To Dock or Not Dock the Yorkie Tail??

[zenzele]

I have never seen a yorkie without a docked tail, is that part of the breed standard? Do any of you have pictures of what a non-docked yorkie tail look like??

At what age are yorkie's tails docked?

[chachi]

Docked is the standard here. It is done when they are just a few days old. I think the tails are cute but I like the docked look better.

[Sass]

I didn't have any choice - mine came with a short tail.

[Jessbell]

I dont have any choice either, it's illegal to dock tails (or clip ears) in England. But if I did have the choice ( as I did a few years back when I was breeding Weimaraners) I would never dock. To me, and this is just my own opinion, it's right for me but I dont hold others to it, I would never dock. To me it is mutilation and completely pointless. But like I said, that's just me.

I'm afriad I dont have ny photos of Maisie that include her tail (I've only had her 5 weeks), I'll have to try and get some!

Jess

[kezza]

Thankfully banned here in the UK..if the 'Home' of the Yorkshire Terrier right here in England can accept the undocked yorkie then hopefully the rest of the world can!..to me there's nothing cuter than a Yorkie with a full tail..Pixie has wonderful balance and can dance brilliantly on her back legs..she expresses herself with it and carries it high over her back when she is out walking..a sign of confidence..she might only be 3lb's but she is full of it! she wags it constantly..hers looks so pretty with all the long hair..like a feather!

[Ellie May]

It is personal preference but if you are breeding and selling Yorkies in the US and want to stay with the standard, they need to be docked. It is done between 3 and 5 days old.

Dogs can do just fine without their tails and if it is done correctly, it is safe. Since the bones haven't calcified by the time it is done, it shouldn't be too painful.

I prefer the look of a docked tail on a Yorkie.

[Sapphire]

Noah has a long tail and I love it. I don't have very many good pictures of it though.

The first three pictures were taken the day I got Noah. He was 6 months old.

The last picture was taken a couple of months ago. He was about 1 1/2 years old. It's not a very good picture of him, but it shows his tail.

[QuickSilver]

Just my opinion here, but I vote against docking. It does hurt the puppy, and I've seen it argued that it limits the dog's ability to communicate with other dogs, since dogs rely on their ears and tails to express themselves.

That being said, if you plan to show him, you will need a docked tail.

I inherited my guy, and he has a docked tail.

[krisknr]

Mine is a mix and his tail is docked.
GMO I think docking a Yorkie's tail is silly. There is no reason too.
I am not against it for all dogs though as there is real reason to dock some working dogs tails.

[luvfla]

My Keegan has his docked...we call it "the nubber". "Someone" was to generous with the tail clippers. Ah, we don't care he's a punkin'!!!!

[BamaFan121s]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

It is personal preference but if you are breeding and selling Yorkies in the US and want to stay with the standard, they need to be docked. It is done between 3 and 5 days old.

Dogs can do just fine without their tails and if it is done correctly, it is safe. Since the bones haven't calcified by the time it is done, it shouldn't be too painful.

I prefer the look of a docked tail on a Yorkie.

You are correct. In addition, at 3-5 days when the docking is performed, the nerves in the tail have not reached full function, so the sensation is not felt the same way it would be with an adult dog.
If done PROPERLY, it does not cause the pain that some people like to imagine that it does.

Yes, as we are informed everytime the subject arises, the practice is banned in Europe. However, it is still allowed here. I prefer the docked look and will continue to follow what the standard calls for as long as it is still allowed.

[C101Yorkie]

Sapphire's tail is docked and I think it looks cute. My uncle has a yorkie/lhasa apso mix that has a long tail, I'll see if I can find some pictures.

[piptickle]

I have lots of pic's of Mika in my albums if you want to see a full tail yorkie, everyone is welcome to check them out.

Originally Posted by BamaFan121s

You are correct. In addition, at 3-5 days when the docking is performed, the nerves in the tail have not reached full function, so the sensation is not felt the same way it would be with an adult dog.
If done PROPERLY, it does not cause the pain that some people like to imagine that it does.

Yes, as we are informed everytime the subject arises, the practice is banned in Europe. However, it is still allowed here. I prefer the docked look and will continue to follow what the standard calls for as long as it is still allowed.

Just out of interest I was wondering how many of the DOCKED yorkies are standard? This was taken from the AKC standard for the Yorkshire Terrier

Tail
Docked to a medium length and carried slightly higher than the level of the back.

Most of the docked Yorkies I see have very short docked tails, undocked yorkie's tails are quite long, so mid-length is about 4-5"" on a 7lb dog(approx, just to give you an idea of the proportions) IMO it looks silly. I think the "nubby" as many call them is cute but that's not standard either and totally unnecessary. Its only still standard there because of fashion, the YT today is NOT fit for its original purpose in many ways so why hold onto the docked tail? There are ALOT of working terriers around the area where I live and the main (I would say ONLY but I'm sure some would argue otherwise) reason they dock the tails is so if the dog goes down a tight hole after its quarry the owner can grab the tail to pull them out. If its too long it may get damaged, if its too short then they can't get a grip of it. It needs to be hand width which is average 4-5". Some resources may say its for hygiene reasons, but working terriers are kept trimmed down (esp. round that area) so that would never be an issue.
I realize that not many of us if any, would take our babies out working so why dock the tail in the first place? The YT is in the TOY group NOT the Terrier group, its purpose today is as a pet not a working terrier. IMO there is NO reason good enough to *mutilate (and whether you agree with docking or not lets face it, that's what it is) a breed of dog whose main purpose in life is to be a loyal and loving companion.


*

mu·ti·late (mytl-t)
tr.v. mu·ti·lat·ed, mu·ti·lat·ing, mu·ti·lates
1. To deprive of a limb or an essential part; cripple.
2. To disfigure by damaging irreparably: mutilate a statue. See Synonyms at batter1.
3. To make imperfect by excising or altering parts.

[QuickSilver]

I think "mutilated" brings up some extreme connotations, so I don't know if I would use that word. However, I agree that if we're not using our yorkies as ratters, there is no point to docking the tail. I do think my baby's nubbin' is cute, but it would be nice if he had a full tail. Sometimes he barks at other dogs, and it would be much easier to know if he's afraid or just excited if his tail were there.

Also, the reason we think the short tail is cute is because we are used to it. If yorkies weren't docked, we'd think they look weird otherwise. Imagine a border collie that had its ears and tails docked like a pit bull. It would look bizarre!

[kerrylatrece]

Petey's tail is docked. It is about 1.5 - 2 inches long. But the hair at the end grows about 1/5 inches past that. Looks kinda funny. Should I trim this hair back even with the tail?

Kerry