poodlemum Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 (edited) Why do some breeds of dogs have their tails docked? I can't imagine my lab baby with a stumpy tail it would look wrong, her long whip of a tail makes her look so happy all the time :-) They don't anymore - it's illegal in Australia (every State, I think) due to hysterical stirring by a bunch of idiots who chose not to concentrate on REAL animal welfare issues Many hunting/retrieving dogs had their tails docked to prevent damage to them. If it's done young enough (used to be 2-3 days) and done properly by a Vet, there is no pain or trauma. NO doubt the next thing the idiots will get banned is dewclaw removal - I actually heard a Vet say it was "comparable to removing a baby's thumb" what a d*ckhead Edited June 13, 2011 by poodlemum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olivebaby Posted June 13, 2011 Author Share Posted June 13, 2011 Ah ok. But some people do it just for looks right? I have seen heaps of Rottis that are not working dogs with their tails docked. But I must admit I have not seen one for a while. My Nanna had a beautiful Rotti when we were kids and her tail was docked. But that was at least 16 years ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlemum Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Ah ok. But some people do it just for looks right? I have seen heaps of Rottis that are not working dogs with their tails docked. But I must admit I have not seen one for a while. My Nanna had a beautiful Rotti when we were kids and her tail was docked. But that was at least 16 years ago! Yes, because the breed standard called for a docked tail breeders would dock the tail whether the dog was for show or just a pet- same as for Poodles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkyTansy Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Why do some breeds of dogs have their tails docked? I can't imagine my lab baby with a stumpy tail it would look wrong, her long whip of a tail makes her look so happy all the time :-) My docked dogs also looked happy all the time. My sisters docked Old English Sheepdog wagged his whole bum because he had no tail. I imagine a traditionally docked breed that breaks it's tail would look very unhappy... Anyway... can't do anything about it now. God forbid they ban dewclaw removal... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakway Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Why do some breeds of dogs have their tails docked? I can't imagine my lab baby with a stumpy tail it would look wrong, her long whip of a tail makes her look so happy all the time :-) Labradors should have thick otter tails not long whippy ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkehre Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Ah ok. But some people do it just for looks right? I have seen heaps of Rottis that are not working dogs with their tails docked. But I must admit I have not seen one for a while. My Nanna had a beautiful Rotti when we were kids and her tail was docked. But that was at least 16 years ago! Although the Rottweiler is classified with the ANKC as a utility breed, they are a working breed. Originally Rottweilers were used for droving cattle and required docked tails so as they would no be dragging around cow dung. Also, one of their early uses as a breed was to draw butchers' carts. Once again hygeine was the reason for docking for this work. The Breed Standards were written when breeds were performing what they were bred for. And these Breeds Standards, for the most part, carry on to today, as PF said. And though in many cases, a lot of breeds are not used for their original purpose these days, the rest of the anatomy of the dog has been bred to incorporate this docked tail. Over many many generations the dog has become balanced with this docking. So breeders were not necessarily docking just for looks. Sure, many people believe their breed looked better being docked (I choose not to comment here), but there is more to it than looks alone. Another reason for continuing docking into modern day in some of the dogs with heavy thick set tails is for the dog's health. It is not uncommon for dogs to break their tails in simple play etc in the yard, which is extremely painful for the dog, and could result in an amputation anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindainfa Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Why do some breeds of dogs have their tails docked? I can't imagine my lab baby with a stumpy tail it would look wrong, her long whip of a tail makes her look so happy all the time :-) My Frenchie has a natural stump tail and she still wags her little bum when she is happy! Don't discriminate please. My two have front dew claws and no problems, they also don't really get overgrown, well not yet anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayly Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Yup, wiggle bums here on my natural bob tails. Maizie wiggles her whole body and is much more noticable than a normal dog's wagging tail, lack of tail certainly doesn't mean you can't tell when they are happy. I've seen rear dew claws in several new born puppies, isn't uncommon in some breeds/lines. We have several dogs with dew claws and several without, one with dewclaws has caught them several times and hurt herself. They stick out alot. The others with dew claws have no issues but theirs are much better set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olivebaby Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 I have never seen an otter tail :-S I know everyone goes on about labs having them but her tail looks pretty normal to me. Maybe I should google otter tail, I thought they were wide and flat like a platypus hahaha :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olivebaby Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 Done! She has an otter tail woohoo! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 um the thread is about dew claws not the merits or otherwise of tail docking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueberrymobile Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 (edited) My foster dog Riley has some super floppy detached rear-dewclaws. Since a few people said they hadn't seen them or didn't know why they would remove dewclaws. These kind of dewclaws are the ones that tend to get caught and ripped of during play. We're hoping to get hers removed when she goes in to be desexed soon. Hope that helps! Edited June 18, 2011 by blueberrymobile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicsta Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Found out my Weimaraner pup will still have his dewclaws, he will be my first of the breed and I plan to do tracking with him in the bush. Apparently weims have detached big floppy dew claws that often grow well set apart from the leg, I imagine this could be a hazard for us, firstly my young children could easily cop an injury from an excitable puppy/dog with huge growing almost sideways dewclaws, second, they have a genuine threat of being ripped off during a sport like tracking. So I'm planning to have them removed at time of desexing, but I don't want to desex before I'm satisfied the dog is done growing so I've got a long wait to have them removed. Would have been so much simpler at 3 days old when they're less than a cm big. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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