Posting problems!

2006 Views 27 Replies 13 Participants Last post by CH4Sure, Oct 11, 2011

OliviaB

Discussion Starter · Oct 8, 2011

Gunner's ears are looking great and hopefully will be finished within another month or two. BUT, I'm having one major issue. He's completely mastered getting the posts off

I've used every type of tape I can find (that's safe of course) and I wrap them very well......but he still gets them off. Today, I've wrapped his left ear THREE times!! He's figured out how to roll around and rub them on things to get the tape loose, then he gets it off by shaking his head and using his back feet. Obviously, this is extremely frustrating and getting expensive from the amount of supplies I'm going through! Any ideas on how to get him to leave them alone, or what specific tape is the sturdiest? I'm currently using a cloth sports tape that was working well, but today he figured it out too. I've also tried vetwrap, and he got that off in minutes. His ears look completely healthy so there isn't a medical reason for him to be protesting...he just doesn't like it I guess. Help!! Earlier today I was SO tempted to just give up and let him have droopy ears. Of course I won't, but this is really getting frustrating.

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o0 sHaDoWoLf 0o

· #2 · Oct 8, 2011 (Edited)

what technique do you use? I just came across this the other day http://dpca.org/BreedEd/kb/index.php/articles/47-ear-caretaping/153-taping-advanced-for-puppies lucky for my my breeder does it for me. She uses at the moment a rolled up and folded paper towel. She then tapes it with cloth tape and then tapes around the ears with several pieces of about 5 in length of tape. The second posting she did the back taping method because his posts kept popping out but the 3rd time was just a regular post job no back taping.

If he know the leave it command every time he goes and tries to itch at his ears touch him with your hand as if it was a soft bite from another dog like a mama dog correction and say leave it, that way you are interrupting his train of thought about itching his ears lol

Jonesy'sMom

· #3 · Oct 8, 2011

Have you tried doing it like this method?
And specifically back taping the rod

http://www.dobermantalk.com/puppy-corner/47747-ear-posting-directions-photo-tutorial-my-method.html

OliviaB

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 8, 2011

I use the tampon method and I always tape it so that the tampon is sticky. I press it into the ear and then wrap the tape around the ear as firmly as I safely can. I more or less lay it against it the ear and then smooth it out to prevent it from being too tight. I've tried telling him no, but he does it when I'm not around. Yesterday morning, I got up to pee and ended up taping his ears at 3:00 AM because I found that he had gotten them both off in the crate. He rubs them until the tape is loose, and the shakes his head and scratches until he gets them off. Lately, he won't even keep them on for 48 hours without getting them off

It's really wearing me out!

Sinister

· #5 · Oct 8, 2011

Find someone in your area to help

they can do their method & show you how.
Edit: e collar. I think that would benefit him.

Reactions: 2

OliviaB

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 8, 2011

Jonesy'sMom said:
Have you tried doing it like this method?
And specifically back taping the rod

http://www.dobermantalk.com/puppy-corner/47747-ear-posting-directions-photo-tutorial-my-method.html

Yeah, that's the method I tried the other day only with a tampon. But I do always back tape it.

OliviaB

Discussion Starter · #7 · Oct 8, 2011

Sinister said:
Find someone in your area to help they can do their method & show you how.

The thing that gets me is that I DO know how to tape. I'm very comfortable with it and I've done it on several other dogs in the past. I've tried several methods though and he gets all of them off. He even got off the taping job my vet did last week, and it was a very solid posting!

Just read your edit...an E collar might work. Honestly, hadn't even thought of it. Might be the only solution!

Reactions: 1

o0 sHaDoWoLf 0o

· #8 · Oct 8, 2011

try the leave it command and when he does leave it give him a high rewarding treats that he really loves and lots of praise. Do you have pictures of how you post?

KoaRad

· #9 · Oct 8, 2011

I used the tampon method also - Koa got it off a couple of times and I found that sometimes using a longer piece of tape helped so that it didn't get loose so quickly... he would still get part off, but when it didn't come loose he would get bored with it...

Good luck!

Adara

· #10 · Oct 8, 2011

I spray starter engine fluid on the side of the post that goes against the ear so it sticks better. I'd also use an ecollar.

Reactions: 1

OliviaB

Discussion Starter · #11 · Oct 8, 2011 (Edited)

o0 sHaDoWoLf 0o said:
try the leave it command and when he does leave it give him a high rewarding treats that he really loves and lots of praise. Do you have pictures of how you post?

He is good about leaving them alone when I'm not around...it's when he's crated usually that he gets them off. If he starts to mess with them, I'll correct him and he'll stop. But when I'm not home or asleep, I have no control over what he does. I guess I'll be picking up an e-collar. Poor dog....he's going to look like such a clown

Oh, I did the taping job in the sig pic. I took him to the vet the other day and had the vet look at my posting and said it looked perfect. He said I would just have to keep posting no matter how many times he gets it off. I can't safely wrap any tighter or do any more tape....ugh!

Specifically, I do the typical tampon method of back taping the tampon, inserting it as far into the ear as possible, stretching the ear around it, then placing three pieces of tape over base, middle, and top. I then wrap the whole thing again in more tape since he's so bad about getting it off. I would prefer to have some of the ear exposed, but with his issues, it's not possible. Without lots of tape, he gets it off within minutes. I tried adding a bridge once to see if it would help, and it just gave him a good handle to pull at with his back feet. He's a pro!

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o0 sHaDoWoLf 0o

· #12 · Oct 8, 2011

OliviaB said:
He is good about leaving them alone when I'm not around...it's when he's crated usually that he gets them off. If he starts to mess with them, I'll correct him and he'll stop. But when I'm not home or asleep, I have no control over what he does. I guess I'll be picking up an e-collar. Poor dog....he's going to look like such a clown

Oh, I did the taping job in the sig pic. I took him to the vet the other day and had the vet look at my posting and said it looked perfect. He said I would just have to keep posting no matter how many times he gets it off. I can't safely wrap any tighter or do any more tape....ugh!

Specifically, I do the typical tampon method of back taping the tampon, inserting it as far into the ear as possible, stretching the ear around it, then placing three pieces of tape over base, middle, and top. I then wrap the whole thing again in more tape since he's so bad about getting it off. I would prefer to have some of the ear exposed, but with his issues, it's not possible. Without lots of tape, he gets it off within minutes. I tried adding a bridge once to see if it would help, and it just gave him a good handle to pull at with his back feet. He's a pro!

hmm maybe make it look like you are leaving and have a way that you can see him without him knowing and buy one of those air horns made for dogs so that it isnt one of those ones that can hurt those ears and when he tries to take his tape off you can blow the horn.

or set up a web cam and buy one of those vibration collars and whenever he attempts to take off the tape a correction.

Reactions: 1

wgsdluver

· #13 · Oct 8, 2011

I would definitly recommend a e-collar. Im new to Dobies as a breed but have learned alot here and have been trying new things with my pup as well. She hasnt been cropped yet BUT we are doing everything as if she was. Posting, e-collar, etc. I want to know BEFORE she is cropped if a certain method bothers her more than another as well as if she is allergic to any tape. Anyway, she never had a problem with her e-collar and I would be getting one for your boy. It sounds like your taping in fine, he is just stubborn!

Good luck!

honda123

· #14 · Oct 9, 2011

Right after our puppy was cropped, we were told, "Not to worry about it, most puppies aren't bothered by the stitches and cone taped to their ears on their head." Well, anyway, as soon as our girl hit our hard wood floors, she was scratching and started bleeding. I loaded her in the car and we went to Petco for a very expensive retail E collar. It was worth every penny.

Reactions: 1

honda123

· #15 · Oct 9, 2011 (Edited)

Here she is......

All she wants to say is, " ARE YOU SERIOUS?... I am a Doberman! And, you are going to pay for this!"

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OliviaB

Discussion Starter · #16 · Oct 9, 2011

Well, he must have known I was talking bad about him LOL because today he's left his ears alone. YAY!! I had to go to a birthday party this afternoon and expected to come home to untaped ears since he had to be crated for awhile, but thankfully his ears look perfect and are still wrapped. If he does it again though, an ecollar it is.

o0 sHaDoWoLf 0o

· #17 · Oct 9, 2011

OliviaB said:
Well, he must have known I was talking bad about him LOL because today he's left his ears alone. YAY!! I had to go to a birthday party this afternoon and expected to come home to untaped ears since he had to be crated for awhile, but thankfully his ears look perfect and are still wrapped. If he does it again though, an ecollar it is.

I guess your consistency of taping every time he took them off made him realize that he is not going to win >_< and that he will just have to deal with it : )

Reactions: 1

misha422

· #18 · Oct 9, 2011

For a dog that saves people from fires did you really think some tampons and tape would stop him? :huepfenjump1:

Reactions: 3

OliviaB

Discussion Starter · #19 · Oct 9, 2011

misha422 said:
For a dog that saves people from fires did you really think some tampons and tape would stop him? :huepfenjump1:

Lol, that's what my husband said! He was like "Babe, do you really think he's dumb enough to wear tampons in his ears without a fight?" Can't say I blame the poor guy....but sure is a pain!

Jennie ATX

· #20 · Oct 9, 2011

Olivia.. I feel your pain!!!

I'm watching an 8-month old puppy right now and she is also a master of removing her posts. :lol: I was doing what you were doing and using a couple of shorter pieces of tape on the bottom of the ear, and wrapping fairly loosely.

I figured out pretty quickly that I HAVE to use a pretty long piece of tape on the bottom of her ear (over a foot probably) and wrap it tighter than I had been. Before anybody cries foul, in my experience it's very important to keep the tape loose on the TIP of the ear, but on the bottom you do need to wrap "fairly" snugly or a determined dog will rub/scratch them off in mere minutes. If he is managing to shake the post out whole, with the tape basically still intact, it is a pretty sure sign that you're not wrapping tightly enough on the bottom. You don't want to wrap TIGHT but put a little pressure on that tape when you wrap it around and then WATCH, keep a very good eye on the spot where the tape meets the ear and make sure you don't see any swelling or irritation.

Another thing to try is using a longer piece of tape on the bottom.. for some reason that just seems to make it more secure. Once I switched to a longer piece of tape and wrapped it around more snugly (several times), PRESTO! She stopped getting the posts out.

Remember to always wrap the tip very loosely.. that's the part you really have to worry about.

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