Training the Collie ears
The Collie Standard for ears:
| The ears are in proportion to the size of the head and, if they are carried properly and unquestionably break naturally, are seldom too small. Large ears usually cannot be lifted correctly off the head, and even if lifted, they will be out of proportion to the size of the head. When in repose the ears are folded lengthwise and thrown back into the frill. On the alert they are drawn well up on the backskull and are carried about three-quarters erect, with about one-fourth of the ear tipping or breaking forward. A dog with prick ears or low ears cannot show true expression and is penalized accordingly. |
Form follows function:
The shape of the Collie ear helped protect the original herding dog from the cold winds in Scotland. Even if you never enter your Collie in a dog show, you will be pleased with the results if you spend a little time during your puppy's formative months to help his ears develop according to the breed standard. The proper ear set and shaped ear adds to the beauty of the head.
Training:
There are several products used for training ears. All are based on bracing the ears together and gluing the tips down. Most breeders brace when a puppy is 7 or 8 weeks old and continue through teething, usually around 5 months or 8-9 months if needed. The most popular method today is bracing ears together with a product called "Sheltie Tape" and gluing the top part of the ears to form the lovely tulip shape. Moleskin was also used to glue the tips of the ears to the base. Jiffy Sew is a popular glue that is advertised in Collie Expressions. Please remember that we only glue hair to hair, never skin to hair.
Links:
There are several links for Sheltie ears. The problems and resolution are the same for Shelties and Collies.
Sheltie Ear Tape: http://www.berk.com/~carmylie/tape.htm
Sheltie Puppy Ears (this describes the moleskin and yarn approach): http://www.echowyn.com/Ears.html
Instructions with Sheltie Ear Tape: http://members.aol.com/STShelty/Eartip.html
Good background information from Burlywood Collies: http://www.burlywood.com/collies/ears.htm
Moleskin and glue: http://www.srreal.com/j.ears.htm