# Poo Tails



## Nanci (Mar 1, 2012)

Have been noticing all the poos in the UK seem to have the natural tails . . almost all cockapoos in the states have docked tails? I love them both ways, Samis tail is docked, any others?


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

Lady has a docked tail too....tho we did not chose for it to be docked...we didn't know we were getting her untill she was 12 weeks old. in the UK it is illegal to dock dogs tails unless for medical purposes I believe.
If I was given the choice Lady would have the tail she was born with.


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## francesjl (Mar 24, 2011)

Docking tails was banned here in 2007 !


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## Nanci (Mar 1, 2012)

Oh my mercy . . didnt know that? Thats interesting! Most of the poos here are American/toy cross and most that I have seen are with docked tails, just noticed the breeder I got Sami from had a litter with natural tails, and she also has a new liter she hasent posted pictures of yet that she says are merle colored!! She said this is the first litter she has had that were Merle! OHHHH that so makes me want a companion for Sami, hes 8 months old now and would be 10 months old when they are ready . . . . it would take a LOT of begging to get my husband to agree to another poo . . he adores Sami but thinks he is fine being an only child!!


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## colpa110 (Jul 5, 2011)

Nanci, keep on a begging...Two poos is the best


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## flounder_1 (May 12, 2011)

colpa110 said:


> Nanci, keep on a begging...Two poos is the best


Says someone who was offering a certain mischievous pair of poos to a new home earlier!!! lol


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## wellerfeller (Jul 12, 2011)

I thought docking was made illegal full stop but I have a friend who has just bought a vislza puppy that is docked. So working breeds can still be docked here in the uk.


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## colpa110 (Jul 5, 2011)

flounder_1 said:


> Says someone who was offering a certain mischievous pair of poos to a new home earlier!!! lol


Yes, I made them read the thread title as a warning...they are now being very well behaved and have earned a reprieve....

Seriously....I LOVE having two, a bit more mess and bit more noise but a whole load more FUN


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

My gypsy and inca are docmed. Echo was born just after the law chainged or she would have been docked too. my docked girls have the poodle dock which is longer than the cocker dock. 
its funny when we got echo we were never asked why gypsy and incas tails were so short it was why is echos tail so long ljke her tail length was a deformaty. i couldnt emagen my girls with full tails but then i couldnt imagen echo or delta with a docked tail.


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

we had a party on the weekend...and someone was playing with Lady's tail...she has the cocker dock..so I made a comment about it being docked...they assumed she was born with a short tail and didn't think they did that to dogs at all.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Why do some people dock tails. What is the advantage of docking and what is wrong with a doggy having a wagging tail? Excuse my ignorance here. Educate me...


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## flowerchild (Mar 21, 2012)

I know I'm a bleeding heart animal lover, but I think docking tails--some breeds they crop ears, too, and declawing cats is vile. A friend of a friend just took her 3 week old boxer puppies (she's a breeder) in to have their ears and tails done, and offered to stop by to show me the puppies after. I couldn't handle it, so told her I was busy. NY State is _considering_ making it illegal, but not holding my breath.

Forgot to say Bette's is docked, and she doesn't like it touched.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

What are the reasons for this


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

They dock working dogs for safety to avoid injuries.
They dock domestic dogs for vanity.


Lady doesn't have any ill effects from it...she will let you hold it no problem..tho I have heard horror stories.


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## Nanci (Mar 1, 2012)

I havent even asked him yet . . . but today is my birthday. . . soooo may be a good time! I will need to see them first and see if anybody grabs my heart . . which will not be hard to do as I love cockapoos so much! Love seeing all the different coat types and sizes on this forum! They are so easy to love as they give twice as much in return!! Samis new favorite place is hanging out on the coffee table!! Don't know what the attraction is as he was banned from there for the longest time and then one night he just jumped up there and laid down! Sooo funny looking!


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

docking was done because or tail damage of working breeds they would either batter them in kennels making the tips bleed. my friend has just had her Dane docked at 4 years old because she keep bursting her tail open in the house and is making it red raw from chewing it when she sneaks off. others would brake their tails when they got caught in bushes. 

it then just became part of the breed standard for dog shows, then as time went on dogs were used less for working and more as pets or show dogs. thats when the animally rights people got annoyed as it is classed as cosmetic rather than practical. 

i don't really have an issue with docking i think it should be the breeders choice, their are enough breeders who want to and don't want to dock to suite the people who want or don't want to buy a docked dog. 


dew claws are different i think it is stupid to ban dew clawing, all my girls were done but delta could be done as a puppy which is a very quick healing procedure. instead we need to wait till she was spayed and has so much hassle with stitches and her pulling them out. 

people forget about dewclaws and they keep growing till the in bed themselves in the dogs leg.
dogs can tare them off, they don't need to be the dangley ones on the back legs. the ones on the front legs that lie flush on the leg can still be torn off and cause the dog alto of pain and in some cases permanently damage a dogs leg making them lame. 

dewclaws can be lethal on larger dogs, i know a woman with a lab and that boy used his dewclaws to scratch her, she has deep gouges in her arms because of him. he never bites or uses the claws on his feet, but he uses dew claws and causes some amount of damage. 


ear cropping I'm not a fan of i see no point in it, that is purely cosmetic.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Thanks for the insight. I love Lola's little waggy tail..


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## KateC (Jun 24, 2012)

USA born Thatcher has his natural scraggly tail; it is a bit comedic in appearance.


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## Rufini (Sep 9, 2011)

If you know you're going to have your dog being a working dog, so for example a cocker as a gun dog, then it is (to an extent) a good idea to dock. However if it purely because you like the look then it's just not good. If you want a short tail, get a breed that has a naturally short one!


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

I believed that even working breeds were left undocked these days unless the breeder actually worked their dogs and there was a good chance the puppies would be used for work as well, a local vet round here had his business closed as he was illegally docking dogs, I used to not mind it as I guess we were just used to seeing certain breeds docked but now I much prefer seeing a full length tail, though there are some breeds like Boxers that seem prone to tail damage so maybe it should be considered more on those grounds. I met a lovely Boxer last year which had been born with a naturally short tail, the owner said the litter was mixed, think she said they are called bob tails and they seem to be a lot calmer natured than usual. I thought ear cropping was illegal here but saw a young lad with a Doberman pup that i'm pretty sure had ear splints on for just that reason. was quite horrified.


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

I adore Bonnie and Dexters tails! They are the best thing about them looks wise. I don't let the groomer touch them and they have lovely bushy tails like foxes! I brush them every day. Our cocker spaniels had docked tails when I was a child, now no spaniels I see other than working ones have them docked.


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## animal lover (Jul 18, 2012)

my boys step mother is a breeder I have a cockapoo here with her full tail as all her siblings went to the UK it is illegal to dock their tails in europe apparently. so I have one with a dcked tail one with a natural tail. by the way I am in canada


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## Bertie Brown (Aug 12, 2011)

I don't agree with docking at all except for a medical reason. Dogs are born with tails therefore they should keep them!


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## Jack Spaniel (Jul 6, 2012)

My brother-in-law and I, both Springer Spaniel owners until recently, often exercise our dogs in the woods. Springers are dogs that just charge through the undergrowth with little regard for anything they may encounter. Neither of our dogs were official working dogs but my dog was docked and his was not. The undocked dog suffered many times from a shredded tail while my dog was fine. It seems to me specifying that only working dogs may be docked is not in the best interest of the dog.
I an not sure if the term 'working dog' applies to dogs that actually work on shoots, or to dogs that are of working strain rather than the 'show' dogs.
Anyway I would always prefer the dogs to be docked where appropriate and the decision left to the breeder/owner. As always 'blanket laws' leave no room for discretion.


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## Rufini (Sep 9, 2011)

Jack Spaniel said:


> My brother-in-law and I, both Springer Spaniel owners until recently, often exercise our dogs in the woods. Springers are dogs that just charge through the undergrowth with little regard for anything they may encounter. Neither of our dogs were official working dogs but my dog was docked and his was not. The undocked dog suffered many times from a shredded tail while my dog was fine. It seems to me specifying that only working dogs may be docked is not in the best interest of the dog.
> I an not sure if the term 'working dog' applies to dogs that actually work on shoots, or to dogs that are of working strain rather than the 'show' dogs.
> Anyway I would always prefer the dogs to be docked where appropriate and the decision left to the breeder/owner. As always 'blanket laws' leave no room for discretion.


Yes, some pets can cause terrible damage to their tails when long. My boyfriend's friend had a great dane, it broke it's tail almost weekly and once ruined a cream sofa by bashing it's tail on a sharp edge and wagging blood all over the place  It just didn't notice that it had hurt itself so badly!


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## janee (Mar 25, 2012)

I love my poos tails , Teddy has his constantly wagging, would hate not to see it. They are born with tails they should be able to keep them.


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## Lynn<3 (Jul 4, 2011)

Both Amiee Jane and our other dog (Miles the reject Schnoodle) have docked tails. Amiee Jane's tail reminds me of a lamb and Mail's reminds me of a handle. If I had a say in it, they wouldn't have had them docked, but I didn't get either from a breeder and had no say (and no clue until I read Amiee Jane's papers). My husband made me look into how they do the docking to get over it.


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