Out of Curiosity, How Popular is Docking?
 

I bet by now I'm getting annoying with all my questions, but I can't help being curious!!
What exactly is tail docking and what purpose does it serve? Is it purely cosmetic?
How many people here have a yorkie with a docked tail and how many have a "normal" tail?
Thanks for sharing!

in order to show a yorkie in America, it must have a docked tail. most of us have docked our yorkies tails altho there are a few undocked. some countries ban docking of the tail ,

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A "normal" tail for a Yorkie is a docked tail, a "natural" tail is undocked...but it is a matter of choice and I choose to dock.

My Yorkie has a docked tail. I didn't have a choice in the matter either. When I bought him, he came that way, which is fine by me, but even if his tail wasn't docked I would still love him to pieces :)

Amy

In the USA it is way more common to have the tail docked. The breeder has this done at 3-5 days of age (along with dew claw removal). I am a breeder. I hate having it done....that is just the plain truth. Another truth, however, is that I prefer the docked tail. Does it hurt....yes. Do they get over it....yes. Do they remember it....no, they have way to much fun just being alive and exploring their whole new world. This is just my personal opinion and experience.

The reason it is done is due to the Yorkie standard (as a Boxer gets its ears cropped).

On this same topic, I'm curious where should the dog's tail be docked. My pup has about a 2 inch tail (that's a guess cuz I haven't measured it) but a friend of mine has a yorkie also and his tail is a tiny nub...like maybe a 1/2 inch long. Is there a right way and a wrong way to dock the tail? Which size should it be?

All yorkies when they are babies with tails... have a pattern under the tail.. at the point of the v where the black meets the tan is where it is cut.. not sure if I explained it right.. but my vet docks great tails.. they end up with like a flag look... although I just lost two babies a week ago.. they were healthy and eating and doing well until they got docked.. went down hill so fast it was something I might never get over.. maybe had the tails been done and i had left the dew claws I might have been ok.. these babies needed fluid put under there skin and my vet would not do this.. although he did for one two years ago and with tube feeding I saved her.. so I will learn how to do this myself.. as soon as I can..I believe the pain they were in and their size of being only 5oz left them not suckling as strong as they had been... hence they started to dehydrate... and tube feeding was not enough.. the vet tells me after the fact that he questioned if he should do the two smaller ones.. grrrrr... but he did not say anything to me.. and as a vet and them being my puppies he should have... I would rather them have tails and be alive...anne

I dock mine 1/4 inch past the tan into the black. The tan and black pattern is on the underside of the tail. I do this at about 2 to 3 days of age. Some of my show prospects are docked just a tad longer to give a better out-line and presentation in the ring. I dont let the vets do it as it is waaaaaaaaaaay to stressful to the babies and the mom.

Interesting you say with the vet it is way to stressful. too many people disagree with how I feel about my loss... I stand firm on what happened to them for the day they had their tails docked.. I took pictures prior to.. and those little tails were standing right up.. and that is a healthy puppy...anne

That has been my experience with two different vets when I was learning. Just the ride in the car stresses the mom out. Same if she is left at home. Both vets docked the tails and did the dews but it was very tramatic to the pups. both vets put stitches in the tails which within a week got infected. It took the vet approximately 10 to 15 minutes per puppy to do and them screaming the entire time and the mom being frantic as well.
When I do my own tails/dews it takes less than 5 minutes per puppy. They only cry for a few minutes and are immediatley put back on mom to nurse. then they fall asleep. There is no blood or stitches. Once in a while a dew will bleed. there is no long ride in the car, no long wait at the vet office and no exposure to disease.

thanks I appreciate your thoughts on this.. and to the person who made this thead.. I did not mean to hyjack your thread.. but wanted to share this story and to learn from it.. this seemed the perfect time to do this... thanks...anne

I am sorry you lost your puppies. sometimes the tiny ones need to be docked a couple of days later than the larger ones. that must have been a horrible experience.

So sorry for the loss of those sweet babies. I had no idea that tail docking could be so risky.


For those of us that don't know much about docking and didn't see our pups before hand to see where the tan v and so forth was....does it just depend on the individual dog? are they usually so varying in length or is there and average length?:confused:

Also, my pup still has his dewclaws....is this going to cause problems in the future that I should know about?

Dew claws can cause some concern as they can get hung in sweaters and such and rip the toe. Also,, if the groomers doesnt know they are there, she might comb the dew claw on accident and injure it. The dog can also get the dew claw hung in an eye when scratching and it can become hung in the hair. Always make sure the dew claw nail is cut short.

Since April 6th last year, 2007, it has been illegal to dock any puppy in the UK.
It is a prosecutable offence.
The Kennel Club has also banned entry to shows for any docked dog born since that date.

So my older two are docked, as previously the breeder could choose and most show dogs were docked, but my youngest one is undocked.

i live in the canary islands and they still dock here, kinny still has her dew claws though, can we see a pic of an un docked tail anyone ?? just curious as to what it looks like ??

I am in the UK, my 2 yorkies have their tails, my first yorkie which I had as a teenager was docked, I personally prefer them with their tails, and I am glad it is now an offence here to dock their tails, My belief is if they are born with a tail, they were meant to keep their tails.

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I am very opposed to docking done by cutting and stitching..it is painful and stresses the puppy and mom.. Using a clamp is quick and bloodless...they barely cry and infection is extremely rare. Vets can make many things far more simple if they want...but as one once told me.."if I do not cut/stitch, then I can not call it a surgical procedure"...

It is purely cosmetic there is no purpose, the purpose of having the tail is for balance when running or jumping. God gave them a tail for a reason. I for one do not believe in tail docking for any breed including pit bulls and rottweilers. I see it this way, we all have two arms and two legs that god gave us for a reason, just like he gave a dog has a tail, you wouldn't want anyone cutting off your leg, or your arm. If you want to show your dog in the Eukanuba or AKC championship then the tail must be docked but there are plenty of other competitions that do not require that if your interested in entering your pup in a show. I guess it all depends on the owner of the dog, only two of my babies have their tails docked and that is because they were already docked before they came to me, if I had known when they first were born that the breeder was going to dock the tails I would have told her not to.

Attached is a picture of Lucy's tail

When I got a puppy if I could choose I would not get its tail docked, I think they are cute with it and I think it should be illegal here two.

OVER HERE IN GERMANY YOU CAN'T DOCK THE TAIL ... THEY SAY IT IS 'INHUMAN' (I HOPE i SPELLED THAT RIGHT) ... SO MAYA HAS A TAIL ... AND WE LOVE IT ... SHE LOOKS SOOO CUTE WITH IT .... ;)

thanks for the piccy Nydia, does nt lucy look great !!!

hey (sorry to hijack this thread) where abouts in germany are you? I lived in Gutersloh for 3 years 1999-2002,my husband is in the army, we are back in the uk now, I absolutly loved Germany, and really miss the great living over there, proper winters with loads of snow, proper summers, sitting out all evening enjoying the evening weather (not like england at 6pm it gets chilly and everyone has to go in LOL) what a lovely country you have x Miss it

:aimeeyork Tink with her tail! .......and her floppy ears! (which we love)
:) I love playing with it, it wraps around my fingers like little snake!

oooopssssssssss helps to add photo!;)

Thankfully this procedure is now banned here in the U.K.:D
My Pixie has her full tail which she uses to express herself..she wags it constantly and carries it high over her back when out strutting her stuff..a sign of confidence...she also has brilliant balance and can dance extremely well on her back legs.
I have read alot recently about tail docking and in my opinion the Puppies do feel it..their squeals become more high pitched during the procedure and some puppies even urinate...a sign of pain & shock..people say that they suckle and go straight to sleep afterwards..maybe they do..but this is usually a way of comforting themselves and conserving energy..a way of dealing with the pain and the shock..doesn't mean they are happy and contented and not at all bothered by the whole thing as some seem to suggest...I can recall threads on here where members were disgusted by yorkie ear piercing...but these same people are willing to have their babies tails cut off...I find this hard to understand..we all spend almost every waking hour making sure our precious babies never come to any harm..but are willing to put them through this all in the name of fashion:confused:..what makes them more pleasing to OUR eye...they give us so much love and joy..how can we be so selfish?:(

Thanks for the info!
 

Thanks to all that have posted to this thread, I never thought this topic was as heated as it is. When I started this thread I wasn't sure what docking was and why it was done. THANKS again! I've learned a lot from this thread.
To mypreciouspups, I'm so very sorry you had a bad experience.
Thanks to nydia and Wight Witch for sharing pictures of their beautiful "natural" puppies!
Tink is so cute! I love the coloring of her coat I think she's gorgeous! I hope to some day have a puppy as cute as yours!
Sincere thanks to all for helping educate me on all things yorkie!

I don't want your thread to become heated..I just feel very passionate about this particular subject! so forgive me if i became a little carried away! it's good to see a new member, new to yorkies, who is willing to do their research and be educated:thumbup: