I have had many request on how I rack my Doberman’s ears. There are many
successful methods used by other breeders.
This is the method that I use for my ears. It is easy and less irritating than
most of the methods used. There are no hard objects in the dog’s ear. If the
dog bumps his ears it will not hurt him. This method has been very successful
for me. What you are trying to do is form the cartilage in the ear to be straight
and a pocket for the ear to set in

KEYS TO HAVING SUCCESSFUL EAR TRIMS

1. Get a vet that knows how to cut ears. Many vets claim to how but don’t.
Ask a professional breeder or ask the vet for some references on previous clients.
There are many differences in ears. Some are thin, thick, too short, too long. An
experienced vet can tell the different and cut the ears accord.
2. Make sure that the ear is ALWAYS stretched. This is how the cartilage forms
to stand the ear up.
3. Rack, Rack, and Rack. This does not come over night. The longer the ear trim,
the longer you will have to rack the ears. Do not give up. Some ears will have to
be rack for up to 1 year.


1. Go to your to Home Depot or Lowes and purchase ½” diameter
Poly Foam Caulk Saver. When the puppy gets to about 6 months
you will need to go to the 5/8” diameter.

2. Next cut 2 pieces longer then the dogs ear. Remember you are going to inserting down inside the ear, so account for this also. Later you will be trimming off the extra.

3. I use Curity – 1” Standard Porous Tape. Take the tape with the sticky side and wrap in around the rod. When you get to the topreverse it and wrap it backwards so that the sticky side is on the outside.

4. Cut you 6 pieces of tape. 2 pieces 4” long, 2 pieces 6” long, and 2 pieces 9 inches long. Then cut a piece about 24” long and split it down the middle. You will have a piece ½” x 24” long.

5. Take the dog’s ear and stretch it up. Insert one of the rods into the dogs ear. Make sure that you have it all the way into the dog’s ear. Curl the dog’s ear around the sticky rod. Take the 4” piece of tape and wrap it around the ear & rod.

6. Take your 9” piece of tape and wrap it around the bottom. When you do this also make sure that the ear is stretched. Wrap it around the very base of the ear.

7. Take you 6” piece of tape and wrap it around the rest of the dog’s ear. Make sure that you do not wrap the tape too tight and cut off the circulation in the ear.

8. You are now done with one ear. Do the other ear the same way.

 

9. Take you ½” x 24” piece of tape. Attach it to the base of one ear. Come across the head with the tape and around the ear. Also when you are coming around the ear make sure that you have the ear stretched up also. At this point you should have the both ears vertically straight.If you leave to much distance between the ears the tips of the ears will be pointing outwards. If you not enough distance the tip of the ears will be pointing inwards.

10. Continue to do this around one ear across the head until you have used up the piece of tape. When you are done with that just take the tape across the middle and pinch it together.

11. This will stay this way for 4 days. Take it off for a day and clean the ear. Also make sure that the tape is not rubbing causing any sores or cuts at the bottom of the ear.

12. If the ears are not standing but are falling down towards the outside of the dogs head, wrap the ears the same way as above.

13. If both or one ear are falling across the top of the dogs head, you will need to wrap the dogs ears a different way.

14. Do steps 1 though 8. This time with the ½” x 24” piece of tape you will be going under the chin. Like a chin strap. You will need the other piece of ½” x 24” piece, also.

15. Take the piece of tape and attach it to the back of the ear. Then take it down and under the chin. Come up and around the ear. Make sure you have the ear stretched up & straight when you go around the ear.

16. Do this around the ear under the chin under you use the first piece of tape up. Then take the second piece and continue from where you left off.

17. Make sure that you do not make the tape to tight under the chin that you are not choking the dog. Also, watch for any rubbing that my cause a sore.

18. When you are done pinch that tape together on the bottom of the neck up until the base of the ear.

19. Keep this on for 4days. Take if off for a day and clean the dog’s ear.

20. Sometimes I may apply both the wrapping to the dog ears. Both across the head and under the chin.

21. Continue to wrap the dog ears with one of the methods above depending on the way the ears are falling. Do this until both ears are standing. Be patience & rack!!!!!

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