The Truth About Yorkie Ears: Do They Always Stand Up?

Although most Yorkie ears stand erect, some puppies are born with floppy ears. You may either tape your Yorkie’s ears to assist them to stand up or let them stand on their own. Yorkie owners must also take extra precautions to keep their dogs’ ears clean and clear of infection.

Continue reading to discover more about a Yorkie’s ears, whether all Yorkie ears stand up, and how to tape your Yorkie’s ears safely.

Do All Yorkshire Terrier Ears Stand Up?

Not all Yorkie ears stand on their own. Some puppies are born with floppy ears that will never rise. This is known as “Yorkie floppy ear syndrome,” and it can occur if your Yorkie has large ears that are top-heavy owing to excessive hair.

Although most purebred Yorkshire Terrier breeders would avoid breeding a Yorkie with floppy ears, it does happen. If your dog is a rescue, or if you bought it from a pet store or puppy factory, you’re more likely to have this problem.

What Should Yorkshire Terrier Ears Look Like?

According to breed standards, Yorkshire Terriers are supposed to have perky, sharp ears. However, not all puppies enjoy following the crowd. There are things you can take to assist your Yorkie’s ears to stand on their own if they have floppy ears. You may also just let it all hang down. In any case, the majority of people think it’s charming.

Yorkie ears must also be trimmed and cleaned regularly to keep pests and illnesses at bay.

Should Your Yorkie’s Ears Stand Up or Down?

Yorkshire Terrier’s ears should, in general, stick erect. However, the age of your puppy has a role in the response.

Yorkie puppy ears have not yet had the chance to develop the requisite cartilage and muscular power to stand up on their own during the first few months of life. As a result, all Yorkie puppies are born with floppy ears. As the pup matures, they will eventually stand up on their own.

When Should the Ears of a Yorkie Rise?

Some Yorkie puppy ears will begin to prick as early as three or four months of age. Others will not have formed enough muscles to hold their ears up entirely until they are eight or nine months old. It all depends on how your Yorkie’s muscles and cartilage at the base of his ears develop.

It’s also conceivable that one of your dog’s ears will come up before the other. For those who want to display their Yorkie in conforming contests, this may cause some anxiety, but it’s just plain cute for the rest of us.

In any event, in a few weeks or months, both ears should align and stand fully upright.

Teething May Be a Factor as to When Your Yorkie’s Ears Will Stand

Some Yorkie owners may observe that their dog’s ears begin to perk up, only to droop again after a few weeks. Teething, which generally happens between four and eight months, might cause this due to physical stress and dietary needs.

As your Yorkie’s jaw replaces deciduous teeth with permanent ones, an excess of calcium is required, which would generally be used to reinforce the cartilage in his ears. As the hair on the ears becomes thicker, this may slow or even cause them to droop.

There’s no need to be anxious about this. Once your dog has finished teething and growing, your dog’s ears should return to normal.

What if My Yorkie Has Floppy Ears?

Floppy ears on a Yorkie are only a real worry if you want your dog to compete in conforming shows. Floppy ears shouldn’t be a problem if your Yorkie is just a part of the family.

You may only need to pay additional attention to keeping their ears clean and checking for infection regularly. Later in this book, we’ll go through how to clean Yorkie ears in greater detail.

You have a few alternatives if your Yorkie’s ears aren’t standing up and you want to fix it, including shaving and taping the ears. In the following section, we’ll go through it.

Should I get the Ears of my Yorkie Cropped?

It is never a good idea to crop the ears of any dog, let alone a Yorkie. Like every other part of their body except their nails and hair, Yorkie ears should never be clipped.

This doesn’t need much explanation as the ears are a part of the body, and it’s not acceptable to just cut off a portion of it for cosmetic reasons. Any suggestion that contradicts this should be carefully examined. Consider taping your Yorkie’s ears instead.

Taping Your Yorkie’s Ears

You may use a few techniques to encourage your Yorkie’s ears to stand up faster. Ear taping is one of the most prevalent. The procedure of keeping your Yorkie’s ears in an upright posture so that the muscles and cartilage at the base of the ears may grow into place more readily is known as Yorkie ear taping.

What is the Best Way to Tape your Yorkie’s ears?

Trim and clean your dog’s ears before you begin. Trimming the ears is a way of helping Yorkie ears to stand up on their own. All that hair might become too much for the ears, causing them to droop.

But, more crucially, tape Yorkie ears will impede airflow to the ear canals for a few days, so make sure they’re clean and newly shaved to avoid infection. 

The Flat Method

Make a three-inch-long strip of tape with three to four layers of tape. Although surgical tape is also available for sensitive skin, regular masking or painter’s tape can suffice.

Cut two triangles tiny enough to fit into the points of your Yorkie’s ears after you’ve finished your strip. These triangles will aid in the stiffening of the ear tips. When applying the triangles, be sure to keep any hair from the back of your dog’s ears out of the way. That way, the tape sticks and avoids covering the ear canals.

Fold a few lengths of single-layer tape around the triangle, starting at the rear and ensuring the ear leather stays flat.

Finally, use a single piece of tape to secure the ears together. This will assist them in keeping each other upright. Make sure the ears aren’t facing each other inward. They should stand in their natural stance, straight up off the ground.