EAR TIPPING INSTRUCTIONS FOR MY CLIENTS

These instructions were prepared to fully explain my method of sheltie puppy ear tipping for the benefit of my clients and my puppy buyers. I encourage my puppy buyers to follow these instructions for up to a year as their puppies' appearance represent Silver Trails Shelties and properly tipped ears give the most pleasant expression.

OK, now for the good stuff.  By popular demand, I have created a movie clip of how to set sheltie puppy ears with the Japanese Ear Tape.  You may also use instead Elastikon or Elastiplast which we consider the "American" Japanese Ear Tape available at any medical supply store. 

Cut pieces of tape like so:

Close Up On Puppy Ear Bracing

This is puppy's first taping of ears. Well... at least now you know it ain't easy! LOL

 

Another angle

Puppy Ear Bracing:

First, the ears should not be touching in the middle. Forcing them to touch creates and unwanted crease in the ear which will tilt the ears out so I would say in the young puppy, 1/2 inch gap is appropriate and as they grow that gap will probably increase to an inch or more.

 

Second, all ears are not created equally. It is not the actual ear, it is the ear hole and where it is situated on the head. If you have a ear hole set high, the ears will be closer together and set higher on the head and the reverse is also true, if the ear holes are set lower, there will be more space between the ears.

 

I have found that the break in the ear should be set with the tape at the half way mark because when you take out the tape, the ears will lift up a trifle making the break in the ear a 3/4 break.

 

The ears are set when the adult teeth are all the way grown in, at about 6 months. You can still try to correct an ear set up to a year or more. I would say at 2 years, what you see is what you've got.