border collie ears?

Question

We have a 5 month old border collie and her ears are erect. Is there anyway we could encourage them to fold, as our older collie's do? Her ears make her look like a fox!

Answer 1

The only way is to have elective surgery. My dog has huge erect ears and he looks like a bat, but I still love him anyway.

Answer 2

Does it really matter what your Collies ears are like? i'm sure you'll love her no matter what! Don't worry, collie ears are difficult to work out what they are going to do when you look at them as a pup and as other people have said they can be both pricked, one up/one down, both down, bent at the tip etc etc. At the end of the day it doesn't make a bit of difference to the dogs hearing and whatever type of ears she has they will 'grow on you' and become part of her physical personallity. I've now got a six month old Border Collie male who is teathing and at the moment his ears are pricked but bent at the tips, after he has got his adult teeth will be the time when you can judge how his ears will be, I've had five other Collies in the past, some with pricked ears and some with flopped, it didn't make the slightest bit of difference to myself or to the dog! Simply make sure that you give her and the other dogs plenty of love and attention (and DON'T repeat DON'T put anything on her ears to weigh then down - let nature take it's course!). Good Lick!

Answer 3

Chew gum and put it on the tips, cover with flour so that it doesn't stick to the rest of the hair. Don't use bubble gum as it is too sticky. This is often enough weight to get the ears to tip, but you will have to replace regularily as it will sometimes fall off.

I think they may make a product for this nowdays, but the gum used to work well for me when I showed Shelties.


Border Collie ears can be any which way according to the standard. I can't say I have seen many prick eared BC's in the group ring though, although technically it isn't supposed to matter, judges preferences do come into play more than they should sometimes.

Answer 4

I have a Border Collie , he is five now, and my best friend. When he was a pup until about a year old he used to look lop-sided because one ear was up the other down. Don't worry about it they grow out of it. Sam , my dog has a whole range of ear positions, it's part of his character.

Answer 5

Many border collies have ears like yours. They are called prick ears. It is not considered a fault at all. Border collies are permitted many variations in appearance as the many purpose of the breed related to their working potential.

Please do not do anything to try to change your girl. She is the way she is supposed to be.

http://www.akc.org/breeds/border_collie/index.cfm

These are the AKC breed standards. Look under head, then look under ears. This is what is says "Ears are of medium size, set well apart, one or both carried erect and/or semi-erect (varying from 1/4 to 3/4 of the ear erect). When semi-erect, the tips may fall forward or outward to the side. Ears are sensitive and mobile. "

Answer 6

My Border Collie has the traditional one ear up, one ear down look, but once in a while they go either way... does it matter? I love her anyway she is... and she's done almost twelve years with me and every one of them a pleasure:-)

She was the runt of the littler, born with arthritis, sickly, hand fed for a year, started by the farmer who I bought her from, she was on medication when I purchased her at eight weeks and a third the size of her rough coated boisterous four brothers... hidden away as they bounded out to greet us, inside the barn where she was born.

Her mum and gran were working sheep dogs in the IoM and so I guess she is a Manx Border Collie... they expected me to buy one of the handsome males... but, I asked if ther was a female and was told, "Yes, but she is sickly." I insisted, and he confessed he'd fallen for her too, and preferred his working dogs from bit**es because they trained better. He was hopeful she would be strengthened up over time.

I twisted his arm... I'm a sucker for the underdog and fell in love with the puney little mite, who, was about the size her head is now back then. I got her for £30 and felt like Judas as we took her with us, the farmer looked so sad... and though I doubt she would have made a working dog because of her arthritic hip, she is agile and youthful to this day, with only stiffness now and then. I think them thar cold and damp Manx hills would have been her death knell, so I'm really glad she's mine.

I wouldn't care if her ears had hung down to her hips, or stuck up to the stars... she brilliant and so intelligent... and never stops dragging me along for miles, and trying to round up kids and cars;-)

Answer 7

nope. Border collie ears should be tipped. Upright or drop ears are a fault which is hereditary. What weere her parent's ears like? I personally love collies with drop ears and after my last one died suddenly, it took another 9 months before I found another with drop ears. I don't show so ear carriage is of no importance to me other than personal preference.
Taping, vaseline and all the other old wives tales you will no doubt get told, don't do anything.
Wait until he has finished teething to see what his ears will be like since teething affects ear carriage.

Answer 8

My mom used to show collies and one of them had ears that didn't fold consistenly. She would fold the ear in half (horizontally) then in 1/2 again (vertically) and tape the ears this way. By doing this you break/crease the cartilage and soften it so it is no longer hard enough to keep the ears erect. You have to be consistent in doing this though. Also you may want to call the breeder and ask what they recommend as a solution. And always check with your vet to make sure they don't see any harm in it (my mom's vet didn't think this caused the dog any harm, but yours might differ in opinion).

Answer 9

My dog folds her ears back like Yoda off of Star Wars when she gets excited which is most of time and then she looks like an earless dog too a lot of the time because she pulls her ears back so often. Still love her. Maybe you could say "Come on sweety fold your ears," and when she does give her a treat and maybe she will get the concept and keep them folded just for you!

Answer 10

what does it matter , its actually better to let her ears stay up because it lets the air in and stops them getting moist and infected, so leave them alone