[Mike1975]

A very interesting article was written in Yorkie Club Magazine #5 May 2006, by Hugo Ibanez-Hornung, entitled A Tale of Tails

Yorky Club Magazine - United by passion for Yorkies.

I would like to quote some interesting thoughts

“Since when have breeders, exhibitors or judges adhered to the Standard?” interjects Mark Burns, breeder/judge (UK) and adds: “Disregard for the Standard detail is an option when an improvement to a dog’s “look” can be achieved”. Well point taken. Bernice Unden, the veteran breeder, “Debonaire” (Sweden) echoes Mark, “A 12:00 o’clock tail set makes a Yorkie look more compact, better balanced and also shows spirit. It is easy to understand the disregard for the Standard just because of this”.

In many parameters of dog breeding, the breeder may use his own discretion and artistic eye to achieve the balance he prefers while keeping the type and balance prescribed in the Standard.
Let’s take another journey – a controversial one - no doubt. Let’s hear what some of our successful and experienced breeders have to say. Hopefully, they will help us solve the puzzle, if not, indeed a mystery.
And a mystery is. In the UK, as one stated before, Yorkies are shown with the tails pushed down. It is quite intriguing. No one seems to have a clue as to why or when this fad began.

“Yorkies in England have been depicted with both gay tails and above the level of the top line since 1873. Arthur Wardler and Mrs. Foster’s dogs have been shown with tails up or above the level” says Mrs. Joan Gordon “Wildweir”.
One is left to speculate. Perhaps, breeders of modern times thought that pushing the tails down would give the awareness, the perception of compactness – short back. “Perhaps, in the UK we adhered to the tail carriage to promote and enhance the compact square shape”, says Mark Burns.
In other words creating the same illusion as the gay tail.

Back to America, Lat. Am. And Continental Europe: “Tail carried a little higher than the level of the back”. Ancient history. “I don’t feel it will ever be reversed (gay tails), because this feature has become what breeders look for: in turn, judges have learned (USA, Canada & Lat. Am.) to look for this too” Doreen Hubbard “Yorkboro”.
The writer remembers, back in the 70’s, there was an Am. Yorkie special winning big, Ch. Trivar’s Sud Sipper. “Suds” most memorable characteristics were his super gay tail and perfect top line. I thought, then, that “Suds” was the precursor, the pioneer of gay tails. Not so, tells me the living Yorkie encyclopedia, Mrs. Gordon. “gay tails have been around forever with emphasis on level top lines it became more prevalent and with the number of Am. Yorkies being shown it became more visible”.

Many breeders in America feel that the Standard should be modified. Here to echo that feeling is Doreen: “Tail carried off the spine at 45 degrees to 12:00 o’clock high. The revised standard should also make a distinction between tail set and tail carriage”.
Brenda Aloff, author of the wonderful book “Canine Body Language” states “If the tail is held erect and rigid, that is certainly dominant (Terrier character)”. Further, she adds that it is important to leave the tail half on “so communication abilities are significant because he still signals most of his intentions.”
This bring us to the length of the tail. Certainly tails have generally been lengthening in the past decade. One used to see tiny little buttons year ago. These are never seen anymore.
One can be sure that breeders were not thinking “communication”. They were thinking balance, symmetry. In other words, a balance between the neck and the tail. It is a feature that is bound to stay.
Perhaps this feature will help us all to sort of reach a compromise, a bridge of goodwill, if you like, between us who “dock” and our European friends of “no dock”.

So here we are. It is what it is. In the real world one has to deal with realities, and the reality is that we have to put up with docked and undocked tails.
Again, soft-pedaling back to undocked tails. As it was mentioned before the FCI has already changed the Standard to regulate undocked tails. Here it is again “Plenty of hair, darker in blue colour that the rest of the body, especially at the end of the tail. Carried a little higher than the level of the back. As straight as possible. Length to give a well balanced appearance.”
Frankly, the writer does not see much difference than before. Breed Standards are like the Bible. Everyone interprets the same printed word a bit differently and sometimes very emotionally.

“Carried little higher than the level of the back” Here we are again, docked – undocked, upright position, 12:00 o’clock is here to stay. The problem one foresees is that gay tails are part of the dog’s temperament and part of a technique of how to dock tails, so tails will be gay; obviously with undocked tails one has no choice. Undocked tails won’t be able to control this aspect, unless the tail is naturally gay.

“As straight as possible”, does it mean that the tail should look like a flag pole? The reality is that one sees undocked tails being carried like a Shih Tzu or a Maltese, some like a Cavalier and even some like a Beagle or an Afghan. The breeder has no control. Some tails appear to be very thin with not much hair, others are thick with density of hair almost like a plume. And finally the length of the tails are some short (good thing), others medium and some long.
It seems it would be very difficult to have a Standard with so many variables. One has to assume that ultimately it will be up to the judge to determine which dog personifies the Standard best.

Some one said “there is more to a dog then the tail”. Of course, there is. No more to say that color and texture makes a Yorkie. One can not forget character, silhouette (tail), head and expression, movement and color and texture. All these elements constitute type and all are equally valuable.