How do collie breeders get their collies' ears to bend over?

Proper ear carriage on the collie is considered to be both ears sitting fairly high up on the head when the collie is alert, with the ear tips folding forward. The "break" (fold line) of the ear should be about one-quarter of the way down from the tip. There are many factors that can play havoc with correct ear carriage, such as heredity (multiple genetic factors), age, hot or cold weather, teething, pregnancy, illness, and parasites (flies and mites). Since show collies are judged on their expression (among other things) and ear carriage plays such a critical role in creating expression, most collie breeders pay particular attention to their puppies' ears while they are in the growing-up stages. These breeders will "train" the ears, beginning at about age 8 to 10 weeks, by taping them into the correct position. "Ear tapes" or "braces" are fashioned out of tape and with moleskin padding. The idea is simply to "brace" a puppy's ears into the proper position while he is in the fast- ...  more

Proper ear carriage on the collie is considered to be both ears sitting fairly high up on the head when the collie is alert, with the ear tips folding forward. The "break" (fold line) of the ear should be about one-quarter of the way down from the tip. There are many factors that can play havoc with correct ear carriage, such as heredity (multiple genetic factors), age, hot or cold weather, teething, pregnancy, illness, and parasites (flies and mites). Since show collies are judged on their expression (among other things) and ear carriage plays such a critical role in creating expression, most collie breeders pay particular attention to their puppies' ears while they are in the growing-up stages. These breeders will "train" the ears, beginning at about age 8 to 10 weeks, by taping them into the correct position. "Ear tapes" or "braces" are fashioned out of regular duct tape and with moleskin padding. The idea is simply to "brace" a puppy's ears into the proper position while he is in ...  more