border collie colors. ear sets

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Border Collie have many ear sets all of which are common for the breed. Ears can range from drop ( hound dog ), ears to pricked ( erect ), ears and everything in between.

More ear sets include half set, rose ears, tipped and even combinations of two ear sets. For instance, one up, one down, one half or one slightly tipped.

Genetically, the drop or hound dog ear set is dominant to the recessive pricked ear set. Many breeders if not happy with the ear set of their border collie will glue or tape the ears to 'set' them the way they want them to be. This is practice is more common to those showing their dogs in the conformation ring, where the ear set is more important to appearance. But 'setting or bracing the ears' is beginning to be used more and more people that may simply like a certain ear set.

When puppies are teething, their ears do all kinds of things. They can change daily from one ear set to another. After teething is mostly finished, which is a round 6-7 months of age, the ear cartilage hardens and the ear set is final.

The smaller sized ear will stand more easily then the bigger, longer ears. Also, if there is abundance of hair on the ear, it contributes to weighing the ear down more, making it harder for it to hold itself up.

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