I may be dumb but... (questions you were always curious about)(please answer or ask)

I read somewhere that a dobe's, used a olice dog, tail was docked so that a thief couldn't grab on to it and hurt it or whatnot. I don't know about you but I wouldn't want to grab a police dog reguardless of tail!
 
Of course, hunting tails were docked to prevent injury in the brush..which would become sore and lead to infection..ect. I read that visla's tail's were docked 3/4 because it's the tip that not sturdy. (don't quote me..I'm no expert!) []
 
Pit's ears were cropped so they are not ripped off in a fight...

Yeah, gun dogs get their tails cropped for what I think is actually a pretty humane reason. The tail tends to break and this is quite painful for the dog.

My next dog will likely be a Bouvier Des Flanders, and yes she will be cropped.  I have watched them get their ears cropped and have not seen one show signs of pain.  I did think it was cruel at one point then I started looking into a bouv, so started to actually investigate the surgery.  I talked to vets about it as well.  Yes the anesetic is a concern, but is always is, weather they are young or old. 

I prefer natural, and did not have a choice with my Aussie, whose tail is docked, as it was done at three days of age, before I "met" her.  At any rate, most of the time, you can't get a breeder *not* to dock.  Reason?  Most people want them docked, and if you ever had to return the dog, or you died and your heirs returned the dog, the breeder would have a much harder time finding it a home.  Yes, it's fashion, but still an idea that dies hard. 

I'm glad that Crufts Dog Show gets air time on AP, so more people get used to seeing the dogs in uncropped ears. 
This year, in America I think there is at least one boxer being shown with natural ears, and doing quite well.  

The only problem I see is the risk of anesthesia. I hate to put them under for anything they don't have to have. I would buy a puppy from a breeder who routinely crops, though.

I have one dog with a docked tail and had her dewclaws removed as an adult. I have one dog with a natural tail, and intact dewclaws. Neither feels inferior, or cares at all. Neither seems to have suffered any trauma due to their tails. Emma did suffer from her intact dewclaws, that tore multiple times, and stayed infected. Removing them, with her tail, would have been the kinder and more ethical option (and it's what good JRT breeders do).

Along the same lines...why do people crop Rotty tails?

 
have you ever seen one with its natural tail? you get a good sized rottweiler with a tail and its going to knock people down. my husband has also told me that it throws them off balance.

i agree about the hunting dogs needing their tails cropped. berserker is a bird dog (non-hunting) and his tail bends a bit to one side in the middle from getting broke as a pup. they just have really thin tails.

Fighting dogs ear were cropped because ear wounds bleed heavily and ears are a great thing to grab onto when in a fight. These days, it is generally done for cosmetic reasons ONLY. Of course, some "people" still fight their dogs and their animals usually have  a fighting crop (ears sheared off to the skull). IMHO, it looks awful. OTOH, I like the look of a nicely cropped Dobie or Am Staff.  FWIW, I own a show Am Staff and her ears are natural and PERFECT.

ORIGINAL: gaylemarie

Along the same lines...why do people crop Rotty tails?

have you ever seen one with its natural tail? you get a good sized rottweiler with a tail and its going to knock people down. my husband has also told me that it throws them off balance.

 
 
 
I don't that has anything to do with it.  If that was the reason, then Great Danes would have their tails docked too!  BTW I've been whacked by a danes tail many times and it never knocked me over.  Have you wondered why they choose to dock the rotts tail, but not crop the ears?  Also, why they choose to crop a danes ears, but not dock the tail?  The dobe is the only one where they used to do both.
I think it was started for vanity reasons.
 
Speaking of dobe's, I don't believe the tail was docked to prevent police dogs from being grabbed by the tail.  If that was true, then they'd have done it to the GSDs too. 

All cosmetic modifications in Australia are now outlawed. That means no vet will crop ears or dock tails unless there is a medical reason to. Dew claws are still allowed to be removed at the owner's discretion, because there are plenty of documented cases in which dew claws have been badly injured. Cropping ears was outlawed years ago, before I was even born. I've never seen a dog in Australia with cropped ears. The tail docking was made illegal just a few years ago. A lot of kennel clubs kicked up a stink, but the RSPCA here said that research showed that tail docking did not reduce tail injuries in the general dog population and that some hunting dogs don't have docked tails at all, and the amount docked in others is according only to the breed standard. They decided that this wasn't a good excuse for cosmetic tail docking, especially seeing as most hunting dogs over here are family pets, not dogs working in the field. I guess Australian politicians agreed with them, because the law was passed.

Cropped ears and docked tails have also been banned in Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany and Denmark. I personally was very pleased to see cosmetic modifications of dogs banned in Australia. While I was visiting the US recently, I found it quite baffling that Americans clearly loved their dogs a great deal, but were still prepared to crop ears just for looks. It's been considered by Australians to be a barbaric practice for as long as I can remember. A lot of us over here felt that the tail docking law was long overdue.

Doberman ears were originally cropped to prevent a would be theif from grabbing at it.  A cropped dogs ears, when laid flat against the head, are exceedingly hard to grab and hold onto, as they are slender, and thus, a bit slippery.  The tail was docked to prevent the dog from being grabbed, as was stated.
 
Rottie tails were docked in order to prevent them from being stepped on by livestock.  Yes, other herding dogs have tails, but it all has to do with carriage and the herding style of the particular breed.
 

Speaking of dobe's, I don't believe the tail was docked to prevent police dogs from being grabbed by the tail.  If that was true, then they'd have done it to the GSDs too.

This is incorrect.  The GSD was NOT originally a police dog!  In fact, the first dogs used in police work were Tervurens.  The GSD was originally a herding dog, and when machinery and what not made herding easier, the GSD was slowly phased out.  Max von Stephanitz (father of the GSD breed) did not want to see the breed die out, and thus, the breed test of schutzhund was born, and that is how dogs were tested for breed worthiness and soundness.
 
I personally prefer the look of a cropped and docked dog to natural.  I see many natural eared Boxers these days.  I'm used to it.  Still don't like it.  Not partial to natural eared Dobies and Danes as I feel they look like hounds rather than their respective breeds.  Though I can deal with natural ears...I absolutely CANNOT stand Rotties and Dobes wtih natural tails.  Yuck for me.[align=right]

The thing is, for every breed that is supposed to be cropped and docked for their work, there's another breed that does almost the exact same work that is natural. At this point, it's purely just because "it's always been that way" and we're so used to the cropped and docked looks of some breeds that anything else "doesn't look right."  Besides, how many of these dogs are actually still working dogs (at least, working in their original capacity)?
 
I've often heard dobie owners complain that if they left their dogs with natural ears and tails, they'd look like black and tan coonhounds. And I gotta say, I object to the implications there! I'm not complaining that my dog looks like a natural dobie, so why the breedism? [] 
 
Seriously though, a huge number of hunting breeds have natural tails. There's only a few that are traditionally docked. And similarily, a large number of gaurdian breeds are also always have natural ears and tails, it's only a few breeds that don't. It's just tradition, and I really don't see that as a good enough reason to perform surgery on a puppy.

I personally prefer the look of a cropped and docked dog to natural. I see many natural eared Boxers these days. I'm used to it. Still don't like it. Not partial to natural eared Dobies and Danes as I feel they look like hounds rather than their respective breeds. Though I can deal with natural ears...I absolutely CANNOT stand Rotties and Dobes wtih natural tails. Yuck for me.

 
so why don't people breed for these traits instead of surgically modifying the dogs?  Surgical modification of horses for conformation shows is flat-out illegal; it should be the same for dogs. You're supposed to be showing off what a wonderful dog you bred, not how good your surgeon is.
I saw a breeding study where with a single out-breeding (to a corgi) they produced a line of boxers who were born with natural stubby tails. They looked exactly like boxers.

I somewhat understand croping if the dog is being used as a working dog, like hearding dogs that are used for hearding. It would be painful if the dog got it's tail cut off or broken by a cow so it's much easyer to advode the whole situation by docking it to beguin with. I have meet a healer with a crooked tail because of a cow stepping on it, I've also seen a dog who's tail was partly missing for the same reason. These are the type of dogs I grew up with and watching them being used for what they were breed for is amazing.

I belive that dew claws should be removed from any dog that has them. I have seen dogs with dewclaws that grew into it's self and caused an infection so the dew claw had to be removed anyway. They are also more prone to get snaged on something that can rip off the dew claw. Dew claws are more like an extra lump of skin that should be removed anyway.

I'm not so shure about doing the docking of ears/tail for cosmetic reasons. I don't see much of a point to it if the dog doesn't need it. One of the reasons (out of many) I choose my futre breed is because it doens't require any docking or modifactions to keep it in show shape, just a good brush a few times a week and it's looks so natural. I really would not want to deal with ear glueing like I've seen in most hearders, love the hearders but I just could not bring myself to make all thoes modifications.

ORIGINAL: ladiebug

ORIGINAL: gaylemarie

Along the same lines...why do people crop Rotty tails?

have you ever seen one with its natural tail? you get a good sized rottweiler with a tail and its going to knock people down. my husband has also told me that it throws them off balance.

I don't that has anything to do with it.  If that was the reason, then Great Danes would have their tails docked too!  BTW I've been whacked by a danes tail many times and it never knocked me over.  Have you wondered why they choose to dock the rotts tail, but not crop the ears?  Also, why they choose to crop a danes ears, but not dock the tail?  The dobe is the only one where they used to do both.
I think it was started for vanity reasons.

Speaking of dobe's, I don't believe the tail was docked to prevent police dogs from being grabbed by the tail.  If that was true, then they'd have done it to the GSDs too. 

 
Actually there are many breed that they do both ears and tails, shcnauzers, minpin, bussels griffon, bouvier des flanders, affenpinschers and boxers are the breeds I can think of right off hand.