Dog Community

Posted : 5/29/2006 9:46:40 PM

OK, I'm hot (at 8PM it was STILL 95 degrees in NORTHERN Michigan for crying out loud) I'm tired and I'm feeling a bit cranky.

That said, when you adopt a dog, you get the entire package, the good, the bad, the ugly and the clumsy tail. Tails need to be docked by 3 days. Otherwise you're too late. Having it done now would just be cruel in my humble opinon.

meilani

Posted : 5/29/2006 9:57:22 PM

Labradors and Pit Bulls do not have their tails docked. If a person is routinely docking Labrador and Pit Bull tails, I suggest they stop breeding and read the respective breed standards. Unless the dog is causing serious injury to the tail on a regular basis there is no reason to remove it.

Tail docking was done in part to not have to pay taxes on a working dog. Working dogs weren't taxed and to prove the dog was a working dog, the tail was docked.

pumaward

Posted : 5/30/2006 6:27:52 AM

This was taken from [linkhttp://www.abptconformation.com]http://www.abptconformation.com[/link]

HTH

Firestorm

Posted : 5/30/2006 7:21:12 AM

Sounds like you want to dock for cosmetic reasons or for your own fashion statement and those are not good reasons to dock a tail, besides the fact it is not breed standard in either breed. You have a nice mixed breed dog enjoy it. When you adopt a dog you take the whole package as is. I am glad you got a dog and good luck to you.

huskymom

Posted : 5/30/2006 9:04:05 AM

There were other reasons for docking tails. Hunting breeds had tails docked to stop them from wagging in the bush and alerting prey. That was more for Spaniels and Pointers than retrievers, as the prey is already dead with retrievers. Guard dogs had tails docked and ears cropped to give burglars less to grab onto. And fighting dogs had tails docked so opposing dogs could not bite tails and cause pain. I hope this dog is not going to be used for fighting.

Debbie R

Posted : 5/30/2006 10:57:08 AM

I agree w/ the other posters however I would like to see pictures of this pooch[

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meilani

Posted : 5/30/2006 11:02:15 AM

ORIGINAL: huskymom

There were other reasons for docking tails. Hunting breeds had tails docked to stop them from wagging in the bush and alerting prey. That was more for Spaniels and Pointers than retrievers, as the prey is already dead with retrievers. Guard dogs had tails docked and ears cropped to give burglars less to grab onto. And fighting dogs had tails docked so opposing dogs could not bite tails and cause pain. I hope this dog is not going to be used for fighting.

Which fighting breeds had tails docked? The two breeds originally bred for fighting that come to mind are Pit Bulls and Boston Terriers and neither of those breeds are supposed to have docked tails. Now I know ear cropping was the norm for such breeds as a ripped off ear can bleed profusely.

Julie Byers

Posted : 5/30/2006 11:15:22 AM

I think your question about removing a tail is legitimate and honest. Nothing wrong with asking. My dog is a very big fella, and his tail sweeps the magnets from the frig all the time, so I kind of understand what you mean. There are much worse things about the dog you could have to deal with, please try to acclimate to the long whip of a tail, removing it is major surgery due the the large blood supply that has grown into the tail by now. Yes, it is amputation, not docking at this age. For the sake of the dog's health and well being I would avoid cosmetic surgery. You risk problems with anasthesia, and infection from the surgery site. All that to change the look of his rearend. This is your pup, and he is dependant on you to make the best decisions for him so consult your vet, too. Jules

Vivian

Posted : 5/30/2006 11:24:27 AM

tails are not docked in either picture you show. I think they are curled under the belly. They do stand like that.

huskymom

Posted : 5/30/2006 12:14:34 PM

ORIGINAL: meilani

Which fighting breeds had tails docked? The two breeds originally bred for fighting that come to mind are Pit Bulls and Boston Terriers and neither of those breeds are supposed to have docked tails. Now I know ear cropping was the norm for such breeds as a ripped off ear can bleed profusely.

I'm not sure if there was a specific breed of dog that was docked for fighting, or if it was just a practice if you planned on using the dog for fighting. It is one of the prevalent reasons that they use to stop docking. Its mentioned on almost all the sites dedicated to banning tail docking.

meilani

Posted : 5/30/2006 1:38:19 PM

ORIGINAL: huskymom

I'm not sure if there was a specific breed of dog that was docked for fighting, or if it was just a practice if you planned on using the dog for fighting. It is one of the prevalent reasons that they use to stop docking. Its mentioned on almost all the sites dedicated to banning tail docking.

Yeah, I can't think of any breeds that were bred for fighting who had tails docked. Tail docking is prevalent in some breeds that hunt, some breeds that herd and some breeds that guard. I've seen anti-docking websites mention fighting as a reason for it but I believe they are misinformed and are spreading misinformation to make docking illegal.

diane303

Posted : 5/30/2006 2:18:45 PM

Setters don't have docked tails and they point live prey. English Setters are suppose to put their tail straight up when they point. English pointers don't have docked tails either and they are consittered the classic pointing dog. In the U.K., it is illegal to dock either ears or tails.

jennie_c_d

Posted : 5/30/2006 10:14:05 PM

Pointers are a little different, because they weren't supposed to actually engage the prey.

ron2

Posted : 5/30/2006 10:33:48 PM

Temp inversion. You get a taste of what August in Texas is like.

Removing a tail