How to Tape Corgi Ears (Should You Tape?)

So, you’re wondering if you should tape your corgi’s ears.

A lot of owners do it to help support the cartilage and prop the ears up so they’re pointed.

You’ll learn about these topics:

• How to tape the ears
• Pros and cons of ear taping
• How to safely take the tape off the ears
• Answers to common questions about ear taping

Sound good? Let’s get those ears up.

Last updated: 3/7/20.

Why do people tape corgi ears?

Some corgi owners tape their dog’s ears to help them grow in easier.

The ears are made of cartilage and it’s a “floppy” material by nature.

The tape acts like a “cast” to help support the ears develop as the puppy ages.

Taping the ears may help them stand up faster.

Do corgis ears stand up naturally?

Yes, the majority of corgis will have their ears stand up without any taping or change in diet.

However, some corgis will have slower growing ears that will take time to fully erect.

Other corgis may be early bloomers and have pointed ears even at 4 weeks!

Then there are corgis that are born without the gene expression for pointed ears.

This affects a very small percentage of corgis, but it’s still an occurrence.

Do all corgis have pointed ears?

According to the AKC’s breed description, both Pembroke and Cardigan corgis are supposed to have pointed ears.

Pembroke ears are fully pointed. Cardigan ears are floppy at the tip (drop years).

This is one of the differences between the Pembroke and Cardigan corgis.

Don’t be discouraged if your corgi puppy’s ears haven’t stood up yet- it can take time.

Whether or not you decide to tape your corgi’s ears shouldn’t be a difficult decision.

After all, it doesn’t hurt the dog to tape them and you’re just helping him out temporarily.

Do you have to tape corgi ears?

No, you don’t. Not every single corgi will require taping to get the ears to stand up.

The majority of corgis don’t need to be taped. And many owners didn’t even know ear taping is a thing!

But for the corgis that need a little bit of help, tape may come in handy.

Here are some questions to qualify whether or not you should tape your corgi’s ears:

• How old is the puppy?
• Do you notice the ears trying to stand up?
• Is one ear drooping? Or both?
• Do you notice the ear “trying” to perk up?

When do corgi ears stand up?

The timeframe for the ears to stand is around 4-24 weeks.

This means it can vary from the first month after being born to 4 months later.

There is a huge range, so don’t fret if your corgi is 8, 9, 10, or even 12 weeks old and the ears still aren’t pointed yet.

There are a few things that you can do to control the speed of how fast the ears stand. It’s mainly genetics, so you can ask your breeder for more specifics.

That’s when taping comes into play. You can tape your dog’s ears to help them stand up.

You can also supplement calcium in the diet to aid. This has been reported to help the ears stand up.

Should I tape my corgi’s ears?

There’s no harm in doing so and your corgi will probably brush off the tape anyway.

Taping is a gentle process that doesn’t hurt the dog. The only thing you need to watch out for is removing the tape!

Never pull it off like a bandaid because you’ll peel off corgi fur and hurt your dog.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Is your corgi over 24 weeks and the ears are struggling?
• Can you see noticeable “pointing” in the ears?
• Are the ears pointed one day and revert back to floppy the next?

These are some handy tips that you should probably tape the ears. It’ll benefit the growth and get them to stand up nicely.

Does taping the ears hurt the dog?

There will be a little bit of pain.

Many people question whether or not taping the ears is cruel. But that’s subjective and brings up to question many different topics, like tail docking.

When the time comes to remove the tape, some corgi fur will be stuck to it.

You’ll want to be extremely careful during this part when you remove the tape to not hurt your dog.

Otherwise, the process is painless.

But your corgi may hate it regardless. If your corgi peels off the tape, you may have to reapply it again.

How to tape Pembroke corgi ears

Taping your Pembroke’s ears is simple and straightforward.

The whole point of the tape is that it’s rigid and offers a “cast” over the cartilage to help straighten it out.

There are two ways to do this.

The first is to tap each ear individually. This will allow you to still clean the head and pet between the ears without ruining the tape.

Dual tape method

Here’s how to do it:

1. Get a roll of masking tape. A thin roll works perfectly.
2. Hold your corgi still and take one ear.
3. Sit it upright so it’s pointed. It should “snap” into place when you hold it, though this depends on how old the puppy is and if the cartilage has grown in yet.
4. Fold the ear upwards exactly at the area where it bends and droops down. This is the area that needs support.
5. Cut a piece of tape (about 6 inches) and slowly wrap the tape around the part where it folds. Try to align the center of the tape to where the ear bends.
6. Don’t wrap the tape too tightly.
7. The ear should now be standing up on its own.
8. Repeat the process with the other ear.

Your corgi will probably hate it and try everything he can to get rid of it. If you taped it correctly, it shouldn’t come off.

However, if it does, you can try to re-tape it again.

Don’t force your dog to keep the tape on if he constantly tries to brush it off and doesn’t give up!

Single tape method

As for the other method, here it is:

1. Using a roll of thin masking tape, sit your corgi down.
2. Have someone help you hold both of the ears upwards at the bend.
3. Cut out a piece of tape about 12 inches in length.
4. Wrap the tape around both ears- aligning the center of the tape to where the ear bend is. Don’t wrap the tape too tightly.

Now both ears should be standing on their own and they should be taped together.

The drawback of this method is that you can’t pet the head and this is much more annoying for the dog.

Rather than only have the ears taped, the tape runs across the entire head.

Your corgi may really hate this method so you should switch to the other one if needed.

However, the second method seems to be stronger and hold up against corgi resistance.

How long do you tape corgi ears?

There is no set timeframe. Most ears should stand up on their own relatively quickly with tape.

You can reapply the tape every week and see how much progress has been made.

If you wanted an estimate, the entire process should take about 2-4 weeks.

Keep the ears stabilized upright and reapply the tape if it comes off.

My corgi removes the tape

Your puppy will try to do everything it can to remove the tape.

You can try to distract the puppy using treats, toys, or games to get it used to the tape.

This may take several hours until the dog gives up or forgets about it.

You’ll have to reapply it until it forgets it or gets used to the feeling of adhesives.

Taping the ears in the socialization period between weeks 8-12 is the best time as the puppy is more accepting of strange things on its head.

How to remove the tape from the ears

The easiest way to remove the masking tape is to use a blunt popsicle stick and separate the tape from the corgi fur.

Gently glide the stick between the tape and fur and it should separate.

Then use your fingers or a nail cutter to cut a slit in the tape. Peel it off carefully.

What tape should I use?

Use masking tape.

Avoid using packing or scotch tape.

Masking tape is the easiest to apply and remove from corgi fur. You can also supplement the tape with 2″ medical fabric tape or duct tape if needed.

Do this if the masking tape doesn’t stick to the ears or constantly loosen up.

Your dog will brush and paw at it, so you may need to use some additional support.

My corgi is over 24 weeks and the ears still haven’t stood up

So your corgi is over the ETA of when the ears should be standing.

At this point, you should check out the see if the ears are at least attempting to stand. If they are, you just may have a late bloomer.

If you notice no effort and they’re still floppy as ever, you may want to start taping or questioning if it’s really a purebred corgi.

A mixed dog may have genes from another breed and the trait may have been dominant.

Lastly, some corgis just don’t have pointed ears.

This affects a small percentage of corgis, but it’s natural.

Not every single corgi has pointed ears, even if the “breed standard” says so.

Some purebred corgis will have floppy ears for life and this is completely normal gene expression.

You should consider taking your corgi to the vet if you have questions.

My corgi’s ears are still floppy even with taping

How long has it been?

If it’s still within the age range of 4-24 weeks, that’s normal. Even a little after is okay.

The cartilage grows slowly and depends on diet, environment, genes, and more.

All you can do is wait, supplement calcium, and add tape for support.

Expect them to stand up, droop, and then stand up again. It’s not a linear path and they may be revert back to floppy at any point- especially when the puppy is still young.

Why do the ears stand up and then droop?

This is normal behavior. You shouldn’t expect to see the ears grow in linearly.

They’ll grow, drop, grow, drop, and repeat the process until they’re fully fleshed out.

Why does my dog only lift one ear?

That depends- are the ears fully grown in yet? If so, then it could just be a characteristic of your dog!

If you don’t suspect that anything else is wrong, this is completely normal similar to how humans just raise one eyebrow.

However, if your dog used to lift both ears or seems to have difficulties raising the other ear, take it to the vet.

My corgi has one floppy ear

Just like baby teeth, the ears may not grow proportionally at the same time.

Allow up to 24 weeks for them to grow and the droopy one to catch up.

You can supplement calcium or tape to support the one floppy ear.

My corgi has one ear bigger than the other

Just like having one floppy ear, the ears can grow at different rates.

Not to worry as the bigger ear will reach maturity and then the smaller ear will catch up.

My corgi is many months old and still has floppy ears

Remember that a small minority of corgis will never have pointed ears due to their gene expression.

If your corgi is 6, 8, or even 12 months old and you notice no growth in the eras and they’re just staying floppy, you could have a floppy-eared corgi!

Nothing wrong with that!

Further reading

Here are some nice references you may find useful:

• Ear Taping How-To – Wyntr Cardigans
• Questions about taping our corgi’s ears – Reddit
• Question about floppy puppy ears – Reddit

Did you fix your corgi’s ears?

Droopy ears may have you worried, but with time, they should start to stand up- assuming your corgi isn’t in the minority.

But even then, a corgi with droopy ears is super cute (and rare).

Do you have any questions? Post them! Or if you have tips to give others, let us know!

Thanks for reading.