Why do dogs have cropped tails

For instance, they say that some heavy coated breeds need to have their tails docked for hygiene reasons even though many undocked breeds have thick coats and regular care is all that is necessary to maintain good hygiene.

Another explanation is that docking prevents tail damage in hunting dogs. But most docked puppies are kept as family pets and are never used for hunting and research has shown that docking does not reduce tail injury in the general dog population.

Furthermore, many breeds of hunting dogs do not have docked tails, and the length of the tail in docked breeds varies according to the breed standard. The excuses put forward to support tail docking are plainly unfounded. There is simply no excuse for reviving this painful tradition. Cosmetic tail docking has also been banned in a number of countries including Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany and Denmark.

Several other European countries including Cyprus, Greece, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Austria have also ratified a European Convention that prohibits the cosmetic docking of tails. In the United Kingdom tail docking can only be carried out by a registered veterinary surgeon. You may still see adult dogs with docked tails, as the docking may have been performed before the ban was introduced.

But you should never buy a puppy with a docked tail. If you get a dog from a breeder, make sure that they do not dock tails. There are also a few breeds, such as the Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog, or the Australian Shepherd which is actually an American breed which carry a genetic mutation that means some individuals are born with short stumpy tails.

Ear cropping involves the surgical removal of a portion of both of ears and is traditionally performed on specific breeds such as boxers, great danes, doberman pinschers or schnauzers. The practice was common in dogs bred for guarding, fighting, and hunting small animals and the historical reasons for ear cropping are similar to those for tail docking owners said they wanted to reduce the incidence of ear injuries and make it harder for their dogs to be caught by the ears. Although few dogs are used for such purposes now, some breed fanciers argue that cropped ears are part of the historical breed standard.

As such, the owners of long-tailed dogs were required to pay a high tax and tail docking became a practice of the commoners. Ear cropping and tail docking in dogs for cosmetic purposes are not medically indicated nor of benefit to the patient. These procedures can cause pain and distress, and as with all surgical procedures, are accompanied by inherent risks of anesthesia, blood loss, and infection.

Therefore, veterinarians should counsel dog owners about these matters before agreeing to perform these surgeries.

The statement was a lukewarm response to an increasingly heated debate between pro-cosmetic procedures groups and anti-cosmetic procedures groups.

Although the United States has largely remained silent, the issue is gaining worldwide prominence. The issue is largely centered on whether docking and cropping constitute "cruelty. Similarly, a society's position on whether docking and cropping are cruel will shape the way the procedures will be dealt with legally. Advocates for docking and cropping compare the procedures to neutering or spaying, and surmise that tail docking and ear cropping are simply practical animal management techniques that should remain available to owners, breeders, and veterinarians.

Anti-docking and cropping groups compare the procedures to the amputation of a healthy human finger, noting that the procedures are painful, unnecessary, and often lead to medical problems later in life. There are several key points of contention:. Tail Damage. Advocates of docking and cropping state that both procedures enhance a dog's safety; hunting dogs that work in "thick vegetation and brambles" have a very high risk of injury to their tails.

Conversely, anti-docking advocates note that the most popular breeds for hunting are Labs, Kelpies, Border Collies, and Cattle dogs - none of which traditionally have docked tails. The majority of dogs in docked breeds are kept only as pets, are not used for hunting or working, and are therefore, not at a great risk for tail injuries. Many injuries require only a cleaning and natural healing.

In his report 'Cosmetic Tail Docking of Dog Tails," veterinarian Robert Wansborough notes that a seven-year survey in Edinburgh, which controverted the Sweden study, revealed "insufficient evidence of statistical significance to suggest that there is a possible association between tail injuries and an undocked tail.

Tail docking advocates surmise that long-haired breeds are docked to prevent the hair around the base of the tail from collecting feces which, in addition to being generally unpleasant, can lead to flies, maggots, or other hygienic problems. Anti-docking supporters again, cite an inconsistency: breeds with the potential for similar hygienic problems, such as Collies or Afghans, are generally not cropped or docked, and regular grooming or clipping of potential problem areas can prevent problems.

Cropping and docking are effectively proactive efforts to excuse a dog owner from conducting routine care of the animal. Breed Standards. The Council of Docked Breeds states that breeds that have been docked over many generations were selected for specific qualities, none of which includes the tail. As a result, if left undocked, these breeds would not have "good tails" and breeders would be left with a diminished number of sires and dams to choose from, thereby causing a genetic bottleneck and possibly causing the complete extinction of some breeds.

Anti-docking supporters do not specifically address the potential for extinction of certain breeds if tails are not docked, but this theory lacks a sound scientific basis.

First, this theory exhibits a very weak understanding of evolution, and seems to echo the wholly discounted theory of acquired characteristics. Second, if breeders found the pool of sires and dams to be "diminished," then it would, again, be the result of their human desire to determine what the breed should look like, as opposed to what the breed actually looks like.

In actuality, breeders' choices would be no more reduced than they had been prior to a tail-docking ban. To this end, veterinarian John Baxter states,. People have decided which dog will mate which. There's nothing wrong with this, as long as you realise your responsibility and don't just breed for the characteristics you want. The Importance of Having a Tail. Advocates of docking such as Vets for Docking, quite simply state that the tail serves no actual function in locomotion or communication.

Holmes, author of the "Vets for Docking Submission" states that a "a dog's tail is not an essential part for it is patently obvious that a dog can live quite happily without a tail, both physically and emotionally. While it may be true that amputees can live full and happy lives, there is substantial disagreement about a dog's need for a tail. Robert Wansborough notes, "the tail is not merely an inconsequential appendage. It is an anatomically and physiologically significant structure which has many biological functions that should not be underestimated.

In addition, the dog uses the tail to signal many emotions and intentions. As a result, tail docking can adversely affect the interaction of a dog with other dogs or with humans. Furthermore, the tail enhances human-dog interactions, as the tail is the most obvious means of communication between human and dog.

For most, this is the critical issue in determining whether an activity constitutes cruelty. To this point, the majority of the discussion has focused on tail docking. Pain, however, is particularly relevant to the ear cropping discussion. First, with regard to tail docking: tail-docking advocate Professor Dr. Fritsch, Leader of the Clinic of Veterinary Surgeons at Justus-Lieberg University in Germany, maintains that at the age of two to five days, a puppy's nervous system is not fully developed and the conscious feeling of pain is unlikely at that stage.

Individual dogs, like people, have different levels of pain tolerance. In general, boxers are very pain tolerant and most puppies return home from an ear crop will be eating normally and playing just as they did before surgery within hours of the procedure. Although the ears are decidedly uncomfortable if touched excessively or bumped, this discomfort usually subsides within a few days of the surgery. Some veterinarians will offer pain medication for those individuals who seem to have a low pain tolerance.

The skill and experience of the surgeon also have an effect on the discomfort level after the procedure. Advocates of ear cropping tend to downplay the amount of pain experienced by the dog.

It is important, however, to note that the vast majority of American veterinary schools to not teach ear cropping or tail docking. Additionally, in large "puppy mills," breeders will simply cut puppies ears with scissors, and it is unlikely that this amateur procedure is conducted with an anesthetic or "post-operative" pain relievers. Moreover, anti-docking and cropping supporters note that anatomically, all mammals including humans and dogs have the same neurotransmitters, receptors, and higher brain functions.

To this end, veterinarian Jean Hofve notes, "it is well documented in the human medical literature that newborns do feel pain, and neonatal pain management is taken seriously. In addition, there is the possibility of pathological pain. Moreover, since the brain is still in development in puppies, a trauma of that magnitude may affect the development of the dog's "final architecture of the pain system," 47 which could affect the dog for the whole of its adult life.

Although animals tend to be more stoic than humans, puppies do exhibit whimpering and an "escape response" after tail docking. Finally, as with any amputation, there is a serious risk of the formation of growths composed of nerve cells and fibers or a growth composed of scar tissue. For ear cropping, although the procedure is generally conducted while the dog is under an anesthetic, the dog awakens to sore ears with raw edges closed by sutures that are taped and held up by a bracket.

In addition, the puppy is subjected to a series of post-operative visits where the ear is stretched, reshaped, and re-taped. In some cases, if a dog's ears do not stand up after the crop, the dog will be subjected to a second crop.

The reasons for ear cropping and tail docking are antiquated and no longer relevant to modern veterinary care. These practices are propagated by organizations such as the American Kennel Club AKC which requires ear cropping, tail docking, or dewclaw removal for certain breeds to conform to the AKC's breed standards.

To this end, the AKC has established exacting requirements for what each dog should look like, and assigns "faults" for physical characteristics that do not conform perfectly to the established AKC breed standard.

In addition, the AKC seems concerned only with the "look" of a dog, which, in addition to unnecessary canine cosmetic surgery, has lead to serious problems resulting from inbreeding.

By law, owners are not allowed to show dogs docked in dog shows where the public pay to enter, unless they are demonstrating working ability.

In , Scotland reversed a decade-old ban on tail docking for some breeds of puppy if there is sufficient evidence that they will become working dog, despite concerns raised by veterinary and animal welfare organisations. Tail docking should be banned as a procedure for all breeds of dogs, unless it is carried out by a veterinary surgeon for medical reasons eg injury. Puppies suffer unnecessary pain as a result of tail docking and are deprived of a vital form of canine expression in later life.

Research published in Vet Record found that approximately dogs would need to be docked in order to prevent a single tail injury. We continue to call for a complete ban on tail docking of puppies for non-therapeutic reasons across the UK. Read the guidance.