The ears of the toy terrier: production and care

Small and pretty toy terriers are cheerful and unpretentious dogs that have obvious mental abilities and a loyal character. Their peculiarity consists in ears hanging from birth, which should eventually grow stronger and stand up, which fully complies with the breed standard. Owners of these cute animals will need to study the problems that are associated with this issue.

According to the standards, the ears of the toy terrier should be thin, rather large, while their high landing is assumed. When an animal is born, the cartilages of the auditory organ are too weak, but as the dog grows, they become stronger and soon take a standing position. This is a natural process that can be accelerated, and if it is unsatisfactory, stimulated. For this reason, the owner of the pet, whose life involves participation in exhibition shows, will need to get acquainted with all the necessary procedures.

Some exemptions relate to the breed of the Russian toy terrier, characterized by a long hairline - his ears can stand half. This assumption is due to the fact that heavy hair makes the auditory organ heavier. But in the case of smooth-haired individuals, judges are extremely strict, and incorrectly placed ears can cause disqualification, even with the other predominant characteristics of the animal.

The peculiarity of the strengthening and formation of the ears of the toy is the uncertainty of the age at which time this happens. But formation can be influenced by factors described below.

• Often, the slow development of cartilage depends on the state of health of the parent of the puppy, which did not eat well during pregnancy.Perhaps the mother had other pathologies, so the formation of the cub’s ears is slow. This means that the owner should take care of the puppy, and, first of all, while he is feeding on mother’s breast milk, the ration should be properly drawn up.

• The reason that the ears do not stand up for a long time is the wrong selection of father and mother. If you need offspring with high-quality ears, then you should not mix shorthair representatives with terriers with long, shaggy hair. If this has already happened, we can expect a notorious problem.

• The human factor also plays an important role in the formation of the proper ear rack of the animal - the process must be adjusted at the age of 2 months. Timely intervention makes it possible not to worry about a positive result. A small puppy transfers the necessary procedure easier than a grown animal. But if the safety net is not implemented on time or is completely missed, it is difficult to predict how the development of the organ will go in the future.

Other causes of weak cartilage, in addition to unwanted genetics, which does not happen with a pure pedigree, determined by the presence of both short-haired parents, are a lack of nutrients, vitamins, especially calcium and a stressful state of the baby, depleting its immune system and energy reserves of the body.

According to dog handlers, the development of cartilage occurs in dogs during the first 6 months of life, and by this time the puppies ears should already be standing. In practice, this happens in 4-5 months, and some earlier even earlier. But it also happens that hanging ears remain up to 1 year for one of the above reasons.

Unlike other breeds, toy terriers do not stop their ears, because these are the requirements for the appearance of the dog. Let this not surprise inexperienced dog breeders - it is believed that this way the exterior of the animal with its long paws is balanced and looks more proportional due to large ears sticking up.

If in such a situation, stopping is considered an advantage, then its unconditional disadvantages can be indicated by the following positions:

• distortion of the noble image and facial expressions of the animal, as a result of which it looks aggressive, which makes it impossible to communicate with other dogs;
• post-traumatic stress disorder, that is, a significant mental disorder of the pet, the rehabilitation of which can take a long period;
• physical recovery (healing) that can bring that suffering;
• disqualification and closed entrance to exhibitions.

Many dog ​​breeders are against ear stopping. In Europe and many other countries, such an action is prohibited by law, and the owner must be prepared to be punished for the abuse of his animal. Most dog handlers who truly love dogs completely agree with this statement of the question.

It is possible to put a pet’s ears not only with the help of a special corrective procedure - you can start by finding out if the puppy is experiencing stress. To do this, you can watch the animal. Owners with experience keeping the breed list these reasons:

• high physical activity associated with training;
• repair or relocation to new housing;
• visit to the veterinary clinic;
• the appearance in the family of another animal or newborn.

If such moments cannot be excluded from life, you should resort to sedatives that can calm the dog ("Stop-stress", "Adaptil", "Fospasim", "Fiteks").

Correct will be to pay attention to diet food.It is one thing if ready-made feeds with a balanced composition in the recommended dosage are used, for example, Purina Pro Plan, Nutra Nuggets, Nutra Gold, Belcando or Advance. But when an animal eats natural food, it may lack some minerals and vitamins, which means that they should be introduced into their diet.

And finally, at home, you can make the necessary correction of the ears, allowing them to stand up confidently after a while. Pasting the ears can be done independently. This is a safe procedure when the ears do not rise, or rise, and then fall again.

To perform this work, you will need the following tools:

• antiseptic;
• scissors;
• small pieces of plastic as a frame;
• for fixation - a hypoallergenic patch to prevent toy skin problems.

Gluing is done using two strips of patch, the optimum width of the pieces is 7-10 cm. It is important to start “gluing” from the inside of the ear shell, from its corner, and then continue gluing around its circumference. You should act fairly quickly so that the animal does not feel discomfort. Do not allow rubbing with a plaster of the skin of the ear - this can provoke irritation. It is also necessary to leave the auditory canal open.

Keep the frame on the ears no more than 2 weeksbut the veterinarian may recommend extending the course to 30 days.

To avoid unpleasant complications, you must:

• prevent the animal from experiencing;
• to improve the condition of cartilage and the growth of their tissues, enter into the menu dishes using gelatin - this may be food based on broth or milk.

To activate the processes of cartilage strengthening, it is allowed to use products containing glucosamine and chondroitin sulfates that enhance growth and improve the quality of cartilage. Special drugs with a chondroprotective effect include Hekalan, as well as Fitokhondrovit, Arthrofit and Kinosil.

Sometimes radical intervention is necessary. An extreme measure is ear plastic surgery, in which the doctor makes a skin tightening, and the ear stands without assistance.

It is clear when such an operation is ordered by breeders trying to hide from the buyer the puppy the errors of the pedigree. In the case when it comes to the prestige of the dog, the owner will have to fully accept the consequences, including fatal ones, on his conscience. The operation is performed using general anesthesia, and if the animal has a weak heart, liver or kidneys, then it may die.

If the terrier constantly scratches the ears, and this is due to their correction, but at the same time the puppy is full of energy and positive, then the reason for this phenomenon should be sought in the long absence of the owner. It is worth worrying if the baby has painful symptoms. It is wiser to immediately consult a doctor to avoid annoying signs, as well as slowing down the process of strengthening young cartilage of the auditory organ. Any pathology can be prevented by periodically taking care of the animal’s ears.

How to carry out the procedure:

• using olive, boiled oil or a special product, clean, soft cloth or napkin, cotton wool discs;
• when cleaning, the head of the animal is fixed by hand;
• first, the area inside the ear is cleaned with cooled boiling water and a cotton pad;
• after that, to soften and dissolve, oil is instilled and left for 20-30 seconds;
• then you need to insert a clean swab into the ear and wait until the product is absorbed along with the impurities;
• at the end you need to wipe the pet’s ears dry.

The formation of such a part of the toy terrier’s body as ears should not be allowed to drift, and an attentive owner perfectly understands the relevance of constantly monitoring the state of the animal. This is necessary for the proper type of dog, but not only, because the health of an animal and a loyal friend is no less valuable to a person.

For more information on how to care for a toy terrier, see the next video.