Tail docking and Ear cropping

So what do you guys think about breeders and or owners docking their dogs tails and or cropping ears?

I hate both, but have very strong views on ear cropping!

I love the look of a dog with cropped ears but don't like the method to get the look. And dogs should have tails. I could not imagine my Missy not having her very waggy tail

I'm with you shisa I love the look of cropped ears but not the method of doing it

I like the look of dobermans and danes with ears done, and the dobes with tails off - if they are done under aesthetic by a vet i wouldn't have a problem, but done at home with scissors and cable ties then absolutely not. I suppose on the face of it chopping a dog for looks is wrong, but there is a reason they are done that way (working dogs etc..)

I don't like either. I understand if it's for working or medical reasons but not for cosmetic ones.

Theoretically, I don't like chopping bits off dogs at all. I make an exception with dew claws because they cause more trouble than they are worth, and would like to see them clipped off cleanly when the pup is maximum 2 days old.

Although it could be argued that ear-cropping opens up the ear to the air and therefore diminishes the chance of ear infections, personally I don't like the look, don't like the feel of the scar tissue, and think that all that bandaging and taping can't be comfortable for the pup.

Kuchar is the first dog that I have ever had with a tail! And I just love to see him wagging it like mad and feel it banging against my legs. And he's a staff, so a docked tail wouldn't look right anyway (although it would have saved him from limber tail a month or so ago). But my first love being Dobermanns (a manufactured breed anyway), and there were only Dobermanns and "other dogs" as far as I was concerned for 30 odd years, a teapot handle tail on a Dobermann looks all wrong to me - sorry!

Ref the docking process - farmers do this routinely to their lambs, for many good reasons. Employing the method of applying a tight rubber band around the tail, between the joints and within 2 days of birth, causes no distress to the pup (or lamb) as far as I am aware.

It is is barbaric mutilation no excuse

Chiara wrote:It is is barbaric mutilation no excuse

I'm with you on this!

Caryll wrote:

Chiara wrote:It is is barbaric mutilation no excuse

I'm with you on this!

Me too.

I'm not 100% against tail docking if there is a real reason, not just "these pups might go to working homes".

Ear cropping, in my opinion is totally unnecessary and cruel.

No, unless it's for medical reasons there is no reason to crop ears or dock a tail.

Do not agree with it at all.

LyndaW wrote:Ref the docking process - farmers do this routinely to their lambs, for many good reasons.  Employing the method of applying a tight rubber band around the tail, between the joints and within 2 days of birth, causes no distress to the pup (or lamb) as far as I am aware.

My mum lives on a working sheep farm and the farmer has stopped docking tails of the amount of lambs he loses due to infection. He only docks ewes he intends to breed with as it's better then. If they're being raised for slaughter he leaves the tails.

I always try to distinguish between 'aesthetic' mutilation and 'necessary' mutilation. If a working dog's health is compromised by having a full tail, I have nothing against it being docked. If it's just for aesthetics, I don't like it. Ear cropping, as far as I'm concerned, is purely for aesthetic purposes (unless the owner intends to use their dog for fighting, which I'm against anyway), so I also dislike that.

I also agree with Theresa re: sheep docking. A lot of farmers over here are now weighing up the pros and cons before mutilating, as well.

Ref the sheep - OK I haven't been around sheep farming for many a long year. But I still maintain that if the lamb is docked by having a tight elastic band applied (as opposed to cutting off with a knife, which I have never been in favour of in puppies), then there should be no infection, and minimal and transient discomfort.

I believe a lot of it depends on how the lambs are housed. If they're off grazing away from the main farm, infection can set in. I think.

I'm pretty sure that most farmers in the UK have stopped using the elastic band method of docking anyway?

Caryll wrote:I'm pretty sure that most farmers in the UK have stopped using the elastic band method of docking anyway?

I wish the elastic bands factories, the world over, would implode.

Ear cropping it's totally aesthetic mutilation but it looks nice ... if done right. Plastic surgery in humans is also aesthetic mutilation and I'd totally go for a tummy tuck and boob lift if I could

Makes a massive difference in looks, and I like it, but couldn't imagine my Missy, Sheba or Bruno without their bat ears!

That's where we'll have to agree to disagree! I think cropped ears look awful!

To be honest, if you want a dog with prick ears, get a breed that naturally has them pricked!

In my mind, chopping off parts of a dog's body is just as bad as the bad breeding and inbreeding that has been carried out on pedigree dogs.

In the UK, banding is allowed, but only in the first week of a lamb's life. I believe it's also necessary to administer a tetanus anti-toxin, if the sire and dam haven't been vaccinated.

The more humane method is to use an electric docking iron, which can be done for older lambs, rather than just the new-borns.

It's definitely a touchy subject as I love the look of cropped ears ON breeds that don't naturally have them, not all breeds but some yes.

I agree, it really does get people riled up!

Eleanor wrote:I agree, it really does get people riled up!

Yes it does! I've said my piece about dewclaws, ears and tails (many times!) so will say no more.

Except ... I really wish I could accept the sight of Dobermanns with long tails.

I think some of it probably comes down to what you're used to!