Hi. Yorkies were docked originally because they went down rat holes and had to be pulled out by their tails (like other terriers, Foxies, JRTs, etc) to reduce the risk of breaking the tail. If you feel any dog's tail the first few vertebrae have much more muscle around them and are thicker whereas at the end the bones are smaller and much more likely to break if you tried to pull the dog by them!
Personally I don't see any reason to dock any more. I know that this is a contensious issue but they are not working dogs anymore. the "hygeine" reason cited by some is a fallacy. I have a yorkie with a tail and a yorkie without a tail and I'd say the percentage of "klingons" is about the same. If you keep them clean then they won't get flystrike (which is why lambs' tails are docked).
hope that doesn't come across as too preachy but it's an issue I do care about. I mean I'll be the first to admit that a docked tail looks smarter but I don't think that's a reason to remove it.
If you do decide that you'd prefer a docked tail make sure it's done in the first day or two of the dog's life. IE the breeder will have to arrange it with the vet. In NZ there are very few vets left who will actually dock tails - at any age. |