Ear Glueing

Glueing Irish Terrier Ears

I now sell Ear Glue designed specifically for dogs.
2 oz bottle is $6.00 plus priority shipping of $4.25

Feel free to E-mail me at: IrishTerrierPups@hotmail.com

The tails are docked at two or three days so that they are not so long that they are injured around the house or working in the field. The breed standard states that dew claws are optional. I remove the declaws because my vet gave me a thoroughly gruesome lecture on the major injuries that can happen to an adult dog when it catches a dew claw and tears it. Although I do not agreed with the docking of tails, I do it because 99.9% of the population expects it.

The Ears of the Irish Terrier start to “perk up” around 8 to 12 weeks. They look adorable at this age. Then the puppy loses its teeth and its body has to produce an entire set of new adult teeth. That calcium has to come from somewhere, and the closest source is the cartilage in the ears. The cartilage usually begins to set at about three months of age and will continue for a time ranging from three months to about a year. Show Ring breeders cannot afford to let nature take its course and wait to see how the ears will end up. There are championships that rest on how those ears look! NONE of the ears in any of my dog or puppy pictures have been glued. Of course, I do not show my dogs, and I think that a lot of dogs have their own unique look. The only time I recommend glueing the ears is if you have a "flying nun" type puppy.

There are three natural positions of a dog's ears. One is the alert forward stance. This is achieved by waving hotdogs, chickens or live cats in front of their noses. Showring people frequently carry clickers, hotdogs and other treats in their pockets to get their dog's ears to be constantly "alert" to a potential treat. I had a very good time talking to the handlers of many breeds in Greenville and listening to their secrets of what they do in the ring. The second natural position of a dog's ears is relaxed and to the side. This is not a "hang dog" look, it is a relaxed, I am safe and secure and in my territory look. The third natural position of a dog's ears is the backward, submissive position. Dogs deliberately put their ears back in a body language signal to others that they are being submissive. I have seen some variation in the Champion dogs’ ears, so it is not as if there is only one perfect look. What we are trying to avoid in the Irish Terrier is the "flying nun" straight up look.

If your puppy’s ears stick straight up, then you can tape a penny to the underside to weigh it down. Or you can duck tape them down for 10 months. If you really feel that you need to glue the ears, it has to be done from about 12 weeks until the adult teeth finish coming in at about 10 to 12 months.

Ear Glueing Procedure

This is the natural position if the ear cartilage is soft and relaxed. It kind of has a "I am safe and secure" look.

1) Clean off the head, ear, and old glue. You can use a Benzoin Tincture that can be found in most pharmacies, near the bandages. It is used for cleaning and as an antiseptic. Ask the pharmacist if you can’t find it. Trim the hair inside and outside of the ear. Hopefully, there will be some hair left on the puppy’s head for glueing the ear to. Place glue lightly in the yellow portions, a line or dot about one inch long and 1/4 inch wide on the inner edge of the ear, with a dot of glue between ear and skull, . Do not over do it. You only want to tack the ear, not weld it. Starting just above the point where the ears rise from the head, fold the ears over, matching the height above the head, and push the ear a little toward the center of the skull, holding it about 90 seconds until it is set. The height above the skull is above the skull is dictated by the size of the ear. Since not all ears are identical, there is going to be some subjective opinions on how to place each ear.

2) Gently roll the ear over your finger so that there will be an air space to the outside. Place the gluey part in position and HOLD it on a wiggling puppy for at least 90 seconds while it sets. (I tried to do this while they were awake and I think it is easier to do it while they are asleep). Keep the puppy busy for about fifteen minutes to allow the glue to set up. I read that a piece of masking tape wrapped loosely around a front leg will keep the puppy busy for a time, and he will forget all about his ears. You can wrap the head with gauze or tape to protect the ears. I had new puppy owners tell me that Duct tape works wonders!

3) This is the suggested place for glueing the ear. However, I think that it is too low and one needs to overcompensate a bit for gravity. I think that when the ear is unglued, gravity pulls it back to the side and down. So I believe that it is better to point it towards the inner corner of the eye and position it as close to the base of the ear as possible Leave ears glued 6 days. Some sources suggest one month, but I have never seen the glue last this long.

See how the ear folds are ABOVE the headline? If you don't believe me, buy the Breed book for 25$ and check out all the different sets of ears.
I have read that it is not desirable for the fold of the ear to rise above the head. But in studying the pictures of the many champions shown in the breed book, I have to say that all of the ears were held ABOVE the head and looked great. I would estimate that the pictures of the champion dogs in the breed book are 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch above the head. I tried to duplicate this in the drawing

4) Unglue the ears and let rest one full day.

5) Repeat the process for 7 months

Meanwhile, the puppy scratches and scratches at their ears, causing bloody scabs and hairless foreheads. Other puppies like to pull on each other’s ears and undo your work.

It is much easier if you have a second person to assist you.

What glue to use?

Even though I do not think it is necessary for 99% of the puppies,

1) I now sell Ear Glue designed specifically for dogs.
2 oz bottle is $6.00 plus priority shipping of 4.25$.