Puppies ears are cropped at around 7-8 weeks of age by a veterinarian trained to crop ears. When they are healed and sutures removed, they are ready to be posted. They should be
re-posted at least every 5-7 days or sooner if they get wet, fall out, look crooked or curved. Ears will need to be cleaned after removing the old posts and before inserting the fresh ones, ensuring the ear is completely dry before reposting to avoid infection.
The first couple times that you post the ears you may want to take them out sooner, just to check how things are looking. You don’t want to wrap the ears too tight to cut off blood circulation leading to necrosis and tissue loss, nor do you want to wrap too loosely that allows them to fall out. It’s important that you pull up on the ear and stretch it up when reposting.
Ears need to be in posts 24/7. They may only be out long enough to remove, clean the ears and insert new posts. Posting need to be done throughout the entire teething period and longer.
Teething Timeline
6-8 weeks - all baby teeth should have come in.
12-18 weeks - baby teeth will start falling out and will be replaced by their adult teeth.
4-5 months - the baby teeth begin to fall out as the adult canines start erupting.
6 months - most of the primary teeth should have fallen out.
6-8 months - the adult teeth start erupting and should be grown in by the end of this period.
7-8 months - adult teeth are fully erupted, and the ears look like they’re standing straight and up during reposting time- you can start “testing” them out of posts.
Start out short (30-60min) and keep a very close eye to re-post at first sign of weakness. Do not test them at all if they are not straight on their own all the way from the base to the tip. If your first short test goes well, repost anyway. The following time you change ear posts you can try for a little longer testing time. Keep going with this process of increasing it gradually.
Be careful to not undo any hard work by leaving them out too long or when they are not completely standing.
When are they done?
Everyone wants to know "How long do I post?” “When are they done?" This is individual to each puppy. They are done when they stand fully straight up all the way from base to tip, not bending in or out, and stay that way. The key is to keep posting. When you think you are done, keep posting! You can always check in with me. Ear posting requires patience and time, and it’s important you don’t give up! If you follow the instructions I give you, use the correct materials and stay dedicated to keep them posted for as long as they need- you will be successful and become proficient in no time. It can take 7-8 months on average (some dogs require longer) and you will end up with beautiful standing ears which will be well worth the effort!
Supplies you will need:
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Backer rod (1/5” diameter)
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Zonas athletic tape
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Gorilla tape or duct tape
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Antifungal powder (Gold Bond, etc)
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Cotton swabs
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Q-tips
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Ear cleanser
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Bandage scissors
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Torbot adhesive
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Adhesive remover (Unisolve)
