aussielover Posted April 15, 2011 Share Posted April 15, 2011 I had a docked aussie but I prefer the ones with a full tail. It gets really annoying always having people ask what happened to its tail etc. The bobtail aussies are more recognisable as aussies, but a nice full tail is stunning too. sometimes i wish labs came without a tail (after several cups have been swept off the coffee table and being whacked in the shins by the tail lol) but they'd look pretty funny i think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwenneth1 Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 (edited) I had a docked breed -hypocritcially I liked the look of a short tail better on some breeds ,but I was never in favour of docking so actually asked the breeder not to dock a pup (she refused because pup selection was done at six weeks and she was not going to leave them all undocked so I could pick one, which I understood and besides at that age she felt it was too old to be done) . Now, I am use to a long tail on them, I actually don't mind 'tails' at all although when I look at breeds such as Rotties or Dobes, it still looks a bit 'weird' to me to see them with tails to be honest, especially for some reason Rotties but I suppose in years to come, most people couldn't really imagine them without a full length tail. I think Dobes look 'softer' with a tail, but not Rotties (?? god knows how my brain works ) An edit, because I wanted to add that some breeds of poultry traditiontally have their combs and wattles dubbed/cropped/cut off for show purposes, so go figure how one species is considered over another for scrutiny is a bit baffling. Edited April 16, 2011 by gwenneth1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightgrace6 Posted April 16, 2011 Author Share Posted April 16, 2011 I have seen some rotts with tails I really like, don't like them on dobes though.. Probably because everyone now mistakes them for skinny labs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 I actually love the curly rottie and boxer tail you see these days. I don't think dobes look weird with tails but it does make them look less "ferocious" I guess (yeah kinda like big skinny labs!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Having been involved in a docked breed for over 25years, and tried in vain to stop the banning of docking on the grounds of cruelty( which was proven scientifically to not be cruel or to cause any pain to the pup ) I find it quite amusing that people with a traditionally docked breed now claim to really like the tails on these dogs. If that was your feeling why didnt' you request or order from the breeder an undocked puppy in the first place?I continually hear people claiming and adjusting their views on this subject and Ithink it would be very interesting to see how many would soon dock if the laws were altered to choice.(not existing dogs) But I guess it give people another excuse for not winning in the show ring. This anti docking movement started in Europe and all of us sat on our backsides and mostly didnt' get involved,"because it didnt' affect our breed " it is really about time that we all started worrying about whats going on NOT just with our own breed. Check out the Kiwis' they didnt' just rollover. they took notice of the scientfic evidence instead on just listening to all the crap put out by the lobby groups and bleeding hearts. I have owned docked breeds since 1970, and I too tried to gather support to fight the docking ban from the time it was first whispered about. "It will never happen" so they all sat smugly on their butts till it did and now it is all history. Watching them now fall over themselves to import docked dogs after a couple of years of living with tails just makes me laugh. Many of the new age of anti dockers didn't open their mouths till the widely publicised RSPCA campaign splashed cruelty accusations across their TV screens and in the print media. As all of us that have bred docked breeds and loved them understand it was not an act of cruelty when performed correctly, and in my experience Breeders outshine Vets hands down. The laughable claims that it is impossible to read a docked dog properly and that they cannot express themselves still makes me shake my head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havasneeze Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 We have a traditionally docked breed (schipperkes). We have a rescue schipp who has a docked tail that was docked too short. We have to help her go to the toilet as the muscles were damaged during the docking. The rest of the schipps we have are not docked and I really love their tails. As a Judge said to me one day, the big winner when they banned tail docking was the Schipperke as they have beautiful tails. The big loser was the Corgi as their tail is nearly as big as they are... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klink Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Having been involved in a docked breed for over 25years, and tried in vain to stop the banning of docking on the grounds of cruelty( which was proven scientifically to not be cruel or to cause any pain to the pup ) I find it quite amusing that people with a traditionally docked breed now claim to really like the tails on these dogs. If that was your feeling why didnt' you request or order from the breeder an undocked puppy in the first place?I continually hear people claiming and adjusting their views on this subject and Ithink it would be very interesting to see how many would soon dock if the laws were altered to choice.(not existing dogs) But I guess it give people another excuse for not winning in the show ring. This anti docking movement started in Europe and all of us sat on our backsides and mostly didnt' get involved,"because it didnt' affect our breed " it is really about time that we all started worrying about whats going on NOT just with our own breed. Check out the Kiwis' they didnt' just rollover. they took notice of the scientfic evidence instead on just listening to all the crap put out by the lobby groups and bleeding hearts. I have owned docked breeds since 1970, and I too tried to gather support to fight the docking ban from the time it was first whispered about. "It will never happen" so they all sat smugly on their butts till it did and now it is all history. Watching them now fall over themselves to import docked dogs after a couple of years of living with tails just makes me laugh. Many of the new age of anti dockers didn't open their mouths till the widely publicised RSPCA campaign splashed cruelty accusations across their TV screens and in the print media. As all of us that have bred docked breeds and loved them understand it was not an act of cruelty when performed correctly, and in my experience Breeders outshine Vets hands down. The laughable claims that it is impossible to read a docked dog properly and that they cannot express themselves still makes me shake my head. It has been my experience that the specialist breed clubs, particularly with the Rottweiler did support the ban on docking. This was in the early stages when they were terrified that the ADRK would not allow their judges to judge here if we continued to dock.As we all know the Germans are the only ones' that know anything about Rottweilers.... arent' they ?? I cant' speak for other breeds but I would suspect this was a factor with some of them. In my opinion anybody who really believes the above remark is truly delussional.Until egos' are left out of the discussion we will continue to get nowhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodoggies2001 Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 I have two of the same breed, one docked and one natural tail. I also like the look of the docked tail in my breed but having said that, the boy with the natural tail expresses so much with his that I now wouldn't have it any other way, legal or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RottnBullies Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 I used to own 3 Dobes, all docked, If I'm ever lucky enough to own another It will most certainly an Import. I like Rotties docked too but a lot of them don't look as bad with a tail as a Dobie does IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 Poodles were only ever a 1/3 dock. I honestly don't think your average member of the public realised they WERE docked. I'm fine with them undocked and love undocked spaniels. There are a few other breeds that still look a bit 'wrong' to be but we've got plenty of time to get used to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Souff Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 As a Judge said to me one day, the big winner when they banned tail docking was the Schipperke as they have beautiful tails. The big loser was the Corgi as their tail is nearly as big as they are... And that is absolutely the right attitude. It should be all about what is best for the individual dog, and it should always have been restricted to people who are qualified imho. Souff loves Schipperkes and I don't think their long tails are at any risk of harm today. Getting a high set full tail tangled up in running ropes on a barge could have been a different story though. Souff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlemum Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 I have owned/bred a traditionally docked breed for many years - I prefer a Poodle with a docked tail & certainly don't think docking is cruel, providing it is done properly by a vet. However, the fact is that docking is now illegal in Australia and we have had to get used to the look of an undocked tail on a Poodle - I certainly wouldn't go to the ridiculous lengths of sending a bitch to NZ so the tails could be docked - wouldn't put a bitch I loved through the stress, for one thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remarkabull Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 (edited) I'm actually pretty offended that people would think my dog looks 'bad' simply because he has a tail. I promise you that he gets fawned over and I am always told how lovely he is everywhere we go. (He looks nothing like a Lab, skinny or otherwise ) Like I said before, I really like the look of a cropped tail but I love Dobes for more than the way they look. I mean it's not as if it is a mutation or anything, they haven't been born with a 5th leg or 2 heads or something equally terrible that would make you go 'eww, that's horrible'. The fact is docking is banned in Aus and it's very unlikely that it will be allowed in the future so shouldn't everyone just accept it and get on with it? Edit - Agree with you Poodlemum Edited April 16, 2011 by dobesrock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elina Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 This was so interesting topic that I had to make an inquiry about docking in Finnish dog forum. How has attitudes changed after 15 years (docking was banned in 1996). I remember there was lots of all kinds of discussion after banning. I have got over 60 replys and only one said that she would like to go back for docking. Many told that they still think that especially dopes looks better without tail but they still think docking is wrong. Almost all mentioned that it feels now ridiculous that tails has been ever docked from pet dogs. What an arrogance to cut away one vital part of the body. Maybe there are more similar thoughts in Australia after 10 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 This was so interesting topic that I had to make an inquiry about docking in Finnish dog forum. How has attitudes changed after 15 years (docking was banned in 1996). I remember there was lots of all kinds of discussion after banning. I have got over 60 replys and only one said that she would like to go back for docking. Many told that they still think that especially dopes looks better without tail but they still think docking is wrong. Almost all mentioned that it feels now ridiculous that tails has been ever docked from pet dogs. What an arrogance to cut away one vital part of the body. Maybe there are more similar thoughts in Australia after 10 years. We remove vital organs from animals when they are desexed, is that also arrogance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elina Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 We remove vital organs from animals when they are desexed, is that also arrogance? Well, that's totally different topic, but in my country desexing is not so popular and is usually made because of medical reasons. I have hardly ever heard that dogs under one year old would have desexed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightgrace6 Posted April 16, 2011 Author Share Posted April 16, 2011 Don't be offended dobesrock they are still the best breed ever.. I just think that after owning four dobes without tails I'm used to it.. I saw a baby puppy at a show today she bet the docked puppy boy hands down.. I think its hard to adjust to something new. Sending bitches that have been mated to NZ I understand its stressful but doesn't it depend on when? If you have connections in NZ that will look after the bitch for the whole gestation period is that more humane? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mim Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 (edited) This was so interesting topic that I had to make an inquiry about docking in Finnish dog forum. How has attitudes changed after 15 years (docking was banned in 1996). I remember there was lots of all kinds of discussion after banning. I have got over 60 replys and only one said that she would like to go back for docking. Many told that they still think that especially dopes looks better without tail but they still think docking is wrong. Almost all mentioned that it feels now ridiculous that tails has been ever docked from pet dogs. What an arrogance to cut away one vital part of the body. Maybe there are more similar thoughts in Australia after 10 years. Tails are not vital. A vital part of the body is one that is required to live, such as the heart. I completely agree with Souff's posts. Edited April 16, 2011 by Mim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Souff Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 This was so interesting topic that I had to make an inquiry about docking in Finnish dog forum. How has attitudes changed after 15 years (docking was banned in 1996). I remember there was lots of all kinds of discussion after banning. I have got over 60 replys and only one said that she would like to go back for docking. Many told that they still think that especially dopes looks better without tail but they still think docking is wrong. Almost all mentioned that it feels now ridiculous that tails has been ever docked from pet dogs. What an arrogance to cut away one vital part of the body. Maybe there are more similar thoughts in Australia after 10 years. Elina, I have some questions for you: 1. Have you ever lived in the Australian countryside with dogs that like to go into holes in the ground? 2. Do you own or breed a docked breed? (one of the conditions for commenting in this thread) 3. Have you ever owned a Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) 4. Have you ever owned a dog that has broken its tail as an adult, and you had to get the breaks to heal, without success, and then after months of unsuccessful treatment, you had to get the tail amputated on the adult dog? If so, can you tell me what the temperament of the dog was like during the months of treatment, and what the dog's temperament was like after the amputation? The lifestyle of dogs in Finland and other European countries is markedly different to dogs in Australia, and is due to the differences in climate and lifestyle. Australian dogs spend a far greater amount of time OUTDOORS and many of them are very busy dogs that have no regard to the damage that they can do to tails. Dogs in Europe spend a far greater time safely indoors in homes, and/or safely in barns, than their Australian counterparts. Tail damage is cruel. Amputation of a broken tail is cruel. Tail damage is preventable. We can prevent cruelty and if we know our dogs are at risk, then there is a case that says we have an obligation to prevent cruelty. Souff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightgrace6 Posted April 16, 2011 Author Share Posted April 16, 2011 I asked for owners/breeders of docked breeds only because I know its such a sensitive topic and I didn't want anyone elses opinion because it doesn't effect them. Anyhoo,. Love the posts! Love that people that like tails aren't opposing people that still wished docks were around.. Its the history of the breed and everyone differs! Happy that there are people that oppose and people that like it WITHOUT getting nasty! Thanks all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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