Although it is a relatively unknown movment in the US, many European countries have rather strong lobbies that have succeeded in banning ear-cropping and tail docking. Most countries in the EU no longer allow them.
Although I would be happy to see these procedures fade away, there are real unintended consequences of banning them.
When you breed for a dog that has the long show crop, the dogs have been selected for thin ears. That way they can be molded so they will stay erect. If you’ve ever touched a boxer’s ear, especially an uncropped one, it is really thin. These ears do not have a predictable shape to them if left natural.
That is a problem if these dogs are to be shown. In Europe, the main lines for most formerly cropped breeds have developed a distinct ear-carriage. In Britain, where ear-cropping has long been banned, Dobermanns, Great Danes, and Boxers have a definite natural carriage.
However, the same cannot be said for uncropped dogs in US lines. I’ve seen boxers with tulip ears and rose ears.
Further the tails are all different. If you have not been selecting for a particular tail type since the founding of the breed, the dogs are all going to have different tails.
An undocked rottweiler, for example, is supposed to have a tail like the one in the photograph.
However this page shows us that rottweilers have several different tail carriages, including the tail curled over the back.
Now, when you’ve not selected for ear and tail carriage and are suddenly forced to do so, breeders tend to narrow their gene pools in order to get the tails and ears “correct.”
I would be fine if these dogs were not judged solely on appearance.
However, I’m sure there are many breeders of docked and cropped breeds that still are.
We do know that one of the events that began to hurt the bull terrier’s genetic diversity was the banning of ear-cropping in Britain in the 1890’s. It took decades and lots of inbreeding to produce an erect-eared bull terrier. The AKC standard once described cropped ears in that breed, even though it has been a totally prick-eared breed for a very long time.
We may not like docking and cropping, but if we really care about genetic diversity, we are going to have to tolerate them. This is the triage we must do in selecting our battles for making dogs better. Dogs suffer much more from inherited disorders and bad breeding practices than they do from cosmetic surgery.
I should mention here that I respect those people who still have these procedures done, but the days of ear-cropping and tail-docking are numbered. The American Veterinary Medical Association now opposes ear-cropping and tail-docking. Cropping requires a lot of skill on behalf of the vet, and the old-time crop artist vets are retiring. The new generation of vets is probably less likely to perform these procedures. The fact that so many breeds are now being bred back to their European counterparts means that standards might have to be re-written to include European-bred stock that have not been docked or cropped.
I think cropping and croppin will disappear in the US within the next twenty or thirty years, simply because so many vets and the veterinary profession refuse to do it. There will be very few laws that actually ban it. It will die because the profession has changed, not because legislautures have said so.
Wow, that has to be the wackiest ear-taping job I’ve ever seen. Maybe I’m just not familiar with how the Dobe folks do it?
My childhood Rottie had an uncropped tail. I think it’s a nice look for them.
The hardest thing is that some people have a certain breed ‘look’ they fall in love with in a breed, and they resist losing that ‘look’ by ending crops and docking. Also, some breeders have taken to doing it themselves, which is a whole ‘nother can of worms.
There was that one Boxer breeder who managed to get naturally-bobtail Boxers by crossing them with Corgis, his results were actually really successful, plus it counts as adding some genetic diversity in there to boot!
Why should we have to tolerate cropping and docking for the sake of genetic diversity?
Stop selecting for dog show wins, problem solved.
Just another way “the fancy” holds dogs, and their genetic health, hostage.
Well, I agree. This ultimately comes down to the stupidity of dog shows.
I had a dobe with a long show crop, and I can say I would never want to have to look after that again. It does take work and effort on the part of the owner to get those ears to stand correctly. Consequently, the breeder whom we purchased her from does not crop her own puppies anymore.
The crop I can live without. The dock, somehow doesn’t bother me as much. I’ve had three different docked breeds (coming up on four) and have never had an issue. The ears on the other hand – infection after infection, regardless of how clean they were kept. And not to mention, you bring the pup home with ears that are still raw from surgery and painful. Perhaps we just had a bad experience…
I’ve also noticed that dobes have heavy ears (the ones that I have been around anyway), not flimsy like you mention of the boxer. They have full, thick hound-like ears, most of which I have seen hang correctly when uncropped. So, there wouldn’t seem to be an issue with standard in that regard, although, unlike say, a rat terrier, whose standard allows for a few different ear sets, the dobes would only allow for one, therefore, I can see your point of lessening the gene pool in regards to ear and tail set to make it “just right”.
Cropping, yes I can definitely do without – docking, well, I do liked my docked breeds though it wouldn’t bother me if both practices disappeared.
Great blog, keep up the good work!!
I’ve been around a British Dobermann that had those ears that hang perfectly.
But I’ve seen American ones that have bicycle handlebar ears, ears that point in all directions.
I’ve raised 10 doberman puppies from cropping to ear standing and I have never ONCE had an infection. It does have a lot to do with how they are cared for and wrapped. Besides the 10 I’ve done on my own, I’ve coached about 20 puppy owners through the process and again, NO infections!
As for the puppies being in pain after the procedure, I have had good and bad experiences with that- the vet makes all the difference. Some send them home in a mangled mess of pain and other send them home just hours after surgery and the puppies don’t act as though anything as been done. A skilled vet is worth his weight in gold when it comes to cropping.
Audie’s Gramma–I know I would LIKE to agree with you, but I just can’t. I’ve loved a lot of mutts, but I also treasure the traits of specific breeds. Part of what makes a breed is what it looks like. Some breeds, it’s a larger part than others. Much of what a breed looks like is historically related to their jobs and their temperament.
Breeds that worked where ears were vulnerable were cropped; by cropping ears, it took the need for breeding for a more suitable ear away (and perhaps there was no way to do this, anyway). But, that meant that perhaps even less suitable ears prevailed in the DNA without consequence. Until cropping became no longer as desirable. Then, a vulnerable ear unsuitable to the history and look of the breed, and perhaps its function, then was an issue.
I have a friend with two active, playful dobermans prone to rough-house with each other and other dogs; both have uncropped ears; both dogs have had multiple and miserable ear hematomas, probably from playing with each other. For them, cropping would have been a kindness, but of course there was no way to really know that when they were pups and the breeder and owner were simply sparing them the pain of cropping.
I can tell you that cropping is a practice that won’t last long. Not just any vet can do it, and the vets that are best at it will eventually retire. The newer generation of vets is generally opposed to the procedure. And the AMVA is opposed to it as well.
Dobermann’s originally had their ears cropped short to keep the bad guys from grabbing them. They are now cropped long for show purposes.
And cropped ears hurt a lot worse than hematomas, which I’ve had in golden retriever ears, too. Now no one is saying crop that breed for health purposes. But they could benefit from it, in theory, because they have lots of hair on the inside of their ears, where bacteria can run wild. Any time a golden gets a little wet, you have to clean the ears.
However, I’d rather do that than doctor cut ears during the really important socialization period for a puppy.
I don’t really disagree with you, its days are numbered, it’s probably a good thing, and the show standard is going to have to deal with it–I hope gradually.
But these were nasty hematomas that would not heal for months and months on end; they finally had to slit the ear leather, drain it, suture the ear together… what a mess.
If a dog can’t play with another dog without suffering chronic ear hematomas, the breeder needs to select for dogs with normal dog ears. Cropping is not the answer and I do not consider it a “kindness”.
YesBiscuit, I agree, but selection takes time and has unintended as well as intended consequences, and you can’t know what they are until after the fact.
Maybe my doberman friends just had a fluky experience, too.
Not a fan of it–just saying it might not be simple to get rid of all at once.
In the AmStaff, the standard states “ears cropped or uncropped, the LATTER preferred”. Historically, fighting “pit bulls” did NOT always have cropped ears; earholds were not desirable in a fight. The short so-called “fighting” crop you sometimes see in the AST and APBT are not historically correct. The predecessor breed, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, is NEVER cropped.
Still, most show ASTs have cropped ears, because the breeders believe judges won’t put up natural eared dogs… which of course becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Many ASTs still have beautiful rose ears. This is entirely a cosmetic issue. There is no need to crop ASTs. There are important health issues for this breed as for others. But unlike those breeds with thin ears, this isn’t one of them.
I won’t shed any tears if cropping fades away, though I’d rather see it happen through peer pressure than through laws.
The cropping actually comes from the bull terrier breed. The Hinks’s dog. It was always cropped. Other than those pets from the nineteenth century, I’ve never seen a portrait of the old time bull and terriers that actually had cropped ears. It is from these that we get the Staffie, the AmStaff, and the Pit bull. The other dog was simply bred to be a gentelmen’s pet that occasionally ratted or fought.
Well you seemed to have hit the nail on the head with this entry. You are absolutely on the money when you say that show minded breeders will in fact start to narrow the gene pool even more when they start to selectively breed for a certain type of tail or ear.
Maybe the pressure should come from legislation only to target the conformation side of the registries. forcing an open mind to the various types of tails and ears so that the “champion bug” breeder mentality doesn’t force a narrowed down genetic stock out of an already narrow pool.
Or perhaps the angle legislation should take is to require registries to promote breeding a higher number of offspring from each litter with variations in tail and ears. as a way to promote diversity. And only the dogs fitting the conformation standard are allowed in those events while the rest have obedience and field trials as competitive venues.
Whatever the solution its clear that the breed clubs and the registries need to open up a bit before these limitations along with already poor breeding practices further damage the dogs.
If any of the above were to happen, then I would be more than happy to accept the trend to stop docking and cropping. Otherwise, the point made is clear. Expect more issues with poor genetic diversity, and for many breeds this is a hit they really can’t afford.
Thing is, there are judges out there that actually will wave off a minor ‘fault’ if the breed is considered, for example, a ‘head breed’ (where the head is considered the most important aspect of it’s character and style).
A properly updated breed standard for uncropped/docked breeds should specify that tail and ear set are not of high importance in the overall scheme of the dog, and that a superb dog with ‘unpopular’ ear set should win over a ‘great’ dog with a perfect set.
In an ideal world, anyway.
The vet that I work for said the other week that the first year he owned the practice (he bought it from a retiring vet about 15 years ago), he did almost 100 ear crops. We’ve done two in the 3 1/2 years I’ve worked there. Occasionally we get phone calls for it, but price is a big turn off.
I would love to see cropping go the way of the dodo, but as EmilyS said, through peer pressure, not legislation.
p.s. I LOVE that Rott-with-tail in the photo. The only one I’ve seen in real life had a humongous “bigger than a Lab’s tail”. Now THAT’S a dangerous dog!
;-)
Have you read “British Dogs, Their Points, Selection, & Show Preparation” By William D. Drury recently? Your post is nearly identical to an argument made in its pages. It was published in 1903. A quote:
“Naturally, as no attention had been paid to the shape of the ear for so many years – cropping rendering this unnecessary – breeders have found much difficulty in breeding the ear now required…”
You’re correct that a change in the practice of cropping ears &/or tails might further limit gene pools. Or it might expand them, if breeders choose to use dogs that exhibit less breed type, but have proper ear or tail shape and carriage.
You’ve touched on ear and tail cosmetic surgery, but haven’t mentioned dew-claw removal, which is also common in some breeds in some countries.
I don’t know where to put dewclaw removal.
I can go either way on docking. I like the look of an intact tail, but I’ve seen some wonky ones in breeds that carry natural bobtail genes. The dock does afffect movement and communication style, I feel, but the puppy doesn’t know anything else because of the early age of docking.
I’m not big on cropping because it seems like a lot more pain and hassle for the dog and the human. Then again, the breeds that don’t crop but are still hyper about ear carriage still do a lot of sometimes painful things to their puppies’ ears. I like the world of working Aussies and BCs where no one really gives a darn about the earset or carriage as long as the dog listens. Show Aussies and BCs get the duct tape treatment on their ears too often.
Dewclaws. I’m for removal if there is no bone connection or the dewclaw is only loosely connected because those are more likely to catch and/or tear on something. If the dewclaws are strongly attached and likely to be used during intense maneuvering, let them stay.
No legislation. Owner and vet choice on what is appropriate for each animal.
Hind dewclaws should be removed. However, Briards, Beaucerons, and Great Pyrenees, among others, have to have hind dewclaws.
I think these things very much have to be between vets and owners.
Simple reason: I remember some numbskull got arrested in West Virginia for chopping off his boxer’s ears. If you ban it, they will DIY.
I’ve sen some evidence that front dew-claws serve a purpose when cornering, or when gripping something (like puppies) in their front feet.
http://www.workingdogs.com/doc0019.htm
honestly i like the cropped ears look on great danes, dobermans and schnauzers, but now that i have seen what it looks like afterwards during the healing process and how painful it looks, i dont think i’ll ever get one of those breeds with cropped ears. my boyfriend hates it. he thinks cropped ears look stupid and was telling me how it hurt the dogs, but i guess i never really thought about it until now….
-b
a Doberman that hasn’t been cropped doesn’t look like a Doberman.. its a shame!
I have had a few dobies now, and always get their ears cropped. Never once have I had an infection, and never has my dog seemed to be bothered by having his ears taped. Comparing my dobies to some of the dobies my collegues have, my collegues have left the ears natural, and they frequently get infected and dirty. My dobies cropped ears….never infected and are always clean. I don’t think its cruel, and I certainly dont think it should be outlawed. If one chooses to leave them natural I surely respect that, but I think owners should have the choice. I personally like the fact the my dogs ears stay clean, and that he can hear better. A cropped dogs ears can pinpoint a sound within 5 degress, while uncropped drops to 20 degrees! If you use your dog for hunting, retrieval, or other such purposes that is huge!
Actually cropping might keep the ears clean, but no one says that breeds that have a real tendency towards ear infections (golden retrievers and cockers, for example) should be cropped.
I don’t believe for five seconds that cropping improves the ability of the dog to hear. Not a single scientific study shows this.
The ears on a cropped dog do not move as well, so the dog might have more trouble pinpointing sounds.
There are studies on boxers that showed that cropped dogs were more likely to be attacked in dog parks than uncropped individuals. They cannot communicate fully with ears like that.
I’m less a fan of ear cropping than tail docking.
The only argument for ear cropping that has convinced me is with big livestock guardian dogs that live in wolf territory and protect sheep from wolves. Wolves will scalp a dog if they and grip the ears.
So the ranchers remove most of the ear. It’s not an attractive show crop.
The only tail docking argument I can find that is scientifically valid is the HPR argument. HPR breeds can easily break their tails. They have no meat on them. HPRs run in heavy cover a lot. So it makes sense to dock them. But it’s only the lower third of the tail that is weak.
All of the rest of the arguments I’ve seen are cosmetic or tradition for traditions sake arguments.
But then my argument is that if we do something like this, we’ll wind up with major problem in purebred dogs.
Breeders will select for too few dogs that can produce naturally erect ears, as was the case with the bull terrier, when Britain banned ear cropping.
In short, I have no solutions.
That’s interesting about the Boxers, got a link?
When I had Danes I had one cropped, one not. The dog-ignorant public reacted very differently to the uncropped dog, than to the cropped one. The cropped dog was sensitive about his ears being messed with. I have also see that with Greyhounds that have had their ear tattoos checked repeatedly by people who are less than gentle.
It’s in Stanely Coren’s book, How to Speak Dog.
I think it was a study, but it may have been just an anecdote.
I cannot remember.
But it caught my attention.
All I’ve got to say to everyone who supports cropping is this:
Cut off your ear, or cut off one of your fingers, let say the pinkie, since it’s the one we use the least, and then come around and say cropping it’s not so bad.
Sure it’s not so bad, the dog is being mutilated for the sake of the show and price tag at the end of the day. I mean what could be so wrong with that? Right?
The good side to all of this is, humanity at least has come to terms with black cats not being witches. Now next step, growing some morals.
Cheers
Now that is an absolutely valid argument. Who cares if the dog doesn’t look like the standard breed if their ears and tail are uncropped and undocked? The real breed is actually how it’s born, not how humans cut them up.
I’m not going to cut off my dogs leg just because the public says that three-legged dogs look more show-worthy than a four-legged one. It’s a completely ridiculous argument. I’ve seen thousands of gorgeous, non breed standard mutts in shelters that by far outdo a show dog in every way I can think of.
The excuse of doing it for the dog’s health is also ridiculous. I’ve had several dog whose breed standard carries cropped ears and a docked tail, and they had neither, and surprise surprise, they were always in great health. The occasional ear infection happened, but it’s not like it was life endangering.
We currently have a miniature pincher who has all of his tail and ears, and the worst he’s suffered was an ear infection. Sure, his tail is really fragile, and could break easily, but in the seven years we’ve had him, we’ve never had a problem with it. His ears can prick upright, but he keeps them folded against his skull unless his concentrating on something. We’ve never had a problem with that either.
Cropping or docking a dog as future-preventive is unnecessary, seeing as how most dogs won’t have any serious problems due to their ears or tail.
And personally, I think an uncropped and undocked dog looks much better than those with the surgeries. If you’re looking for a dog as a companion, it’s appearance shouldn’t matter, and if you’re looking for a dog for show, than you’re probably in it for the money.
“than you’re probably in it for the money.”
Not really. A lot of the people in the show rings are basically brown-nosing others so they can get access to some of the others’ bloodlines. For most people, it is not really an investment– they lose more money by buying the dog, training them and travelling the country than they do by selling the puppies or winning prizes. There is no money to be made in showing, unless one is puppy-milling AKC certificates.
It’s all for the ribbons, or paying due to obtain a breeding stock.