According to the Chihuahua breed standard, like the similar breed of Russian Toy Terrier, semi-erect ears are considered a defect. Droopy ears are grounds for disqualification from the show. To avoid this, it is worth considering in detail the possible causes of the defect and answering the question of how to install Chihuahua ears at home.
To participate in exhibitions you need to make your ears stand up
When do Chihuahuas' ears stand up?
The question is asked primarily by novice breeders, because erect ears are a breed characteristic. Initially, Chihuahua puppies are born with floppy ears. As they grow older, the ear muscles and cartilage become stronger, and the posture takes a vertical position.
An experienced breeder knows that, as a rule, Chihuahuas' ears stand up at 2-3 months. If the puppy is more than 8 months old, but they are still not standing, then there is a high probability that they will not stand up. Possible reasons include:
- genetic defect or heredity;
- calcium deficiency in the puppy’s body;
- suffered severe stress or immunodeficiency;
- a cross with another breed (for example, a dachshund);
- improper diet of a pregnant bitch during pregnancy.
Professional breeders note that long-haired Chihuahuas have ears that stand up a little later. Caused by increased consumption of calcium for the formation of hair and wool.
⚠ On the day of reserving a puppy, special attention should be paid to the placement of the ears of its parents. Remember that the puppy inherits the qualities of its ancestors.
Ear placement
In order for your pet to acquire the appearance required by the breed standard, you need to know how to install Chihuahua ears. Moreover, this must be done correctly so as not to harm the health and appearance of the dog.
If the time has come, but the ears remain hanging, then they need to be glued. To do this you will need the following materials:
- medical plaster. It should have a width of 2–2.5 cm. You cannot use adhesive tape or electrical tape, since both materials do not allow air to pass through. Because of this, the skin underneath will swell, which can cause serious skin irritation or allergies. In this case, you will have to remove the sticker and lower the ear until it returns to normal.
- skin. This is why you should only use medical plaster;
- sharp scissors;
- an object that can act as a tire (for example, a strip of cardboard or a match with a cleaned head). It should be light and thin so as not to further burden the already weak ear.
There is not one, but two ways to fix a Chihuahua’s ear. Let's look at them in more detail.
The first method looks like this:
- First, the ears are prepared. Their surface is treated with alcohol to completely disinfect and remove grease and dirt. This will make installing the tire faster and easier. You need to wait for the treated surface to dry completely;
- then four triangles are cut out of the patch, which should resemble the shape of the ears. It is necessary that the triangles completely cover the inner surface of the ear. Therefore, the dimensions of the overlay must be adjusted precisely;
- two triangles are glued together, and a tire is placed between them. One side of such a design must have a sticky surface in order to stick. This is the main condition for ensuring good fixation of the splint;
- the structure is now glued to each ear. All wrinkles should be smoothed out.
The second method for implementing the plan is reminiscent of the first. Only in this case is a stronger splint taken to ensure the lifting of heavy ears. It can be cut from a plastic bottle. A piece of a cotton swab will also work. In this case, the baby’s ears need to be glued for a stronger fixation to each other.
Using the methods described above, it is easy to install the ears of a Chihuahua puppy. How long a dog can walk with such pads depends on the initial muscle strength. Typically it takes 2-8 weeks. The tire is removed when the required shape according to the standard has been secured.
Recently your ears were standing, but suddenly fell off?
If your Chihuahua's ears, which were standing confidently yesterday, have fallen off, then do not panic. This phenomenon is observed when a puppy changes its milk teeth to molars: between the ages of 4 and 6 months. The problem is also observed after routine primary vaccination.
Once the teeth change is complete, the ears will rise without outside intervention. Moreover, it is not necessary that both ears fall off. Today one of the Chihuahua's ears fell off, tomorrow another. One may rise, another may fall, there is no pattern.
Professional dog breeders recommend increasing the content of foods rich in calcium and phosphorus in the dog’s diet during teething:
- meat;
- cottage cheese;
- fish;
- eggs.
The diet or the prescription of calcium supplements must be discussed with a veterinarian. An excess of phosphorus and calcium increases the risk of developing hip dysplasia.
Ear care
Due to their shape, Chihuahua ears often get dirty, so it is necessary to regularly clean the ears from dirt and dust.
You can do this with a special hygiene stick if you are sure that the dog will behave calmly, but if you are not sure, then it is better to clean it with a napkin.
It is not recommended to disturb the microflora of the ear every day and completely remove wax, but it is necessary to do this periodically, otherwise an unpleasant odor or discharge from the ears and irritation may occur.
In such cases, you should definitely contact your veterinarian. You should start cleaning your ears from puppyhood .
After bathing, be sure to dry your ears with a towel to avoid water getting in.
Methods for correcting ear setness and their effectiveness
Beginning breeders often believe that erect ears are a sign of the breed. However, “misfire” also occurs in purebred Chihuahua dogs, but much less frequently than in mixed breeds.
The puppy is separated from its mother at the age of 2-3 months. By this time the ears are already standing up or starting to stand up. It all depends on the individual characteristics of a particular animal. No help is required up to 4 months; with good genetic inheritance, the ears will stand up without outside intervention.
From 4 to 6 months, i.e. During the teething period, discuss with your veterinarian the prescription of calcium supplements (for example, Excel Calcium), and review your diet.
To strengthen the jaw muscles, gums and teeth, purchase specialized commercial treats for small dogs. The leader on the Russian market is .
There is a possibility of affecting the ear position of a Chihuahua puppy between 6 and 8 months of age. During this time period, make your maximum efforts. The older the dog, the lower the chances of solving the problem in a conservative way.
Today, Internet users actively recommend the following posture correction methods:
- regular massage of the base of the auricle;
- diet with mineral supplements;
- gluing the ears with a fixing plaster;
- surgical correction of posture (otoplasty).
There is no scientific evidence that massage helps strengthen ear cartilage! On the contrary, careless actions of the “massage therapist” can lead to damage and kinking of cartilage tissue.
A diet with mineral supplements has its place, but I do not recommend resorting to it without first consulting a veterinarian.
Surgical plastic surgery of Chihuahua ears is usually performed for cosmetic defects of the auricle. The operation is performed under anesthesia. Average cost of otoplasty: 10,000 rubles.
Gluing the ears of a Chihuahua is the most gentle and effective method of correcting posture. The maximum effect is achieved in combination with the use of calcium supplements, which strengthen the cartilage of the dog’s auricle.
How to put ears on correctly
Good heredity indicates that the ears will rise on their own without outside intervention. But at what angle they will become, it depends on the puppy’s heredity.
According to experts, if the previous 5 generations did not have problems of this nature, then newborn babies will not have them. Such statistics are provided by large nurseries and breeders who have many years of experience.
The norm is influenced by 5 previous generations
Preventive measures
Nature provides that the ears of Chihuahua dogs should be open. If this sign is violated, chronic otitis may occur. Preventive measures for ear elevation include:
- Support a complete diet with the obligatory presence of cottage cheese and special calcined vitamin supplements. It is worth adding gelatin steamed in water on the tip of a knife to your food.
- Regular massage of problem areas using your fingers, which should be performed at least 6 times a day. This procedure helps improve blood circulation. To do this, you need to place your thumb on the outside of the ear, and place your index and middle fingers together in the inside of the organ. It is necessary to perform stroking movements, do not pull.
- To prevent the puppy from overheating, walks outdoors in sunny weather should be done carefully. The sun's rays do not always have a favorable effect on the development and strengthening of bones.
- It is worth avoiding stroking the puppy's head during the period of ear formation. From pleasure, he throws his ears back, and this is undesirable.
Important! It is most effective to massage in places where there is a break.
Carrying out a Chihuahua massage
How to glue
If the ears still do not stick out at this age, breeders should glue them on. This makes it possible to put them in a vertical position. In this case, by 2-3 months the baby will be able to move his erect ears independently.
Attention! Before gluing, the ears should be cleaned, degreased, and disinfected. To do this, use boric acid or another lotion. To prevent fat from remaining, they need to be cleaned not only inside, but also closer to the top.
Since long-haired Chihuahuas have soft ears, it is worth trimming six on them, which will interfere with the adhesive bandage. You should first measure the parameters of the shells using a ruler and cut out two petal-shaped parts from the plaster. Each of them should be cut slightly shorter than the ear.
It is important to repeat the shape of the ears. On the inside you need to attach a cut ear stick, which acts as a splint. It’s time to attach the entire structure to the inside of the organs, carefully monitoring so that the pet does not remove them.
The gluing process can be inconvenient for your pet.
Other staging methods
Hemming is considered the crudest method of fixing the ears. Some veterinarians refuse to perform this procedure not because of inability, but because the manipulation is quite painful.
To perform it, the skin on the back of the ears should be sutured under local anesthesia. After such an operation, the dog tries to move its ears and often experiences pain. Spacers need to be worn, as with gluing - from 1 to 4 weeks. The four-legged animal constantly feels discomfort.
The main causes of problem ears
Violation of the rules for keeping a bitch awaiting lambing.
Poor nutrition for pregnant or lactating dogs and babies.
Bad heredity.
Creases form when the ear cartilage is weak. In the long-haired type of Chihuahua, due to the weight of the ears with long outer hair, soft ears are more common.
Sometimes the ears break due to their own weight and with a strong but heavy ear.
During the change of teeth, negative processes can also occur in the ears. Moreover, before that the ear can stand well, after that the cartilage becomes stronger again, but the creases remain forever.
The ears may fall off for a while after vaccination, but then they stand up on their own.
Prevention
You can avoid using such a radical method as gluing if you take good care of your little friend.
Watch your diet. The diet should contain a large amount of calcium-containing foods, and the puppy should also eat diluted gelatin once a day.
Give your dog a gentle massage often . This stimulates blood circulation and causes the cartilage to develop faster and not fall off. 6 times a day, stroke from the base to the outside.
Short walks in the sun are beneficial. Its light has a positive effect on a young, developing organism, but staying outside for too long can lead to heat stroke.
Every loving owner is proud of his dog, cares for him and educates him. Some owners dream of a devoted little companion, others dream of a show career.
To raise a breed show champion, the owner must make great efforts. In addition to fruitful work on socialization and obedience, conformation is an important component of the condition for participation. In other words, the appearance of the dog. In Russia, it must comply with the breed standard, which is described by the Russian Kynological Federation (RKF). Check out the document here.
Just one small detail can ruin grandiose plans in an instant - ears! The Chihuahua's ears, as stated in the official document, should be wide open, erect and relatively large. Drop ears in Chihuahuas are a breed defect. It means the end of a show career and exclusion from breeding work.
⚠ In addition, moisture accumulating in a closed ear canal becomes a breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria and parasites.
What to do if your dog is too
In this situation it is very difficult to achieve the desired result. If you do not plan to exhibit your pet, then you can leave everything as it is. Otherwise, you need to show maximum patience and put in a lot of effort.
Before you put on your Yorkie's ears, you need to cut off all the hair from them. Then they are folded in half and wrapped with adhesive tape so that the result is a tube with an open ear canal. After this, both ears are connected using a regular bandage. This simple measure will prevent them from falling and scattering in different directions.
Once a week, the adhesive plaster must be removed to check whether the problem has been resolved. A new bandage should be applied no earlier than a few hours after removing the old one.
