After all of the stitches have been removed, hold the edge of the ear between your thumbs and pointer fingers and gently squeeze and stretch to be sure that all of the bumps are out of the edge of the ear. This will be a bit painful for the puppy, but will insure that the ear does not crimp and finishes off with a nice smooth edge. Start at the base of the ear and work your way to the top, stretching gently, being very careful at the top so that you do not tear the tip of the ear.

Once you have removed the stitches and stretched the ear, clean the inside of the ear with alcohol. Use a cotton ball soaked with hydrogen peroxide to gently clean the outer edge where you have removed the stitches. Let the puppy's ears air out while you prepare the inserts. Do not allow the puppy to shake his head wildly as they can sometimes create a hematoma on the tip of the ear.

There are many types of tape that you can use, but I find there is no tape that sticks like Curity by Kendall Porous tape. Have had many, many people come to me in frustration that they just could not keep the ears in tape. Once they got the Curity they had no problems.

There are many taping methods that work well. Two variations of the method I use are described here. I use caulking foam or backer rod as the basis for the ear insert. You can find this at Home Depot in the caulking section. I find this method is especially good because there is no danger of injury to the ear canal and the ear wraps do not need to be changed as often.

If you are starting with this method just after the stitches are out and the ears are TOTALLY healed, put foam down into the ear as far as you can GENTLY place it and cut off 1/4 in longer than the ear. Be sure to use foam that will fit down into the ear canal opening. You can use the foam alone or reinforce it with heavy duty cable ties. If you are reinforcing the foam with cable ties, cut the tie approximately 1/2 inch shorter than the foam and when it is inserted into the ear be sure to insert the end that the cable tie does not go all the way down to.

Start your tape around the foam and then wind the other way diagonally until the entire foam insert is covered with tape, sticky side out. They are now ready to put into the ears. If you are using the foam with the cable ties, when you start your back wrapping tape over the top of the foam insert to keep the tie from working it's way out.

Cut 6 pieces of tape per ear, 2 long, about 6 inches, and 4 shorter, starting with about 3 inches and getting gradually shorter, then insert the foam piece into the ear and gently cup and squeeze the ear around the foam insert. Starting at the bottom and stretching the ear up as you go, begin with one of the longer pieces and with the end of the tape on the inside of the ear, proceed around the ear toward the uncut side first, keeping the flap on the uncut edge folded back.

Work up the ear in the same manner, with the 4 shorter pieces overlapping them slightly as you proceed up the ear. After you have attached the last short piece of tape at the top, gently pull the ear as high as you can and put the last longer piece at the bottom. Leave the very tip of the ear exposed so that you can monitor for swelling. If swelling occurs take the ears down IMMEDIATELY!

Or you can use the same inserts as described above and use minimal taping with one piece around the bottom and one piece around the top as shown. Be sure that you gently pull the ear up before you put the bottom piece of tape around the ear.

If you find the ears are listing out, not standing straight up off the top of the head, it can be helpful to use a figure 8 to help keep the ears in the proper position. Once both ears are taped in the same manner make a figure 8 out of tape pulling the ears high on the top of the head. You will start by pulling the ear straight up and with the tape at the very bottom of the ear, go around one ear, over the head and around the other ear in the opposite direction. You will in essence be making a figure "8" out of the tape. Be advised that some dogs have a lower ear set which can make getting those ears high on the head impossible.

The tape is not stuck to the top of the head, just around the ears. When taping this brace on, you must be sure that the ears are pulled up as high as they will go and that when you have finished with your figure 8 the ears are straight up as they would be naturally with a very high ear set. I normally leave the ears up for 5 to 7 days. If the ears get wet, start to become misshapen, look grungy, or smell, take the tape off right away.

If the ear has developed a "pocket" - the ear indents at the bottom of the ear just where it meets the head along the uncut edge - See Red X - then the flap of skin is pulled forward and a cotton ball placed under the first piece of tape to push the pocket out. If the ears have formed pockets do not use the figure 8 to pull them up high on the head as that will compound the problem. Once you have gotten the pocket out you can once again use the figure 8.

If your dog will absolutely not tolerate the posts down in the ear canal you can position the posts just down to the ear bump - See Red Arrow - and tape in the same manner as above. Note for every taping method it is imperative that as you tape you gently stretch the ear especially as you postion the last piece around the bottom

When the ears need just a little bit of help, or on a several day show circuit when I don't want to do a major taping each day, I use Transpore Tape. Cut a piece about 4" long and position about in the center of the ear starting on an angle and working from the inside, over the uncut edge, around and up the ear. After you have positioned the tape on the ear, work it with your fingers to warm it up a bit and it will stick on the ear much better. Be sure to check this tape daily as it can cut into the ear.

When using transpore tape it is not necessary to use adhesive remover to ease the tape off. When using the curity tape it is a good idea to get actual adhesive remover from your pharmacy so that you do not pull off too much hair and it is not painful for the puppy when you remove the tape.

When you have finished you want the ears to look like those in the pictures below of A/C Ch. Encore's Bismark, left, freshly out of tape at 3 1/2 months; and right, the finished product.

Being successful at ear taping is just a matter of persevering and not allowing the ears to hang for more that a couple of hours at a time to air out. When it seems as if they will never go up, they finally do! In the 50+ years I have been in Boxers I have never had an ear that did not go up. GOOD LUCK!

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