ears

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You will need the following supplies handy to make the inserts for the ears:
~Skin Bond® brand medical adhesive
~Dr. Scholl's® Mole Foam OR Foot and Heel padding OR Sentinal® brand mole foam
~Wooden 'popsicle' sticks (can be found at craft stores)
~Hot glue gun (also available at craft stores)
~Zonaz® brand cloth tape or Cloth Sports tape--1" wide

Step 1

Start by cutting the mole foam into up-side-down "kite" pattern, approximately 6" high at longest point. As you get more familiar with the cutting process, you can begin to shape the foam to the curve of the ear. But the kite shape will also do just fine. When you are done, you will have two foam inserts ready for the next step--gluing on the popsicle sticks.

Step 2

Apply a steady line of hot glue to the popsicle stick, and then immediately place the stick on the non-sticky side of the foam, along the longest length. Leave about 1/4" of foam below the stick at the base.

This is what they should look like when gluing is finished:

Top of inserts

Base of inserts (which will go into base of ear)

Step 3

Now you will fold the sides of the insert until the points overlap slightly and wrap them in place with a piece of the cloth tape about 4 inches long. Make sure you remove the protective backing from the sticky side of the insert first. When finished, they should look like this:

Now you are ready to put them in the ears.

Step 4

This is where you will need someone to hold the puppy, since things can get "sticky". Have the prepared inserts, Skin Bond® glue, and any tape that you may apply afterwards close at hand and ready to use. Clean the inside of the ears with rubbing alcohol or Tincture of Benzoin. Apply a thin layer of the Skin Bond® to the sticky side of the inserts (peel backing off first) and set aside. Now apply a thin layer of Skin Bond® to the inside (non-hairy) side of the ear from the tip down to the base. Wait about 20 seconds and then take one of the inserts and place the BASE into the ear canal deeply and snuggly enough to prevent the base from popping out later. Now gently, starting from the bottom, press the rest of the ear to the insert, with the tip of the insert and the tip of the ear meeting at the same point. When done, it should look like this:

If the base of the insert is snuggly inside the ear, shaking and playing should not cause it to pop out. The natural oils in the ear will eventually cause the ear to start to come unglued, usually in about 2 weeks, and so the inserts should then be removed the rest of the way and new ones put in. THAT'S IT FOLKS! This method has been used successfully for many breeders and you'll find that each time you do this, it gets easier. Read further for more useful tips.

Sometimes the eartips start to separate before the rest of the ear, so you can apply a piece of cloth tape to support them. Start with a piece of cloth tape about 3 1/2" long. Center the tape at the tip of the ear, on the hairy side like this:

Now gently fold one side of the tape over so that it adheres to the insert, like this:

Now gently fold the remaining side like this:

It's important NOT to pull the tape tight, since you do not want to cut off the circulation or bend the ear tip.
The tape is only meant to keep the eartip against the insert.

If the ears have a tendency to droop at the base, support can be given by pulling the ear up straight and wrapping a piece of cloth tape around the base. When the ear is released, the tape will help keep the ear from drooping. Start with a piece of tape about 5-6" long, pull the ear up and place one end of the tape at the base of the insert, at an angle, like this:

Now, still holding the ear up, wrap the tape around the base of the ear until it comes back to the insert again. Press the tape to makesure it adheres, and cut off any excess on the end. When finished it should look like this:

Again, you do not want to pull it too tight as to cut off circulation, but it should be snug. The tape is mild enough that it can be removed and repositioned if needed.

Here is a picture of inserts that are cut to fit the shape of the ear:

Shaped for right earReady for the left ear

When cutting the foam to the shape of the ear, remember that each piece should mirror the other, not be identical. That is a mistake we've all made before, and not funny if you've used up the last of your foam and realize you've got two inserts for the right ear instead of one for each.

Good Luck!