Airedales

» smorey - Ear Gluing

I have a 4-month old Airedale Puppy (Miles). The breeder glued his ears before we brought him home two months ago and within 2-3 weeks he had them unglued. Since this is my first ADT I didn't feel comfortable glueing them myself (although the breeder showed my husband and I how to) so I took him to a recommended handler. He glued them down again and within a week Miles had once again pulled them down. After giving them a week rest my husband and I reglued the ears as we were instructed by the breeder. To my dismay, Miles once again has unglued his ears by scratching them (actually drew blood). Does anyone have any suggestions? Unfortunately, his little forehead is down to the skin so we are letting his ears rest until some hair grows back to glue the ears down again. He is also teething (in a big way) which I think is why he just can't leave his ears alone. The handler said his ears are on the small side. They don't stand straight up unless Miles puts them there, but they don't lie flat either. Any help would be welcome.

I was under the impression that ear glueing is most important during the teething stage. How long do you have to set the ears so that they look they way they are supposed to?

Thanks.

-- posted by smorey

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» Nancy - Ear Gluing

The Joys of Puppyhood! I've monitored my two Kerries through the glued down stage. I think you are on the right track waiting a bit to re-glue. Neither of mine scratched to the point you describe. I wonder if it is the glue you are using --I used Liquid Sew.This is what I have in my notes:

By the age of about 12 weeks the ears have risen from hanging down along the cheek almost to the jaw line, to folding over at about the skull top, and tip pointing toward the outer corner of the eye. This is perfect--all that is wanted! The problem then is that all the puppy teeth fall out at once and by six or seven months a whole new set of teeth comes in, drawing heavily on the calcium in the system, and down go the ears! All that we do is to paste the tip of the ear to just where it is naturally before that fall--pointing to the outer corner of the eye. Usually this is done at the three or four months trim--the head and ears are clipped and the ears wiped out with an ear cleaner, and some of the hairs pulled out with the fingers or a tool. After a bath and drying, before the scissor trim of the body and legs begins, the ears are pasted. There are special pastes for this at dog shows or drugstores--they do not cause a rash. The ears set while the body is scissored. Four weeks later this is all repeated. The dogs do not seem to know anything is different. By seven or eight months the new teeth are all in, and the ears set exactly as they were naturally. Occasionally with large, thick ears, or tiny thin ones, it is necessary to repeat the pasting until ten or eleven months. Very seldom does a Kerry scratch his ears because they itch, but I try rubbing them, and if this does not take care of it, then I put a bandage over the ears for a few hours.

-- posted by Nancy

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