Ear cropping is provided with our puppies and the crop is a medium/long crop with a clean bell.    Ear crop surgery is performed at 7-8 weeks of age.   The stitches are removed 7-10 days following surgery and just prior to puppy placement in their new homes.    Taping continues until the ears stand which is usually until 6 months of age.   It is VERY important to keep ears taped until 6 months of age, changing tape weekly.    If the ears are allowed to be un-taped until they fall, then the ear cartilage can be weakened and the chances for a perfect outcome are drastically reduced.   Please keep them taped until they stand.   Please don't let this surgery and healing be wasted and have a Doberman that looks less than their potential.   Ears that don't stand is just one sign of a Doberman that was not cared for like they deserved.   The photos below are an illustration to assist you in taping your puppy's ears.   There are many different ways to tape ears and this is the technique we have progressed to over the years.   We know these puppies, we know this crop and we know this works.   Don't let anyone tell you differently in regards to your D & L Doberman.    Please don't hesitate to call (870-974-0095) or email (lewisstables@aol.com) anytime with questions regarding your D & L Doberman puppy's ears.   We want their ears to be gorgeous when you are finished.    It will be worth the little bit of time that this takes each week until the cartilage is thicker and strong enough for the ears to stand.    

WEEKLY:   REMOVE TAPE, WIPE EARS CLEAN, DRY COMPLETELY, and RETAPE IN SAME SESSION

ITEMS NEEDED:

TAMPONS (Equate, regular, cardboard),  

TAPE (Johnson & Johnson Coach sports tape, cloth, 1" or 1.5" wide,  NEVER use waterpoof tape),

SCISSORS (small, sharp, crooked tip, available at Walmart in cosmetics department),

GAUZE (4"x4" pieces of gauze for protecting raw edges or raw spots from the tape as needed), 

BRACE (4" wooden craft sticks).

Remove tampons from the paper sleeves.   Hold down string and tape string to tampon also tape the tampon joint so it will not slide but will remain at the longest length.  

Reverse tape the tampon (approximately 7" long piece of tape) so the sticky side of the tape is on the outside of the tampon.   This will help hold the tampon in position inside the ear. 

This "gauze" step (below) is only needed in the beginning within 2-3 weeks following surgery.  If needed for raw edges, cut a 4"x4" gauze into two pieces, one for each ear/tampon.  The tampon sits on the gauze and is placed in the ear while the gauze wraps the raw edge to protect the freshly healed edge and/or stitches from the tape.   You may not need this step but you may see this gauze underneath the tape you remove when you first receive your puppy from D & L.    

Now, back to what you will do weekly.   Cut tape into pieces for use in posting the ears with the tampons. 

Tape pieces/lengths needed are:   2 - approximately 4",    4 - approximately 3" long,  1 - approximately 10" long  for the brace.   

Now for the posting and taping of the ear.   You will need a helper to hold the puppy still.    Place the sticky tampon into the ear.   It will go down about 1/2" or 1" into the ear and will stop.   So push it into the ear and pull the tip of the ear up to get it firmly into place.   The tampon will line up in the ear canal and follow the ear straight up to the tip.   Keep holding the ear tip tightly to the tampon so it doesn't come off while you are taping the ear with your 3 pieces of tape.    Start at the base of the ear with the 5" piece of tape.  Place the end of the tape on the tampon at a slight slant up.   Tape toward the inside of the head while holding the ear tip tight at the top of the tampon.  Pull the tape firmly but not too tight.  You will now notice a fold in the ear.    As you pull your tape around the ear, the crease should fold back and lay against the ear.   This is a natural fold in the ear that you want to keep.   Wrap the ear around completely with your first 5" piece of tape.   Repeat up the ear until you have the ear covered with tape.   Depending on the length of the ear and the overlap of the tape from section to section, you may use 2 or 3 pieces of tape to cover the ear from bottom to top.  

At this point after the ear is taped, use the scissors to slide under the tape and cut a slit in the tape to relieve a little pressure on the ear.   This exact point on the ear is the area where the base of the natural ear fold is located.   A blister can occur if this slit is not made due to the pressure of the tape rubbing on the ear during the puppies active life.    Both ears are shown below (left and right).

Now for the brace.   Place the wooden craft stick on the sticky side of the tape (shown in the beginning photos of supplies above).   Place the brace to the back side of the ear and the brace end to outside edge of the ear and wrap the tape ends around each ear.   The ends of the 4" brace placed to the outside edge of the ears keep the ears at the perfect distance apart when finished.   This also helps support the ears so there is not as much movement when the puppy plays.   

Now your puppy has a new hat for a week or less.   Keep the ears totally DRY at all times and the puppy cool (not hot and sweaty)  .   If you smell anything or the puppy scratches at the ears more than just a tiny amount, then you need to remove the tape and check to see if anything is raw under the tape.   Each time you tape, the tape could rub differently and cause a blister that can become infected quickly.   If a blister occurs, don't panic, just clean the ear, dry the ear and place a piece of gauze on the area to prevent irritation from the tape and then repost/retape the ears over the gauze.    But keep a close watch on the irritated area.   The ears need to be posted but the blister needs to heal as well.   So this might require daily or 3 times per week taping so the raw area can be cleaned and medicated until it heals.   Call anytime with questions (870-974-0095).   You will do great!!   We still get blisters under our tapings occasionally as well.  Many amateurs are better at posting than we are within a few taping sessions with their new puppy!!!     Taping is also a great exercise for your puppy by teaching patience and trust.     

Now that you have taped your puppy weekly and he/she is 6 months of age, how do you know if the ears are finished??   Unfortunately, you can't use a toothpick to see if your puppy's ears are done, like you can when baking a cake.   So here are the details on testing the puppy's ears to see if they you are at the end of your last roll of tape!    First of all, when you remove the tape/posts, the ears should be standing perfectly and both ears should look exactly the same.    If not, the puppy is not finished, so continue with weekly taping.    If they look perfect and your puppy is 6 months of age or older,  then leave the tape and posts off and allow your puppy to play while he/she is supervised by you.    An hour may go by, maybe 5 hours, maybe 12 hours and they are BOTH still standing perfectly.   Great!   Now, 3 days may go by and you may notice that one ear tip might start looking weak or the middle of the ear might look weak or the ear might start tilting or drooping.    Immediately, and we mean immediately, get those ears back up!!   This is the most critical stage in the process.   If that ear is allowed to break over, the ear's cartilage can be permanently damaged.    Just to be safe, I would do this on a weekend or sometime that you can watch the ears closely.   If you have any doubts, just retape/repost and try again next week.   D&L's Outlaw Josie actually went 2 full weeks before one ear started looking weak.   We retaped and the next week she was finished and they were perfect from that point forward.   

Good luck, your almost there!  And, please, please call if you have any doubts!!!!