Do you like dogs with docked tails?
- Thread starter xpaeanx
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Small dogs, I don't mind tails. Large dogs, I don't like them.
Marq was my first large, full tail dog and that tail can hurt. It is soo long and bony. Alll my cockers but one have docked tails. The one with a full tail, her tail is CUTE, but almost 100% of cockers with full tails look nasty, so I prefer cockers docked 99% of the time.
But being as that I'll be rescuing dogs rest of my life, tail or no tail will make very little difference.
Marq was my first large, full tail dog and that tail can hurt. It is soo long and bony. Alll my cockers but one have docked tails. The one with a full tail, her tail is CUTE, but almost 100% of cockers with full tails look nasty, so I prefer cockers docked 99% of the time.
But being as that I'll be rescuing dogs rest of my life, tail or no tail will make very little difference.
I much prefer the docked tail!
Its really not so much the knocking things off the table or the tail burn I end up with on my legs-but I just seem to have bad luck with dogs with tails:yikes:
My beagle I got when I was like nine always had tail issues. I stepped on it accidentally once(I was nine!!) and while she yelped and was fine every time she would be scared she would act like her tail hurt-not just tuck the tail but look at it and lick it and it was weird.
And years later basically the same thing happened with my husky!!! We have no idea what happened to her tail to give her the issues though. She was always running back through a door and catching it or getting it stuck in the car door(she would try to sneak out last second!). First time we had her looked at the vet thought it had been broke as a pup- then she was back because no one could touch her rear end and she acted neurotic about it. I swear there are times she hasn't snuck out the front door cuz her tails caught her-she is the most ungraceful husky ever.
Other than those two though we never had bad luck with the labs tails(thought I know plenty who did) and we have had plenty of fosters with tails that were ok. But I much prefer a docked dog. The bf wants a cardigan and I keep warning him its just a extra foot of dog you have to care for
Its really not so much the knocking things off the table or the tail burn I end up with on my legs-but I just seem to have bad luck with dogs with tails:yikes:
My beagle I got when I was like nine always had tail issues. I stepped on it accidentally once(I was nine!!) and while she yelped and was fine every time she would be scared she would act like her tail hurt-not just tuck the tail but look at it and lick it and it was weird.
And years later basically the same thing happened with my husky!!! We have no idea what happened to her tail to give her the issues though. She was always running back through a door and catching it or getting it stuck in the car door(she would try to sneak out last second!). First time we had her looked at the vet thought it had been broke as a pup- then she was back because no one could touch her rear end and she acted neurotic about it. I swear there are times she hasn't snuck out the front door cuz her tails caught her-she is the most ungraceful husky ever.
Other than those two though we never had bad luck with the labs tails(thought I know plenty who did) and we have had plenty of fosters with tails that were ok. But I much prefer a docked dog. The bf wants a cardigan and I keep warning him its just a extra foot of dog you have to care for
I will never be able to get past seeing it as a mutilation. I know that is just me, but it will always be the same when i look at a dog that has been docked. I can't imagine living without Mary's tail talk. VIctor's polite wag..when he wants something really bad and wiggles only the last few inches. ANd most of all when PEpper made her magnificant leap and yanked VIctor's tail a good one at the dog park. A tail os so expressive, from a long distance away i was able to tell LOgan that his chi mix was worried and uncertain from the carraige.
It's certainly not my preference in any breed, but I own a dock-tailed dog. It was actually a bit of an accident; she was so freaked out about the world when I brought her home, I didn't even realize she only had a nubbin. It was pinned down so tight, I figured there was more tail that I just wasn't seeing.
There is no end to the expressions her tail can show. Obviously it probably harder with dogs who are docked very short like Pembrokes, but Meg's is probably 2 - 3 inches long. It can be straight up ("EXCUSE me, but what do you think you are doing at my barn, strange dog?"), straight out ("I'm pointing; so what if I'm not a pointer?"), tucked tight ("My world is ending; the terror is taking over"), going in perfect circles ("You are my most favorite person in the world right now, and I'm beside myself that you are in my presence"), slow, careful wags ("You are holding some food that I would really like to try, so I'm being very polite), insanely fast wags ("OMIGOD THAT FOOD IS COMING TOWARDS ME"), and everything else imaginable.
There is no end to the expressions her tail can show. Obviously it probably harder with dogs who are docked very short like Pembrokes, but Meg's is probably 2 - 3 inches long. It can be straight up ("EXCUSE me, but what do you think you are doing at my barn, strange dog?"), straight out ("I'm pointing; so what if I'm not a pointer?"), tucked tight ("My world is ending; the terror is taking over"), going in perfect circles ("You are my most favorite person in the world right now, and I'm beside myself that you are in my presence"), slow, careful wags ("You are holding some food that I would really like to try, so I'm being very polite), insanely fast wags ("OMIGOD THAT FOOD IS COMING TOWARDS ME"), and everything else imaginable.
Oh yes, incredibly expressive! You described some of many variations on the little tails....all the different angles, speed, rhythms. I've always had dogs with tails until my Doberman and his was docked after the second vertabra so it was not right against his bum. And of course I prefer it only on dogs where the standard calls for it, where there was an original purpose for it and in some cases still is. So if anyone thinks expressiveness is lost, they're just not able to see or read that body language I guess. Lyric's tail was one of my favorite body parts of his.
And since the nervous system isn't complete there in those first 2-3 days when it is customarily done, there is little to no pain at all. It's a clean procedure and can even by done with bands by the breeder, a simple and painless procedure. Not a big deal or I wouldn't go for it. I'm not into abuse of animals and in fact treat my dogs with great kindness and respect. I'd never support something abusive. Calling it a mutilation IMO is a little melodramatic.
And since the nervous system isn't complete there in those first 2-3 days when it is customarily done, there is little to no pain at all. It's a clean procedure and can even by done with bands by the breeder, a simple and painless procedure. Not a big deal or I wouldn't go for it. I'm not into abuse of animals and in fact treat my dogs with great kindness and respect. I'd never support something abusive. Calling it a mutilation IMO is a little melodramatic.
Not to beat a dead horse, but this thread is going in the same direction as the circ one.
Those who like it/think it's cute will defend it to the death, saying it's painless or makes their dog to standard or child more normal. Those against it will call it unnecessary and painful.
Yet another reasons dogs are like children...
Those who like it/think it's cute will defend it to the death, saying it's painless or makes their dog to standard or child more normal. Those against it will call it unnecessary and painful.
Yet another reasons dogs are like children...
Some puppies do cry when its done, I am sure its not totally painless, but concidering they eat right after or even during it can't be that horrid. We all know dogs when very stressed won't eat. Dogs who are in a lot of pain often refuse to eat.. so it can't hurt too long either. As well if you monitor vital signs there seems to be momentary pain.. then gone.
Umm sure you can say its a mutilation, but so is removing a uterus or testicles (and there is pain with that too!)
Umm sure you can say its a mutilation, but so is removing a uterus or testicles (and there is pain with that too!)
They're also taken away from their mothers and that can be what is causing them stress. Apparently, from what I've learned, the spinal cord in that area has not had the nerves "hooked up" to the part of the brain that receives information from that area. Maybe my information is wrong. At any rate, to my way of seeing it, it is far less invasive than a lot of things done to dogs....including ongoing, throughout a dog's life the mistreatment a great deal of people cause dogs. But you're right in the definition of mutilation. It just has such a drastic ring to it. And a lot of people don't see tail docking as drastic or monumental. But I suppose it could be perceived that way.
it's not entirely aesthetics... a lot of docked breed dogs came to be that way bc they could not work with the tail. Some of those breeds are still used to work too, and so can't have the tail. I've also had 3 different dogs that I had to "dock" later in life due to horse inflicted injuries. I'm sure that was much more painful than if I had an already docked dog.
I was at the vet once with my mom, I think we had brought a cat for shots. Anyway, there was a family who had brought in a litter of very young puppies. They took them in the back, and soon we heard this godawful little puppy-type SCREAMING coming from the back. So I think those pups might have been there for a tail docking. I'm not sure if they actually feel pain, or maybe its just because its a weird sensation and it scares them or what. But those pups certainly sounded distressed!
I like the look of both docked and natural tails though, and I feel if you want it done on your pups, its your decision.
I like the look of both docked and natural tails though, and I feel if you want it done on your pups, its your decision.
It may or may not be extremely high in occurance, but it happens plenty. I know of a handful of dogs that this type of thing happened to.
http://www.cdb.org/letters.htm#vizla