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Teddy was advertised as an Aussie-GSD mix puppy, but we know it's always a guess with rescues. It wasn't long before I looked at him and saw Boxer all over him. His markings, his goofy personality, it all fits. He just has the elongated muzzle and face of an Aussie, along with a furled brow that makes him look like a worried old man sometimes.
He also has a curled tail, but it's a very big tail, thick and long, and white-tipped. My husband commented that Boxers don't have curled tails and I said, "That's because people chop them off!" So we looked up undocked tails on Boxers, and sure enough, they are identical to Teddy's beautiful, expressive and precious tails.
I read up a bit on docking and how it's mostly aesthetic, etc., and I was pleased to see it's banned in the UK. Dogs communicate so much with us and other dogs using their tails. They NEED their tails. Why do we do such a barbaric procedure on them? Will it ever be banned in North America?
Well, the old hound dog guys would crop a dog's tail if it had a bad kink in it - they believed it would up the chances of the dog getting it torn on a thorn bush or something else. And with working dogs, it's sometimes done to prevent the dog from getting stepped on by a cow or whatever.
However, studies have indicated that tail docking can cause back problems on occasion.
No reason for tail docking on most dog breeds. The force with which Great Danes wag their tails can cause them to end up fracturing them on furniture and other heavy objects. Some working dogs need docked or shortened tails because they can get caught on things.
The AKC determines the breed standards on many dogs and unfortunately a lot of people follow their rules. Breeders do it because of AKC and because they think it proves to the uneducated consumer that the dog is purebred and Westminster material.
It depends on the breed, for centuries working dogs had their tails docked in order for the tails not to get caught up in brush...like spaniels. Dobies and Rotties also have had their tails docked for centuries and now some are trying to leave them natural with often disasterous results, fractured tails that won't heal and have to be docked etc. often going through unnecessary pain. I currently have a Swedish Vallhund who has a natural bob tail this particular breed will come with and without a tail naturally and I'd love to see some other breeds start breeding for a safe healthy natural tail. It will take a long time to un-ring the bell. I've owned several breeds with a docked tail...JRT's and Corgi's. The Russell Terrier a newly recognized breed is now "tipping" the tail in hopes of eventually going natural, they are importing from Europe so their dogs have already gone through the process of breeding for a stronger tail.
AKC does not determine any breed standard, that is up to each Parent club for the breed.
Why do you start this discussion? There are many discussions already in place here, and many other places on the internet concerning the why's of docking. If you really wanted to find the reasons, you could do so.
If you don't wish a docked breed... don't get one. There are many many without docked tails. Those of us with docked dogs don't mind if you don't want one, and we would hope you would extend us the same courtesy.
Years ago I had a "friend" who had a very weird husband.(He was a Delta Captain BTW.) They let their dog run loose and she had a litter of pups with long shaggy tails. Weird husband decided they would have better luck finding homes for them if he docked their tails so he took the poor little pups and chopped off their tails himself. He was a sick perverted guy. I tried to talk them out of it but he was determined.
When it came time for them to give the dogs away, they put an ad in the paper. I disguised my voice and called to inquire about the puppies available. I knew they were having a hard time finding homes so woman was very excited to be getting someone interested.
I had the woman tell me all about the puppies, what color, what expected size, what they ate, how many in litter, etc. I kept her on the phone for about 10 minutes and as the conversation went on the woman was getting more and more hopeful she had finally found a home for a puppy. Then I said.
"Tell me about their tails. I DO SO LOVE a dog with a long waggly tail."
Silence on the other end. Then friend realized she had been fooled and she screamed in the phone "Oh No Kudzu I hate you!" and slammed the phone in my ear.
They ended up taking all the puppies to the pound where they were probably PTS. And the weird husband refused to have the mama dog spayed because it was UNNATURAL.
AKC does not determine any breed standard, that is up to each Parent club for the breed.
Why do you start this discussion? There are many discussions already in place here, and many other places on the internet concerning the why's of docking. If you really wanted to find the reasons, you could do so.
If you don't wish a docked breed... don't get one. There are many many without docked tails. Those of us with docked dogs don't mind if you don't want one, and we would hope you would extend us the same courtesy.
Hmph!!
I began this discussion because I wanted input from THIS forum. I have a dog, a mix (excuuuuse me) who seems to have a lot of Boxer in him, especially his tail. It's a beautiful tail, and I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would remove it.
Few dogs have naturally docked tails. People do that to them, and I can't understand why, especially if they are housepets. Sorry you're so insulted by this thread, but you can avoid it if you like.
Wrong! Their Are breeds Born tailless! Pembroke corgis & Assies are 2 that I know of. I also had a cocker pair that bred together the pups would be tailess. Some dogs were made that way cause of the jobs they were org bred to do.
OP, just because you like the tail on your dog, does not put you in the position to morally judge everyone else in the world, or to decide what is best and what should be done with other people's dogs.
You like your dog's tail, and that is very nice for both you and the dog.
But the serious fanciers of a breed that have preserved a breed and loved it for perhaps 100's of years are the ones who understand their dogs and they are the ones who should be making the decisions about docking and cropping. Not you, who admit to having no understanding of the issue at all.
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