The following videos are of the tail docking procedure in a Jack Russell puppy. (It is very small. And yes, the puppy screams.)
Part I:
Part II:
Part III:
I am ambivalent to tail docking for several reasons.
It is true that the puppy is in pain, but we haven’t banned circumcision or ear piercing in this country. I’ve not seen any evidence that the puppies remember the trauma of getting their tails cut off.
Phantom pain could always be an issue with this procedure. That’s why this procedure should be performed by a veterinarian. In many states, it is legal to do this yourself. I wouldn’t count myself among those who could do it.
I’ve not seen any evidence that Jack Russells or other terriers injure their tails if these are left intact. Feists and Dachshunds are undocked as a rule. You can’t tell me that Jack Russells have to have their tails docked. It’s just a tradition.
So in most breeds, this is cosmetic surgery.
However, in some breeds, there is some evidence that this preemptive amputation is actually beneficial.
Sweden banned tail docking for cosmetic reasons in 1989.
And when it did, there was an epidemic of tail injuries in German short-haired pointers within just a few years.
A study followed 50 litters of that breed. 38 percent had experienced a tail injury by the time they were 18 months old. By the time they were two, 51 percent had experienced a tail injury. (Yes, that’s a link from the Council of Docked breeds, a pro-docking interest group in the UK.)
These HPR breeds have whip-like tails with very little fat or cartilage on the lower part of their tails. If you’ve ever seen a gun dog work, they tend to wag their tails really hard when they are going on an air scenting mission. As the dogs run through thick undergrowth, the lower part of their tails can get injured.
I would like a much bigger study on undocked HPR’s. The n in this particular study is somewhat low.
But many countries are banning docking, and it would be very easy to design a good longitudinal study of how often tail injuries occur within these breeds. If the risk is really that high, I think a case can be made for docking in these breeds.
However, I should also mention that sight hounds are particularly prone to these injuries. A common injury in greyhounds is the dog gets its tail caught in a door.
If you look at a greyhound’s tail, the whole thing is like the lower part of the HPR’s. It is like a thin whip, and it is very injury prone.
But none (as far as I know) has suggested that we should dock greyhounds.
Now, as I said before, I am very ambivalent when it comes to tail docking. Almost all of it is cosmetic surgery. However, there are cases in which tail docking really could improve the welfare of certain breeds.
This is an undocked vizsla, but it is one of the breeds that could benefit from tail docking. The lower part of its tail is not well protected by fat, fur, or cartilage. Photo by Béki Peti.
Although my views are ambivalent, my guess is yours are not.
So please feel free to leave what you think in the comments.
I’m not a huge fan of tail docking. Both of my dogs have docked tails, but if it was my choice they wouldn’t. My first rat terrier had her natural tail, and we never had any issues with it. I kinda think it is a cultural thing, like getting your son circumcised or your baby daughter’s ears pierced.
Off the top of my head, my recollection is young animals may be even more sensitive to pain than older animals.
I think circumcision and ear piercing infants should not be done – there is no consent and the latter especially is for cosmetic parental reasons.
Tail docking to prevent individual suffering is different than tail docking to standard or to prevent “breed suffering”. If 40% of the short hair pointers require amputation, so be it. The other 60% don’t. Why tail dock 100% when the majority will not require such a surgery at any point in their life? Perhaps I am missing something.
What they could do is breed for thicker tails. No one has mentioned that one.
I’m not so sure that newborn puppies are dramatically affected by the procedure. I think that’s what may be missing. Yes, it hurts. But I don’t think there is much evidence of permanent damage.
Except that I have yet to find any good answers to the phantom limb pain issues. I’m looking for a straight answer.
In none of those breeds mentioned is the tail docked to a tiny stub.
In those breeds, the docking can be harmful, resulting in an increased risk in sacral arthritis.
…. please add…. Animals with tails docked too short are at risk for prolapses… anal and vaginal. This risk is particularly high in females when whelping.
Personally, I don’t like being whipped by large heavy powerful tails nor having things swept off my coffee table and end tables, including lamps. That said, I don’t have a breed that gets docked and my dogs are short enough so that is not an issue.
I have sheep. And the last lambs I did not dock. I’d seen that amputations, broadly speaking, are taking some hits in the media. And I couldn’t see any certain benefits. I do not know whether I’ve made a poor choice, or not. The breeds I have do not grow wool on their tails nor do they get fat tails.
“Why tail dock 100% when the majority will not require such a surgery at any point in their life?”
Because surgery to remove a tail later in life is a much bigger deal. General anesthesia is involved. Keeping the dog from fussing with the amputation site is required (Elizabethan collar, careful surveillance, etc.). Recovery takes longer since the site is larger and the dog moves the tail more often as an adult. It’s not always possible to know at birth-3 days which pup will be going to which type of home or if it has the type of tail that will be prone to damage.
Absolutely, kabbage! A flatcoat that belongs to a friend just had eight or so inches of his tail amputated. He is nearly four years old, and had injured his tail at nearly three. After a year of re-injury and incomplete healing, the vet strongly recommended amputation.
The cost, stress of major surgery (including anesthesia) and extended recovery time were much greater than those of pups who had tails docked at three days.
Normally, flatcoats aren’t docked. But if a breed is prone to tail injury, having the option to dock at a few days old might save future owners a great deal of stress and veterinary bills.
I don’t think it should be compared with getting ears pierced. Ear piercing doesn’t hurt and you’re not amputating anything. I think men are better off not circumcised and I’m pretty sure dogs are better off with their tail… but since shibas aren’t docked anyway, it’s not a question I really have to ask myself. None of the breeds I considered before getting my shiba are docked either. If I had to choose another breed, I think I’d just stay away from the docked ones, that way I don’t have to address the issue.
Ear piercing hurts! I’ve had it done a few times and it hurt each time! There was the acute pain of the needle going through (or gun if you go to a cheap mall store) and then the chronic pain during healing. My nose piercing hurt more, cartilage piercings generally do.
Hey wait…. ear piercing does hurt! In fact, sculptured nails hurt. I’m amazed by what we are willing to do to our own selves for cosmetic reasons.
HOWEVER, circumcision dramatically reduces the risk of cervical cancer to the sexual partners of circumcised men. I do not see it as a cosmetic procedure. And, I know a mother who was forced to have her year old baby circumcised for medical reasons which were a direct consequence of not having been circumcised. Not too different from the tail amputations at older ages.
I no longer have Doberman Pinschers because of the ear cropping. I’d had several whose ears were done before I got them. Then after first hand experience with it, I decided nevermore. So, I agree, people can, and are avoiding breeds with these issues.
I’ve got a breed that doesn’t do tail docking or ear cropping. Some breeders remove dew claws.
If any docking procedure is done, most vets suggest that they be done on day three or earlier.
It’s been my experience that if a very young puppy is going to have a health crisis, it frequently occurs within a day of tail/dew claw docking. Perhaps the stress of the docking procedure results in the crisis. That is one reason I don’t remove dew claws. (The other is that I do believe that dogs & bitches use their dew claws.)
However, if an adult flatcoat injures his tail, it frequently is a long-term injury with an extended recovery period. I know of a few dogs that have had part of their tails amputated, after months and months of attempts to allow their tails to heal. These guys just wag too hard to be successful tail recovery patients.
Perhaps the historic choice of docking during the first few days of a pup’s life was a result of gamekeepers’ experiences with injured tails. If 40% of their charges had substantial injuries to their tails as adults, they might choose to dock all puppies tails to remove the risk of a much more traumatic and expensive amputation later on.
Then there is the issue that dogs use their tails for communication. I don’t know whether docking limits or distorts a dog’s communication, but it seems possible that it would.
There are some studies that suggest that it does, but if it is one of those breeds that still has 2/3 of its tail, it can still communicate.
Docking down to the stub seems difficult to defend.
As a veterinary assistant, I’ve witnessed quite a few dockings. When done at about 3 days of age, the pups do squawk during the procedure, but as soon as put back with their siblings, cuddle up and are quiet. Pups at that age have nervous systems that are not complete: the pain is gone as soon as the procedure is completed, and they just don’t have any memory of the procedure.
As been pointed out, many sporting dogs do injure their tails in working, and docking is a valid procedurefor those dogs (even the UK, which has lately banned docking, makes allowances for working spaniels, HPRs, etc).
Never having watched a puppy have it’s tail docked, I can say that might be one of the most disturbing things I have ever seen. I have read of the procedure, of course, but seeing it is a whole different experience.
Tail docking is unnecessary and clearly causes pain to the pup. I personally see no need for it, for the average companion dog.
TT
This has been an educational page and discussion. I’ve just had my first litter of German Shorthaired Pointers. I’ve been against docking and wish ours hadn’t been. We own two GSP’s, but we don’t hunt, so the reasons for docking are minimal. We do take them out in the woods and fields for a run very often, though, so I guess there is some risk of harming their tail. With a litter of ten now, born yesterday, I have the appointment with the vet tomorrow to do the tail docking and dew claw removal. This is a big hunting breed, and many who will purchase our pups will do so to hunt with them. The risk of not docking and then the new owners choose to dock the pups tails at a much older age disturbs me greatly. Unfortunately, this risk is the main reason I will have their tails docked. Of course there is pain to the pup, and the videos on this page are upsetting but not surprising. But I also know how much any small sore an older dog gets aggravates them and it will never heal because they won’t leave it alone. My male GSP knows all too well how annoying the silly cone head can be!
I think the best solution would be, as indicated here, a better, more conclusive study and then regulations and laws that reflect the results of the study. This is a tough decision for me.
OMG, you JUST had a litter (everyone click the link!)
I have a lot of love for these German HPR breeds.
I have two labs…one of which had a major case of “happy tail”. He would wag his tail so hard he split open the end of it. After weeks of trying to get it to heal, it was obvious that it wasn’t working and the tail was getting worse. Bone was starting to become exposed. He had to have the tail amputated. That was three weeks ago today and it’s been crazy! We go back to the vet practically everyday (sometimes we luck out and can skip a day) to have the bandages changed. The dog wears an e-colar AND a pro-colar to help keep him from getting to the tail. He is fine as long as someone is with him but the SECOND he is left alone, he goes for the tail. I had no choice but to leave him alone for 1/2 hour the other day and came home to a murder scene. Bandage was off and blood was everywhere. The darn tail had just started to really heal and now we’re back to square one.
It’s going to be a long (and quite expensive) process. Not only do we have the expense of surgery, dozens of visits back to the vet, medicines (sedatives, pain killers, anti-biotics etc), bandages, colars…..and now, since I can’t leave the dog alone, I’m adding a doggie sitter to the list. Yes, someone literally has to sit at my house all day while I am at work. I’m praying that he gets better soon….hopefully in time for him to enjoy the pool and warm weather. He’s a bigtime swimmer and keeping him out of the pool is another obstacle. When someone goes in the pool, he sits and cries because he wants to join them. This poor doggie is breaking my heart (and my pocketbook!).
I was also ambivalent about tail docking until I got a dog with a tail dock neuroma. This is my fourth dog in the breed with its tail docked and the first occurence of this malady. The nerve bundle began to grow upward on the top end of the tail when the pup was 4 to 5 months old. The dog was immediately seen by an ortho veterinarian who dismissed it as scar tissue and made the recommendation to wait until the dog was older and under anesthetic for another procedure before doing tail surgery.
A puppy that was well socialized became more and more anxious around both people and other dogs until it could no longer participate in group class settings with other dogs. The dog grew more protective of itself and would not let anyone, including the owner, touch it beyond the withers area. Once the neuroma was removed, the dog experienced a complete change in attitude and confidence EXCEPT toward other dogs which it still believes mean it harm. Since living this situation, I cannot be ambivalent about tail docking any longer.
I keep sheep and do not dock their tails because I have a hair sheep breed that does not need this done, but often sheep have their tail docked with a special elastic band, it is still painful, but not as brutal as this.
Yea, I was at a friend’s ranch in Montana and they docked by cutting. Lambs were up and playing 2-3 minutes after the procedure. They tried the elastic band, but it apparently caused too many problems and they had a higher incidence of infection.