The Shetland Sheepdog, or Sheltie as it is more commonly known, is a small herding breed originally bred on the Shetland Islands of Europe. Resembling small Rough Collies, the Sheltie was eventually taken to the mainland of England and crossed with a number of other local herding breeds to produce the small, jovial dog we know today. The ears of the Sheltie are distinctive, with the ends tipping over and adding to his expressive face. It is often necessary to glue a Sheltie's ears to help attain that preferred ear set, although gluing is a simple process.
Instructions
1. Examine your Sheltie closely to determine the proper point at which to fold the ears over. An ideal ear tip is between 1/4 and 1/3 of the entire length of the ear. Bend the ear tips over gently and place a dark mark on the inside of the ear where you want the ear tip to rest. Mark both ears and check to make sure they are even and level with each other.
2. Place a small drop of glue on your finger and fold the ear tip over and glue the tip to the long hairs growing at the base of the ear. Pull these hairs up towards the tip and hold them together until the glue sets and the tip stays bent over. The glue should set in about 30 seconds, so hold the ear in place to make sure it does not slip.
3. Repeat this process with the other ear, taking care to leave the hair on the outer edges of the ear free. Make sure you get enough hair from the base to keep the tip bent over, but leave the open edge free to allow air to flow through the ear to prevent dampness and infection. If you do happen to get too much hair in the glue, gently pull them free to open up the edge of the ear.
4. Run a line of glue along the inner edge of one ear and push the ears together, allowing the glue to set to keep the ears secure. A proper Sheltie ear set is vertical, so gluing the ears up together is necessary to achieve this. Put more glue on your fingers and roll a few batches of hair along the top of the ears to bridge them and keep them tightly pulled together.
5. Watch the ears closely to make sure the glue holds and the ears stay in place. If your puppy is in a growth stage, the ears will change frequently and you may have to reset them often. If your dog is older, you can remove the glue weekly and allow the ears to rest for a day to determine if proper ear set as been achieved.
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