It seems there is a lot of confusion as to how to get Yorkie’s ears to Stand. I see a lot of Yorkies with downed ears. The cause of this can be just not knowing what to do if the ears don’t stand on their own to having too large of an ear, or not keeping the hair shaved off the ears at crucial stages. The hair on the ears drags the ears down.
There are several ways to help the ears to stand if they don’t go up by themselves. Small upright ears are a recessive gene. So if you want small well-set ears you need to breed for them. Taping the ears at about 6-8 weeks old may help, the problem with this is that pups love to grab at the tape and take it off each other’s ears. I use black masking tape as it isn’t as noticeable to the other puppies. Some people try to make a bridge across the ears thinking this will give the puppy a better ear set. If done improperly, this method can make matters worse.
If gluing the ears, use Collodion, which is a glue that is sold at Pharmacies, and is made to apply to skin. I would advise using this type of glue versus Super-glue or the like. When taping or gluing the ears, make sure to take the tape off every few days and clean the ears and reapply. The ears need air to keep them dry, leaving the tape on too long can cause a Yeast infection.
Instructions for applying tape or glue:
For taping. Fold the ear in half-length wise and apply the tape at the base of the ears, going around the ears a few times, you can also keep the ear flat and place a piece of tape on the front and back of the ear joining it together at the outside of the ear.
When using glue. Place the glue on the ear and lit it dry for a few seconds then take the ear and gold it lengthwise on itself. Hold for a few seconds. You may need to do this for several weeks until the ears stand.
If the puppy has a very large thick ear, there may be nothing you can do to keep them up. You can keep trying.
Most puppies’ ears will be standing on their own by the time they are ready to go to their new home. If not, you can instruct the new owner on how to tape them. Most people want a Yorkie with standing ears.
My best advice is to breed good dogs with good ear sets. Dogs being bred with big thick ears should be pets and are spayed and neutered.