Is it ok not to dock tails on my 5 newborns...I love tails!
 

My sweetheart gave me 5 babies that are almost 48 hours old. I have an appointment for tail docking tomorrow but I am torn. I chose not to dock the tail on my little girl last year and I love the tail it is so cute. But I cannot keep 5 babies and wonder if I will have too much trouble finding homes without docking the tail.

In many places in Europe I know docking is not even permitted...Does anyone else keep the tails intact? I welcome all opinions. Thankyou so much.

I love Yorkie tails!

(We are in Yorkshire, UK) We love our two with their tails, wouldn't have them any other way. I'd say keep them intact.

I think most people would prefer a docked tail. Some breeders dock them way to short. I like them medium length as stated by the AKC Yorkshire Terrier standard.

thank you so much
 

thank you to both who love the tails ..I needed to hear that!

I had a litter of 4 babies and when leaving tails undocked was beginning to stir the imagination of pet owners, I decided to try to leave these little tails intact. I almost NEVER got those babies sold to new homes that I had approved as new owners.....unless you already have people that have said they want tails, and unless you are sure they will not back out on you, and unless you are prepared to keep the ones left, I would suggest docking the tails. Hopefully, in another couple of years, undocked tails will be common place and gleefully accepted by all.

I love the look of their tails ! Something natural about it :)

I like the look of docked tails. I think that's just because of what's "stuck" in my head with seeing all the show yorkies in the U.S. The ones with the tails intact are still beautiful though. Is it your personal preference to leave them with their tails? If you have buyers lined up that want the tails I think you should at least recieve a nonrefundable deposit from them.

If I had a choice I wouldn't dock the tails. I think Yorkies are beautiful with or without tails so I wouldn't dock them and put the pups through that. Hopefully there would be enough people who think this way to find them perfect homes.

I too, LOVE the tails. Its your choice, and i dont think it would be that hard to place them with tails.

We've come a long way--
 

I have a new litter that will not be docked. I've notified the people on my wait list and 3 out of 4 replies are in favor or leaving the tails on!!!!
While not in favor of having government get involved and legislating against docking, I'm happy to see the general public stepping up and asking the tails be left on.
Few people have ever declined to purchase one of my puppies over tail length. Some have converted to wanting the full tail after actually seeing it.
:)

I's so sorry. How long ago was this? This has NOT been my experience in New England!

This was 4 years ago....my mentor told me not to do this....I went ahead and did it, and then got to listen to "I TOLD you......". Just like selling little boys....down South, everyone wants little girls....most of my boys are sold outside of the Southern States! Seems to be more a regional thing.....and those little boys are soooooooooooooooo precious!!

I love tails and I love boys. Send them all my way. ;)

A reasonable suggestion was made to contact the buyers on your waiting list and see if they have a preference. Be quite clear that if you do not dock, the tail can't be docked later.

On Yorkies I too like the look of the medium length tail. But I am okay too with a long tail.

I'm living in Switzerland now and it's against the law to dock their tails so all the little yorkies have them. I LOVE my girl's tail - I need to learn how to work this forum better to attach pictures. It's so cute and adds to her personality a ton since it wags incessantly when she is happy and excited.

I love the tails. That is one reason of many I got a Biewer.

Most of these people do not know a boy from a girl. . . . I can dress him in a grey and black skull sweater and a black with flames bow. But just because he has a bow in his hair doesn't make him a girl. . . . Slap a bow on them and tell them he is a girl ;) jk

thank you to everyone for the perspective.
 

The deadline for a decision was today and your thoughts helped me to follow my heart. I am peaceful with my decision to leave the tails and trust the will find perfect homes when that time comes.
Although I have no idea how I will part with them when the time comes.

I do like the look of medium and full tails...it just came down to not feeling like I have the right to take something given by The Creator. I to hope it becomes more accepted.

Thank you all both opposed and for full tails...

Thank you for saying this. My family immigrated from the Caribbean to NY when I was 1 then moved to TN when I was 11. I've never met more polite, well meaning, caring, gracious people in my life. I've found that most people that consider Northerners "more intellectual" already have preconceived notions about us (yes I consider myself southern with a bit of NY wit) or have never met many ppl from the South. Yes we have our rednecks and hillbillies but we have our Ivy League scholars (one who happens to be my best friend born and bred in Tennessee) and other southern educated intellectually open-minded individuals too. Is everyone from "up North" in the mob and angry all the time???? J/k ....btw I wanted a female because I wanted to dress her up. I got a boy instead and I still dress him

I'm from Boston. Yes, people flock there from all over the world for its cultural and educational institutions, as well as to start their careers in medicine, finance and technology. The open mindedness is nice to be around.
I do object to a rigid breed "standard" that calls for cutting off a dog's tail. I think "standard" should be evaluated with all of the animal's natural parts intact, not after surgical cosmetic alterations.
Again, this is personal preference, and you're very welcome to yours. I will fight any attempt to make it a legislative matter.:)

I'm glad you made this decision. Years ago I adopted a Schnauzer who didn't have his ears cropped. He was so cute with the little ear flaps folded over, his face looked so much softer than the cropped look. It made me wonder what the point of cropping a perfectly good ear. His tail was docked and I always wished it hadn't been. Let us know how their adoptions go.

Thank goodness we have the largest Medical Center in the world here in Houston, with many world reknown heart surgeons (DeBakey, Cooley,etc.), vascular surgeons, oncologists, neurologist, as well as Baylor College of Medicine, and University of Texas Medical Schools, leading the world in many medical fields in research for all deciplines of diseases, including but not lilited to: historic advancements in Parkinsons, MS, ALCS, Alzheimers, pioneers in all areas of cardiovascular medicine and research and invention, and of course we have the #1 cancer facility in the world, MD Anderson, leading the world in research, specific gene marking for specific cancers, invention, investigative treatments and established treatment proocols. From our esteemed halls of education, we send forth our world recognized pioneers in medicine to benefit the entire county as well as foreign countries. I can not speak to the financial or technological educational opportunities but I am sure, comparing the economy and our tax base here in Texas alone, we are among a limited, select few States....seemingly mostly Southern States.... leading the Nation in implementing our knowledge base for the sustained economic growth with limited taxation, statistics we have exemplified for many years. Regarding breed standard:
The breed standard has existed for many years, set down as a template for breeders to use as a pattern, to preserve what Old World breeders formulated years ago as what Yorkies will look like as a breed. While I personally like long tails, I honor all the fabulous breeders that have "designed" the Yorkie standard and I will appreciate and adhere to the "rule book", so to speak. If and when the breed standard is changed, I will comply with that template. Hopefully, changes will not be implemented on the whims of animal rights activists.

dog
 

Leave those darling tails! My JoJo has his little tail and it is so cute. God made these Yorkies with tails so do not dock them. It gives them personality.

My BFF grew up in Texas and has family there, she spent her teen years in NJ, went to college in Boston, and is back in Texas for Grad school. Her parents spent most of their lives in PA/NJ. She wants to live in NYC.
She has said many times that Tx is much more conservative than the Boston or NJ. Not back woods, just conservative. I asked her what she thought about the undocked tails and she said she's not surprised they went over better in the north east.
She doesn't like the docked tails, she thinks it's cruel.

I don't know if it's true or not but it seems like yorkies are more popular in the north east too. It's very hard to find any small dogs in shelters and it seems like the yorkie rescues only have older teapots (8+ years, 10+ pounds) or dogs with medical problems.

I guess my preference is for a medium length tail, Lola's is about an inch long and I wish it were longer. An undocked tail wouldn't stop me from getting a dog.
I showed my Grandmom an undocked tail and she said "eww that's terrible!!" But she also thinks it's terrible when people keep their yorkie's hair short. She has very particular ideas about the way yorkies should look.

I had someone offer me an outrageous amount of money for the puppy I kep her tail.... I am not selling her, but thought it strange that she offered so much-she said she hasn't been able to find a breeder that would leave a tail that didn't already have a 2 yr waiting list.

Congrats to your BFF successfully attending grad school here in Texas, enabling her to go ANYWHERE in the coutry she chooses to practice her occupation. Yes, Texas is conservative, and more traditional I think, and just as we all have our preferences in all aspects of our lives, we love it that way! If it aint broke, we are more apt to not go monkeying with it. In pet homes, I love floppy eared, long tailed teapots, but I wouldnt want to see that in our shows as a standard image for a Yorkie. As far as docking tails being "cruel", it isn't cruel....maybe not a particular preference, but not cruel. I think your Grandma is very typical...."she has very particular ideas how Yorkies should look". Are people that are against docking also against cutting off toes.....dew claw removal? What about castrating males.....cruel? If docking and dewclaw removal and castration is done with a meat cleaver, when the dog is 8 months old, I agree....cruel.

I forgot to add before, if a breeder asked me if I wanted the tail left undocked and couldn't back out if I did, I'd say no. I'd only say yes if it were an all or nothing deal, the whole litter gets docked or left alone.
My reason is I wouldn't want someone else picking out a 2 day old puppy for me.

I got to choose between Lola and her sister. I don't think I'd be nearly as happy with her sister. Lola has this beautiful spark in her eye, her sister didn't.

Actually her job prospects are very bleak, she's an architect. If anything the Boston school will help her more.
She thinks it's cruel because she sees it as unnecessary pain and doesn't know much about the way it's done. She loves dogs but she's only owned one as a kid and it hated her.

I think dew claw removal is more acceptable because it's more functional. My poodles were constantly getting their's caught.
My Grandmom was told docking tails was functional too, because the long tail would break/couldn't wag/would mess up the dogs balance.

I hope you got the dew claws removed because those can cause big problems.

I agree about having someone else picking the puppy for you.
And I would hate to not dock a tail and had a potential buyer back out, and not be able to sell that particular puppy. As Yorkiemom1 stated, she had problems selling her undocked litter.
Dew claw removal wasn't as hard for me to watch as the tail docking, however my son was horrified that they cauterize the dew claws-he has/had frequent nosebleeds and had his nose cauterized on several occasions and said its extremely uncomfortable, so he can't imagine it on a little 4 oz puppy. They didn't squeal as much with the dew claws as they did with the tails, but she also used a scalpel to remove the tails and then stitched the end.