Mine is docked. I think it is cute... but cruel :(

Bria's tail is docked.When she goes to the groomer I always ask them to leave the hair. i like how it looks when she wags it:D

Well I don't have a Yorkie.. but I have a Morkie Poo LOL
He had his tail docked day before yesterday at 4 days old. Also his dew claws removed.
It was a very difficult decision as I am not sure what my puppy will look like.
However toy poodles are usually docked and the Dam is a maltipoo but looks like a purebred poodle.
Dad is yorkie (also usually docked here)
So I decided to dock

I compared the practice to our habit of circumsizing male babies in a previous thread on this subject. You are right. None of my sons has ever mentioned a mental scar from the procedure. I was on the verge of not doing it with my boys but hubby insisted.

For my pups -- since I do want them to be in AKC standard, I had their tails docked. They did not cry or yelp any more for that than they did for a shot. They were ready to nurse immediately and seemed to have no ill effects from it at all. I took mine to the vet so they could do it as painless and safely as possible. I know it sounds cruel, but it really does not seem to affect the puppies for more than a couple seconds. It seemed less pain than piercing an ear. I gave them all extra loving and checked on the little nubs. They were sealed with a kind of super glue and all healed easily.

I would not mind if the standard did not include the docking but I do like the way it looks and I know it helps with hygiene. The reason poop doesn't get on the docked tail, is that it does not fall down between the legs like a long one will at times. Ben has very long hair that will plume on his docked nub, looking very regal. But even that plume of hair will get messy when he has a loose stool or appears to have sat on it (I know that sounds gross but I can't explain it any other way -- thank God for baby wipes!). Since Ben is one to slip through doors as they are swinging shut, I am sure the docked tail has saved him a slam or two along the way. My dachshund (full tail) has a big kink in her tail from not making it through the door when no one knew she was coming. It looks painful as she is now very old and I am sure the kink is arthritic as it has become gnarly. So the cleanliness and safety factors are real in my mind as I see evidence of it.

Nothing against the ones that keep their full tails though -- they are beautiful! If our standard in the US changed, I am sure we would all be used to it in no time. It sure would not change how much we love them!

About dew claws -- they are also very prone to getting caught in carpet or blankets. Much safer to have them removed, if they have any. They are remnants of old with no modern purpose.

I don't really think it's like circumcision because circumcision is definitely for health reasons... it has it's benefits and it's cons, as with nearly anything... but it's a choice the parents have when the babies are born. A lot of people do it/don't do it for religious reasons as well, which is fine. Also, most men would say they are glad they are circumcised. Dogs do not care if their tail is docked or not, lol. It just seems kind of silly.

I just feel like a docked tail is so pointless! I don't really think it's for health reasons and as for the cleanliess when it comes to poop and stuff, it's not that hard to just keep the butt hair trimmed up. Jackson has a full tail and there has NEVER been poop or anything stuck to his tail. Just like the 95% of other breeds of dogs who have full tails don't have that issue. If that were a huge problem, or if it really was for health reasons, you'd think ALL breeds of dogs would have docked tails. But no, it's all about standard and the way it looks.

Many theories have been proposed for the beginning of the practice; Tax evasion, Rabies prevention, prevention of back injury, increase of speed for the docked dog as well a method of prevention of tail damage due to fighting.

Nowadays, I just really don't see the purpose and I hope it is banned.

I say if you think it is cruel and heartless, skip it. :)

I just have to ask though, for everyone that thinks tail docking is very cruel and should not be done, have you stopped supporting factory farming also? Because it is far worse.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Excellent point.

ma lil one has her tail docted

I don't really think it's "cruel and heartless" as much as it is pointless.

It's already banned in certain countries so that's proof it's obviously an unnecessary procedure and I'm sure it will be banned in the U.S. eventually.

Dogs didn't have to get their tails chopped off in their natural habitat so why do it to them as pets? If keeping poop out of their tail is the best reason, it's not a good one.

I agree with what you are saying and yes I think this is also cruel but you have the choice whether you want to eat it or not.

We don't need to dock dogs tails just because we think it is cute:confused:

I have a toy poodle and Tucker.. who is a yorkie poo.. both have docked tails, I had my choice to have Tucker's done. I dont think its cruel if its done right. Tucker's was done at the vets, the breeder stated it went well pups didnt even move.
I prefer the nub and always will. :)

Those theories are interesting -- I don't understand but they are interesting. How does having a full tail or not help with tax evasion? Or rabies prevention? I know you don't agree with them amd you are just passing on the theories other people have used. I just had never heard of most of them.

I thought the real original reason was so they did not get caught when going through tight spaces chasing the rats in factories, sewers and such. Who knows though? They really do not need their tails. Originally dogs needed tails to keep the flying bugs away, but I don't think any of us keeps our dogs where that is going to be a problem.

I know I had a lab once that I really wished had a docked tail. She cleared many a coffee table of everything from decorative items to hot cups of coffee with her happy tail. But Yorkies are not tall enough to present that type of danger.

I would be okay with the standard as it is or without tail docking. Like I mentioned before, it did seem unreasonably cruel until I actually was there when the vet docked them. Mine really did not seem to have too bad a time with it. One sharp yelp and it was over. More like getting a shot or piercing an ear. No after affects and now I need never worry about it again. How many have pierced their little ones (human) ears? How different is that really? And male circumcism is really not necessary for hygienic reasons now that daily showers are available. But we still do that. We are a world full of decorative body changes from piercings to tattoos to some of the more bizarre alterations people do. Taking an inch or two off a tiny tale is not any more cruel or unusual than what we do to ourselves. I know they have no choice, but .... they don't get a choice on where they live, what they eat, what they wear, etc... we have made them ours.

I respect those that feel strongly against the docking and do admire their dogs tails. I prefer the docked look, but that is the look I fell in love with when I decided on the yorkie breed. If they all had tails, then I would have that look in my mind.

I also respect tradition, and docking is part of a Yorkie's tradition. I know "we've always done it that way" is not often a good reason, but there is a little something to be said for tradition. I can see reasons for and against and was really moving towards the against until I saw how little they really minded the procedure. It sounds much worse than it is in reality.

I think there is a very good reason for a dog to have a full tail, which is that it is part of how he communicates with the rest of the world. I have wished many times that Thor's tail is longer so I can get a better idea of how he's feeling. I think even more so for other dogs.

I don't think that people who like the look are cruel and terrible people, I just think it has no benefits beyond aesthetics, and why cause the dog any pain if you don't have to? I prefer the look of circumcised males, but I know that's because that's what I'm used to. In Africa, it is being recommended because circumsion reduces the risk of spreading HIV. Either way, I don't have strong opinions on it, though I probably would circumcize my son, or leave the decision up to my husband.

There are many other bigger issues out there, but hey, this is a board about yorkies! :)

And to end with one inflammatory thought... for those of you who like docked tails, how many think that dyeing your dog's hair, which has NO negative after-effects, is cruel?

I just mean to say that we have a lot of different opinions on all kinds of "body mods", and maybe they aren't always consistent. When did inconsistency ever stop someone from having an opinion? ;)

Both of my pups had their tails docked when they were babies. However, Riker's tail is just a little longer than Kaia's. I personally see no point in tail docking and think the Yorkie looks beautiful either way.

Tails or no tails :yorkiesar