Hello,new on here,big problem ears not standing

[taradraco]

Hi, I own two blue chow puppies from the same litter. The female Tara her ears are standing. Her brother Draco are not. They just turned 16 weeks. I owned German shepherds my whole life and chihuahuas. Those two cutie pies are my first chow chows. Other than the ears,we have one more problem with the male chow he likes to chew the leather coach. But one issue at a time ,really its his ears. I pit up two pictures, they are11 weeks old in the pictures. Just don't understand, they are total floppy ears. Any advise? Thank you

[Rory's Dad]

11 weeks is tough to tell. You could have what's known as 'broken' ears. Those are a disqualification in AKC show dogs, but not really a health concern, as long as you have checked for possible ear infections. Inspect for any 'goop' or excessive ear wax, although the pup would probably be shaking his head a bunch if that were the case.

1st off, if you think its actually the ear structure, I would start adding unflavored gelatin to his food. We use Knox brand. Just sprinkle it over his food. The gelatin will help to build the cartilage that supports the ear. This will help if there is an actual fold to the ear.

You could just be looking at a lack of muscle memory. In that case, you could try to tack the ear. Use a leather repair glue. Trim the fur a bit inside and out to reduce the weight and pinch the upper portion of the ear with the glue in the center. I can look at our grooming kit for the actual brand if you decide to follow through, as it seems way better than others I have tried. Don't waste time or money on splint tape, ace bandages, or breath-right type strips. They won't be effective or even stay on the dog.

My 1 year old smooth chow has one year that he likes to let hang. He can totally control it and I just have to get his attention to get it back upright (completely muscle memory for him).

[taradraco]

Thank you Rory's dad. I'm going to try the gelatin, in his dog food. One thing I made a mistake on was a their age in the picture. They were 8 weeks. Draco (male) is now 38 pounds at 16 weeks. Vet said he's going to be big. I read somewhere in that larger chow's have ears that have trouble standing, is that true? Also I'm going to get updated pictures that are clearer. Both their parents ears stood.

[Rory's Dad]

Yes, it is true. Larger, heavier dogs can take more time to have the ears be upright.

[taradraco]

Thank you Rory dad,you have been a big help.