Kai my Mal is now 7 mths but his ears have still not gone up :( I have tried everything taping his ears, using a coller to stop him taking the tape off and tried a kind of bandage from pets at home (which made his ears swell) so I now at a lost. I have heard about human glue to stick the back of the ears to the fur on his head as anybody else tryed this? or any other ideas? Would love to have shown him:(

It sounds as though his ears are genetically destined never to go up. What were his parents' and grandparents' ears like?

No both his parents ears are up, his brother ears are up they are all show dogs and look fantastic :) he is a great looking dog with a brilliant temperment :( just his ears loop over like a lab
I have to say his dads breeder has tried to help and she has been breeding for years :)

Whereabouts are you?
I could show you the way Janet Edmonds taught me, many moons ago, but not sure I can explain it clearly enough in writing.

I am in Kent is that to far away?

The point is though that artificially aiding ears to stand that are genetically disposed not to stand is actually masking the issue that the trait exists and therefore can be passed on to future generations.

I have been reading that mals ears should go up between 6-9 mths? but all the mals I have seen all have their ears up when they are puppies I have never seen a mal with ears that are down? and I really wanted to show him :(  I understand what you are saying Brainless but I understood this was a common thing to do in Mals but maybe I am wrong

> but I understood this was a common thing to do in Mals but maybe I am wrong

if it is a common thing then the 'problem' will become more and more common and eventually more dogs ears will not go up at all.

the correct ear carriage needs to be bred for not created.

Friends and I imported a male puppy in our breed ans his were still inclined to tip at 6 months, but after providing him with chewing items (he was in Quarantine so we worried about giving bones/chews).  they very quickly went up properly.

Now had we taped or messed about with his ears we would never have known if had we not they might not have stayed incorrect and passed the trait onto his offspring.

My advice to you would be to provide things for the pup to chew (possibly ear carriage being affected by teething of rear teeth), which will strengthen the jaw and ear muscles.  Wait until after the teething stage is over (over 9 months) and see if they don't go up themselves.  If not accept he isn't show or breeding quality.

We needed to be sure that what we had was natural and capable of being passed on.

Also from a breeders perspective if people tape pups ears the breeder won't know if the weakness is being passed on, as the ears may have gone up unaided anyway or equally may never have gone up.

Just an example to demonstrate how breeding for correct ears (or any trait) is important.

In the UK the Miniature pincher is a naturally prick eared breed, yet in USA and Canada where they crop the ears a natural eared Min Pin will often have floppy ears.

Kent is quite a way from me (Hampshire) but if you're passing this way you're more than welcome to drop in.
Alternatively email me and I'll see if I can help in any other way.

Are u near Basingstoke? because I have friends there that I will be visiting after xmas and I work in sunbury :)

Clearly what Brainless is saying is falling on deaf ears, no pun intended.

I know it's common practice and obviously not the worst welfare issue in the world (although I note that you've tried techniques that have made his ears swell), but if you're hoping to show you're dog, taping or gluing his ears is cheating and if you're not, then what does it matter?

Why not let him be?

Jemima