Do you think tail docking is fair on the puppy? If so, why?

Answer 1

i don't think it is fair on the puppy dogs where born with tails and should keep them in certain parts of the world Scandinavia for one who show dogs all breeds must have a tail i think its barbaric personally its just for show dogs have there tails docked the kennel club in the UK supports this and i think that's wrong as well

Answer 2

The Kennel Club has long been of the view that the choice to dock should be one that rests with the breeder. This is because it does not consider docking to be a welfare issue. The reason for this is that puppies are born at a different stage of development to humans (and even to lambs, calves and pigs), meaning that they do not feel pain at the very early stages of their lives. When puppies' tails are docked at only a few days old, they should not make a sound and should take to feeding straight away, proving they are not suffering. www.thekennelclub.org.uk

Answer 3

i dont think it is a case of 'fairness' to the dog. the pup is usually only 3 days old when the procedure is done! there are two methods of docking-one is definately far more humane than the other! the first is 'cutting' the tail (as you would cut dewclaws) this i personally feel a bit squeamish about and would hesitate to have this TYPE of docking done. the second method, however, is widely used in the farming community to dock lambs tails (by the way farmers are EXEMPT from a docking ban and ARE allowed to dock their lambs tails!) this method is called 'banding' and is painless and DOES NOT cause pain/distress to the puppies, their dam or the owner! i know i have seen lambs and boxers being banded and they did NOT bat an eyelid and just carried on doing what they did (lambs carried on gambolling in the field-puppies carried on suckling from mum!) and i personally think that it should be the breeders choice whether they want to have their pups banded or not! my personal preference is for a traditionally docked breed to have a docked tail!

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Banding-tails/#detail

after all arent we all individual thinkers with our own ideals and standards of what we can and cannot do? dont we supposedly have freedom of speech and a free choice in this country?
i thought this freedom was what put the 'great' in great britain! or am i wrong and the uneducated and hysterical conformists, who havent got a clue about individual thinking! are now running the country! and want everyone to conform to some sort of sterile, bubble wrapped nanny state, where we all have some sort of tagging device that follows our every move and if we have any inkling of an individual thought we are zapped back into our robotic state! COME ON PEOPLE! WE ARE INDIVIDUALS THAT CAN SURELY MAKE UP OUR OWN MINDS ABOUT WHETHER WE WANT OUR DOGS BANDED OR NOT! TAKE IT FROM EXPERTS WHO HAVE BEEN BANDING DOGS FOR GENERATIONS! SURELY THEIR EXPERIENCE AMOUNTS TO SOMETHING!

sorry for the rant but it really makes me cross that uneducated people who have NEVER seen the process will condone a practice that has been going on for centuries!

Answer 4

I don't think tail docking is a pleasant experience on puppies, and honestly I think doing so should be illegal if it is done for cosmetic reasons.
On the other hand, I do understand why some breeds have docked tails (the sporting group and working group), I guess it just depends on what you are going to use the dog for.

Answer 5

For certain dogs like working breeds it remains sensible to dock the tails and there is no pain involved when done as a very young pup,Breeds like boxers otherwise have very long tails which can easily become damaged- a broken bone in an older dog can be very painful and difficult to heal.Docking is not yet banned in UK but is being reviewed in april.It will probably still be allowed in the working breeds

Answer 6

Years ago I went to school with a girl whose father docked the tail of their dog, it was a 3 yr. old beagle. He chopped it off and kept the poor dog's tail wrapped in adhesive bandages for months and months. In all honesty, I don't remember seeing the dog after that...it probably died because the smell was unbelievable. I would have reported it but I was only a very young child. Sick man! Now that's cruel!!

Answer 7

It is not fair. There are muscles, bones and tissue in a tail. It is far more cruel then docking a puppies ears. It would be like cutting off an arm. If you can't handle or don't like the look of a dog with a long tail. Get one witha short tail. Do not mutilate a dog because you like the way it looks

Answer 8

I don't see it as a matter of "Fairness". In some breeds, tails are simply not practical.

Most herding dogs are docked so that their tails can't be stepped on by livestock - What would be worse, docking the pup, or having it's tail bit, broken or ripped off?

Answer 9

yes i think tail docking is fair. the actual removal of the tail causes little pain to the pup itself (i know someone who was there when her dog got docked and she said it squeaked and went back to sleep) however, if left undocked the tail can become split or torn in working breeds because of their fast tail action. this can lead to abscesses, a long recovery and/or docking of the tail.
in other breeds such as the old English sheepdog and the Yorkshire terrier who are docked for hygiene reasons, the are more likely to get fly strike (which i know is nasty after i spent 2 hours pulling maggots out of the skin and fur of my rabbit when he got fly strike last summer) which can kill the animal as toxic shock sets in

the tail doesn't affect the dogs balance on communication, my dog has its tail docked and has perfect balance, (he does agility really well and loves the dog walk) also people say that it would be like cuttin your foot off or something - we need a foot to walk- dogs don't need a tail to walk (as i said my dog (english springer) is docked and functions as well as the undocked springer that lives next door
dog docking is being banned in the UK from april 2007.
(sorry if i come across very opinionated but i did a presentation on dog docking for my English GCSEs the other month and have since then been trying to convince people that docking is a good thing)

Answer 10

i think docking a dogs tail is a painfull and unnecessary practice.Unless the dog has done major damage to it's tail.I dont know who thought of the idea or why it is done in certain breeds.It is now illegal in the UK for breeders to dock the dogs tails themselves,only the vets are allowed to do it.I love seeing spaniels with their lovely full fanned tails,it makes them look almost regal.

Answer 11

no I don't . I raise yorkshire terriers and do not dock the tails anymore. England has banned it as well as a few other places. The tail is so beautiful curls over like a pomerainan's And when the hair grows out it is so pretty. If people knew that the vet just takes a knife no anastisia. and wack. then puts a few stitches in the puppies cry......