I'm no expert, but when my dog was a puppy, i had a lot of trouble with her ears. I taped and taped and retaped. it seemed that when they went up they stayed up. the only thing is weak ears sometimes you need to make sure you keep the hair shaved untill they are stronger because the hair sometimes weights them down. As far as feeding, I never measured food, but I always left it out. you are probably doing the best way by taking it away after awhile. because it took forever to housebreak mine.
Good Luck on your new Fur Baby, I will be getting one in June.
