• Mostly for aesthetic reasons nowadays. Tail docking originally started in hunting and fighting dogs. People would dock the tails so they did not get caught in shrubs or the undergrowth, to make them faster (!), to prevent injury in dogfights, to prevent rabies... Tail docking will soon become illegal in the UK, unless the dog is a working dog or needs it for medical reasons. Here's some more info-
  • It's call tail docking. I think it's cruel but some show dogs still get their tails docked. On the other hand, as per the 2nd comment above, I did have a dog that would wag it's tail until it bled and it did form a scab that never healed too well. When the problem recurred and she'd wag, long splatters of blood would fly all over the house.
  • Over here in The Netherlands it is illegal, except when there is a medical reason (a tumor on the tail, for example). Same with ears. Most often, tails are cut off because people like the way it looks. Some people say the tail will be damaged if it is not cut off but we hardly ever see that, and when it does happen is is usually relatively easy to treat it. Because of the low frequency and severity of this injury, it is not acceptable to cut off the dog's tail as a prevention of tail injuries.
  • Well, how would a person like it, if they were helpless, and someone came and cut something off their body just because they thought that they would be cute without it. This is crazy!!! I would think if God wanted the dog tail shorter, He would have made it shorter. Dogs show emotion by the way they move or position their tail. If they put their tail between their legs, it means they may be afraid, or looking for sympathy. If they are wagging their tail, perhaps they are happy, or excited about something. Removing a dog's tail is like removing a woman's healthy breast whose family or herself doesn't even have a history of cancer or any other disease. If the tail is infected, and the Vet agrees that it must be cut, then that is different. However, if the tail is perfectly healthy, and the owner just want to cut it because it is cute; then, that owner needs to be arrested for animal cruelty. Sorry...cutting dogs tails just makes me mad. It should be against the law, unless medically necessary. They were created by God and should be loved like God intended them to be.
  • It started with hunting dogs but is now just as common for cosmetic reasons. Many argue that a show dog has one less atribute to be judged if it does not have a tail. The kennel club which is in charge of major dog shows, now allow traditional docked breeds to be shown with their tail aswell without one. In working breeds it's carried out in the first 5 days of birth because the nervous system has not been affected yet. It is very painful for an adult dog to go through this, so it is seen as a precautiion. It is now illegal as from April 2007 to carry out docking unless it is a working dog under 5 days or for medical reasons, and must be carried out by a veterinary surgeon. More can be found on DEFRA- The Animal Welfare Act 2006.
  • The cutting of both tails and ears on dogs is pretty much rooted in FASHION. It might have been touted about at one point to be all about the hunt, but the true bottom line was to make the dog look according to human designed rules as to what was fashionable for that breed of dog. Look at retrievers, and setters...both are hunting breeds that may come into contact with dense brush while "working." Neither of these breeds have docked tails. Terriers typically "go to ground" in their hunting activities...they are also typically docked at the tail. Dachshunds, another scrappy breed created to hunt badgers...who usually live in densely wooded areas, either in tree stumps, small caves or dug out holes...with lots of not have their long ears OR tails cut in any way, at all. Pointers...who were bred to POINT OUT where the bird or other creature is hiding have THEIR tails docked some times to about 4 to 5 inches. If you look at the coats of some docked dogs...there appears to be no practical reason to cut off the tail, or crop the ears from the part that was designed to PROTECT the dog's inner ear from debris making its way INTO the ear. It's a fashion statement more than ever now. Note: the assorted Poodle cuts DID begin in an effort to remove some of the heavy bulky HAIR (NOT FUR) from this breed of dog. They left the HAIR on in places to provide some warmth to the major JOINTS of the dog; from the chilly waters that this breed was originally bred to leap into and retrieve water the Poodle started out strictly as a hunting/retriever breed! NOT a Fashion statement! Most dogs have FUR, only a hand full have HAIR. People with allergies to dogs, frequently can tolerate dogs with Hair.
  • im going to call PETA!!!!!!!!!!
  • Because they are evil people poor animals that have to go through this....
  • I used to think it was all fashion and I never liked it but then we got a dog who didn't get her tail done. She was a German Shorthair Pointer. And we always had problems with her tail. She would wag and whack on everything and it was always bleeding all over. It had a constant scab on the tip. We didnt' hunt with her but she would do the doggy thing and point out rabbits and birds and thrash her tail when they flushed and bam! It would be injured again and spewing blood all over. I almost think she would have had less suffering if it had been docked. She lived a good long 12 years, succumbing to multiple breast cancers but her tail never did heal completely, ever.
  • It's known as "docking" and it is considered to be the breed standard for certain breeds such as Rottweilers. This is increasingly being challenged as cruel and unnecessary and will probably end within the next few years.

Copyright 2017, Wired Ivy, LLC

Answerbag | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy