what goes on. He sounds like he really cares for Julie and respects her, so I think if anyone has a judgement about their relationship they should write it on a postit and stick it on their fridge and keep it to themselves.

bubbatd

03-07-2007, 10:46 AM

I still say to wait until older and see what nature had intended for her . Again , I see no sense in it unless she's show quality . Enjoy her , Julie .

Melissa_W

03-07-2007, 11:28 AM

I still say to wait until older and see what nature had intended for her . Again , I see no sense in it unless she's show quality . Enjoy her , Julie .

If she is going to do it, it's best to start now. The ears become more difficult to change as the dog gets older... but as you said, it doesn't really matter, since she's never going to show.

Laurelin

03-07-2007, 11:47 AM

Seriously, it's not a big deal at all. If she doesn't want to mess with it since she's not showing, then that's fine. But if she wants to try for the tipped ears, go for it and the earlier you start, the better it usually works out.

Melissa_W

03-07-2007, 12:17 PM

Mmm hmm... In the worst case scenario, Ele will be annoyed/irritated. In which case you can just stop. It's not like ear cropping or something, where it causes the dog pain and can't be reversed. It's not really something to be "for" or "against", it's a personal preference that depends on the dog and the owner.

Laurelin

03-07-2007, 12:22 PM

Well said. :)

bubbatd

03-07-2007, 12:26 PM

You're right ....to each his own .

Laurelin

03-07-2007, 12:28 PM

And if worst comes to worst and you can't decide, I have one dog with fully taped/glued ears that now tip over nicely and one dog with one erect ear and one tipped and they're both equally great pets and both looks are cute in their own ways.

showpug

03-07-2007, 01:15 PM

Not sure if this was directed at me- but I do not have a problem with doing something to a dog to make it "cuter" it just seems like a waste of time. I like dogs in their natural state. :)

And, in all honesty... does sound like a boob job! :lol-sign:

Julie- you may be biting off more than you can chew, maybe you should just enjoy Ele right now. :)

Nope, wasn't directed at you. Just my personal opinion on the subject. I think taping and glueing ears sounds more "involved" than it really is and to those who have no experience with it, it can sound like a bigger deal than it really is.

03-07-2007, 01:52 PM

juliefurry

03-07-2007, 01:55 PM

Ok I think I'm just gonna let them be, her ears that is. I think her radar ears give her...character. I'm not gonna show her so why go through it all if it's not needed. I know it's not a surgery and it's just a dab of glue (probably every 5 minutes in Ele's case :D). I just don't think she needs to have her ears done. She doesn't act like any less of a collie with her ears standing straight up!

juliefurry

03-07-2007, 01:56 PM

Omg, people, why is it such a big deal? It's GLUE. :confused: It's not like she's cutting Ele's ears off entirely. When done properly this causes puppies no pain. It's an involved process but not nearly as time consuming as things like caring for cropped ears.

What's wrong with wanting a Collie to look the part?

I want her to look like a collie but the more we (meaning me and Mark) get to talking about it I think it's gonna be more of a pain than it's worth just to maybe give her ears a little tip to them.

Buddy'sParents

03-07-2007, 04:10 PM

What's wrong with wanting a Collie to look the part?

I don't see a problem with doing it at all...

But, I'd just like to say that it's my 0.02 that says if it was meant to be it would be. :D

rabbitsarebetter

03-07-2007, 08:12 PM

i KNOW i am lucky. but i only had to retape/glue Ruckus's ears three times in about 3 months.
and he is rambunctious!

buddy's parents...
sorry! i made a typo, we had a misunder standing...

Love That Collie

03-07-2007, 08:41 PM

Like I said previously.
86% of all Collies born do NOT have naturally tipped ears, so untipped ears are natural. And no, there's no pain and no, it usually doesn't bother the pup but they DO come apart when they play, lick each other etc with other dogs and sleep and wallow around.

There are quite a number of different methods and one just doesn't put a dab of glue/cement on the ear tip and glue it to the inside of the ear leather, that will cause a creased, broken look effect, there has to be circulation between the ear leather and the tip. You glue/cement hairs to hairs basically for lack of a better description. And you should do it the same each time the ears need re-done or else the "training" just doesn't come out correctly. And BTW, most good breeders use a human type skin/surgery cement such as "Skin Bond".