Docked tails are most common among dog breeds that were originally bred as workers. Hunting dogs have docked tails to keep their tails from getting caught in bushes and underbrush. Many dog breeds have naturally stubbed tails, making their tales appeared dock but are naturally stubby.
Herding dogs have undocked tails because it makes them seem bigger to their the sheep (or whatever their herding).
Yorkies were originally used in cotton and wood mills to keep rats away. The tails were docked to keep the rats from biting the yorkies and give the dogs the upper-hand in chasing and killing the rats.
In the United Kingdom in the early days of dog breeding, dog owners were charged a tax on their dog based on the length of the dog. Tails were docked to keep the tax of individual dogs down.
Misconceptions of tail docking include: improving agility and speed, back/spine health and rabies prevention. None of these are true.
-Victoria |