tail or no tail

[little coojy]

i have a jack russell undocked lots of people are always saying i should have his tail docked but why?, i dont see the need for it is it just an appearance thing or is there a real reason. and didn't i read somewhere it was to be banned?

[hammerman]

It's a moral thing. If done properly, it does the dog no harm.
But it should only be done on working dogs. I have twoi springer spaniels and both of their tails have been docked. But to see them in and out of the thickest undergrowth would make you realise why they have their tails docked.

Personally, i'm against it for cosmetic reasons but it's almost essential for gun dogs like my springers.

Just my humble opinion

[little coojy]

thats fair enough if its for working and in the dogs interest but i agree it shouldn't be done for show.

[bug123]

I believe that dogs used to have their tails docked when they were used for working (i.e. gun dogs - spaniels etc.). It was purely for practical purposes. For some reason the 'tradition' continued, even though there is no real need for their tails to be docked. I also think that docking has been banned, and a tail will now only be taken off as a last resort for medical reasons. Don't have your dog's tail docked - there is no need! (and I also think they lose some of their character and personality when they haven't got a proper tail to wag!)

[zara 4]

My rotties tails are docked,but thats how we bought them,but they certainly are not short of character,at all,it wouldn't bother me if i bought a dog docked or not but if they were my litters i wouldn't have them docked,although seeing a rott with a tail does look strange to me now!!!

[little coojy]

don't worry bug123 i have no intension of getting his tail docked.

[bug123]

Phew!! :o)

[lankeela]

Tails can only be docked by a vet within the first few days of being born. No vet would dock an adult dog without a very good medical reason, i.e. the tail was irreparably damaged.

A bill has been passed by the House of Commons which includes a section to ban the docking of all tails, with an amendment to allow 'working' dogs i.e. gundogs, sniffer dogs, etc. to be docked, but they will have to get the vet to agree they will be working dogs and they will not then be allowed to be shown.

This is to pass to the House of Lords and if they also pass it then it will become law.

Personally I do not have a problem with gundogs being docked, but cannot see the point of docking things like Yorkshire Terriers and other customarily docked breeds. I do think that some breeds look strange with tails, but this is something we would get used to. Many countries in Europe already ban docking and they have soon got used to seeing them with full tails.

[little coojy]

hope it gets passed, my little jack wouldnt seem right with out his.

[WiccanKitten]

There is simply no reason to dock anymore! We breed cocker spaniels and make �800 a pup as opposed to �500 for the majority of docked dogs. Just some advice!

[little coojy]

you tell um wiccan kitten, my nan always had cocker spaniels when she was alive great dogs, lots of happy memories of them when i was little.

[WiccanKitten]

Awwwh! yeh, they're definately the best family dogs you can have.
:)

[averley]

we have a 15 month old cocker whose tail was docked before we chose him. i dont mind either way but given the choice would prob have asked for the tail to be left alone. His shortie tail never stops wagging so much so that his whole back end wiggles too !

[bellasasha]

the docking of tails is now illegal practice. i had a cocker who was docked and she was one of the last in that year

[Pajama Girl]

But there is a reason to dock tails. For example, a Jack's tail is docked to make it stronger. When a Jack goes to earth and gets stuck (it happens!) you pull them out by their tails.

"Natural" Yorkie tails are very fragile. Too fragile actually.

And you've had people who like working dogs weigh in on why a field dog might need a tail docked. Some field dogs also have fragile natural tails as a result of breeding without any idea what their tails looked like.

For me it's the cropping of ears that I dislike. If a dog fancier likes prick ears, they should breed for prick ears. I wouldn't ban it. I just don't like it.

But I strongly dislike government getting involved in something that really should be a personal decision.

[saffyjay]

hi little coojy, just changing the subject, i wondered how Bark Busters was going? ups and downs for me with lots of constant hard work! still worth it though