My introduction...a little late

[DawnMarie]

Ok, I'm pretty new here, and have posted a few times, but have never really introduced myself...I'm also going to try and post a pic of our latest "addition" if I'm using photobucket right... My name is Dawn, I am staying at home right now with our 3 young boys; Isaiah, Austin and Gabriel. My husband David works for a landscaping company, and in the winter works for a local beer distributor-think beautiful Clydesdales I love my new boy Max, he is a 6 month old Doberman Pinscher. We also have a St. Bernard-Diesel, and two horses, Echo and her yearling colt "cough" gelding Lyric. He was just gelded on Thursday I love to ride when I "can" and collecting model horses (Breyer) when there's money left over haha!

Ok, we'll see if I'm doing this right...

This pic was just taken with my camera phone in the vet's office...we don't have a good digital camera yet.

 

[DawnMarie]

I haven't figured out how to copy more than one image tag thingie at once...


Max had his ears cropped before I bought him... and we have been working on getting his one to stand, I have a feeling he's going to have one staying floppy. Oh well, we love him no matter what

 

[Whisper]

Aww, what a cutie! I like his ears floppy. He looks so sweet. Well a belated welcome to you! I also collect Breyers.

 

[squirtsmom]

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome-glad to have you aboard!

 

[DawnMarie]

Thanks Momof2pups and Squirtsmom I sometimes wonder what he would look like if they wouldn't have been cropped, but it does make him special with one up and one down

 

[otch1]

Hello again... very handsome baby! There are certainly a lot of Dobie owners here! If he's already 6 months old and his ears still aren't standing, I'd make sure you're keeping them posted/taped another month or so, no breaks. How you tape them and how long you stick with it, is what your dog will end up with for ears as an adult. I take mine down for a 24 hr period to clean, give them "air" and then repost, when they start to drop. For mine, that's after a day or so, as he's only 4 months old and teething. It's difficult to get them to stand once you start leaving them down and let that crease develope at the base of ear. They did a long crop on yours, as is the case for my puppy as well, so that will take longer to stand. The key is not to leave the ears down at all, keep taping and don't give up. 3 boys, 2 dogs and horses... you have your handsful!

 

[ToscasMom]

What a cutie.

 

[DawnMarie]

Hi otch1, thank you Yes there are several Doberman owners I have noticed. They are amazing creatures, aren't they?

Yeah, the vet pic was when he was first in to get re-taped, I had taken them down and left them for 24 hours. We have been working on it for several weeks-I take him back to the vet because I have trouble taping/posting by myself...husband is either working, or working outside. So we go back once a week and he tapes them. The one is actually standing on it's own, so he has just been taping the other one. He says that he has found that supporting it on the other ear-when you run the tape across..takes away from the ear getting the strength to stand on it's own...so he has been walking around with just the one ear taped. I know there are so many ways to do it...and his breeder said she could walk me through it on the phone, but I have to "see" it myself, and when the vet did it quickly, I just decided to have him keep doing it.

We have gone a couple times where they have been down for a couple days though...one was when he had an ear infection and the Dr didn't want to tape them then. The other was when the post came off on a Friday, and everything I tried he flung right off with one good shake...so he didn't get taped till Monday. That was when the other pic was taken...with the one ear down.

I have heard that the long crop is even harder to get to stand...uugh I hope we haven't ruined it by leaving it down longer those times The Dr did say that the one ear we are having problems with doesn't have much bell, so when I have tried to get the post to stay in, he flings it out..does that make the ear harder to stand too?

Yes, my hands are very full, lol! I get on here during quiet times when everyone is napping/watching cartoons, and I'd love to post to soo many things, but usually end up jumping away from the computer to get something, haha!

 

[DawnMarie]

Thank you Toscasmom

 

[otch1]

Hi DawnMarie... a lot of breeders/vets feel it builds strength by not bracing them. My breeder feels the same way. The problem is if there isn't much bell, you do have to taper your posts so the base going into ear is thinner and able to go well into ear, so they don't shake it out and your tape has to cover the entire bell/ opening of the base of ear. I have been able to do this without surgical glue at this point, which I really didn't like using. You have to use a lot of adhesive remover in order to not irritate the ear and pull out hair. Less is more in my opinion, if you get post and tape in the right position. I am lucky in that this pup has learned to sit for this quietly without moving his head, so we take our time and he always gets an ear massage before taping and many cookies afterward.

 

[Nick`o`shea]

Hi and welcone to Chaz. Another Dobie owner.......Sooppa dooppa

 

[DawnMarie]

Hi Otch1,

Yeah, the vet has been pretty good at rolling the post and getting it to stay; seems everytime I do it, it ends up to fat, I don't get it tapered, etc. So I have just been sticking with him doing it. Apparently he is the only vet on this side of our state...there's another one in Rapid City..that does ear crops/taping. So I got lucky there. Before I started having him tape..like right after he arrived from his breeder and the post she had put in had wore down (about a week) I tried the mole foam and the only surgical stuff I could find-liquid bandage/skin stuff...but it didn't hold at all. I guess I shouldn't say "surgical" stuff because it wasn't. I found out later that I should have ordered "skin bond" off the internet. Oh well, this last taping was put in a week ago Monday...so I'm just debating if I can leave it on until Thursday-it looks really clean, his ear is ok right now. He goes in on Friday for his neuter. So then he can re tape for me then.

 

[DawnMarie]

Thanks for the welcome Nick `O` Shea...yeah they seem to be pretty popular around here,

 

[Kase]

Hi and welcome to Chaz .

 

[DawnMarie]

Thank you Kase, it seems really nice around here, and I'm sure I have alot to learn

 

[Kanga]

What cute pictures. he looks adorable

 

[DawnMarie]

Thanks Kanga Your little guy sure is a cutie! I see you are from Australia...my mother in law gets back tonight from a 3 week vacation there:yikes: Only a dream of mine Someday I guess....

 

[Zoom]

Hi and welcome! I LOVE your avatar...such a beautiful horse! I too collect (or used to anyway) Breyers.

 

[DawnMarie]

Hi Zoom, thank you If only the horse in my avatar was mine, lol! It is the famous reining horse Hollywood Dun It...now deceased My dream is to have a colt or filly with his lines, someday.

Another Breyer collector! Wow, Do you still have yours?

 

[soft pawz]

Welcome to Chazhound!!!