Comments on: Why Breeders refuse that

By: Shanna

Shanna — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:19:16 +0000

Let me put a different spin on this question. I do Doberman rescue and the undocked dogs we get in are nearly impossible to place. Ears aren’t as big of a deal, but every time we get a Dobie in with a full tail we all do a little prayer that the dog will find a home because it is really hard to place them. For the minor bit of pain the dog feels when having their tail docked is in my opinion very marginal when you factor in that if you ever have to rehome that dog it is easier if it matches the breed standard. I feel 100% that dogs are a lifetime commitment, but let’s be realistic, bad things happen and there is a small chance that you may one day have to rehome your dog. You could die, get cancer and not have time for the dog, your children could be deathly allergic, you may lose your job and not have the money to provide for the dog, etc.
Sometimes I think that it is in the best interest of the dog to match the breed standard for that very reason.

By: winterrules

winterrules — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:15:27 +0000

I have a German Shorthair pointer with an undocked tail. He was imported from a country where docking is no longer legal. He looks more like an English Pointer because of the tail. I have no problem with his long tail. He’s a sled dog, not a hunting dog. His dewclaws were not removed either because of the laws where he was born. That is more of a potential problem than his tail. I would not request a dog undocked because it is not important to me. Most mushers I know who run pointers don’t dock the tails but they do remove dewclaws. Those who run huskies remove dewclaws because they interfere with booties and are prone to injury from crusty snow.

By: Joh

Joh — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:27:41 +0000

I take it from the question that you are in the US. This is one of the few countries that still makes it compulsory to dock dogs for the show ring. I have heard of champion dogs being imported from Europe to the US and then the new owners not being able to show because of these archaic rules.

Maybe there needs to be a campaign to get the AKC to change the rules and allow natural dogs to be shown. This would then give breeders and owners the option.

**In Australia it is now illegal to dock a dog’s tail unless it is for medical reasons. Ear cropping as never been either compulsory or fashionable here.

By: Husky Lover

Husky Lover — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:47:43 +0000

Its the breed standard a purebred rott that has a long tail would appear to be a mix although AKCreg

I breed siberian huskies so i do hot have to worry about that

But i do not think earcropping is a must on anydogs.

By: dr_mariej

dr_mariej — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:29:29 +0000

If the dog is from an AKC recognized breeder or a breeder that belongs to a breed recognition group, they have to honor the breed standards in order to maintain their status.

When you learn about the purpose and become more educated about the reasoning, sometimes that will change your opinion. Sometimes ears are done to prevent infection and disease; sometimes tails are done to preven burrs during their work. So check it out before you jump to conclusions.

I got my first Aussie from a rancher out in CO and the dog had his tail; it was very fluffy and beautiful. When I got my second Aussie I asked if they docked them and well this one was naturally docked. When I got my 3rd one, they refused as the dog came from champion lines and they had to keep their status with the AKC. It’s been that way ever since; if I want the tail I need to find a rancher again and not a breeder.

By: ? DP

? DP — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:59:59 +0000

Uncropped I don’t mind, as long as people are aware of how they will look as adults and are fine w/ the natural look.. I prefer to put natural eared dogs in homes that are used to the look and know what to expect..

Tails, they are done at 2-3 days of age.. There is no way anyone in this world could decide which dog out of the litter was best for any particular home.. So you cannot leave a tail undocked and hope that the dog turns out to be the one best for that person. I would rather that person look for an undocked dog somewhere else, than to pretend that I could see what their personality is like at 2 days of age.. If the dog turns out to be too much dog for them, or they change their mind, now I have an 10 week old puppy with a natural tail that I need to get docked.. The amount of people that ask for natural tails is so small that it just isn’t worth it to try and cater to those who are afraid of a docked tail.

By: found a cockerman!

found a cockerman! — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:34:00 +0000

Dobermans and cockers here leave docked. Period.
Dobermans uncropped is ok. That is up to the person getting the pup. Now, if someone want an undocked doberman, well if they paid for the pup upfront, well I would probably do it. But I would not like it. I dont like the look. But I would respect the wishes of someone that wanted a natural look. I would also have a contract that stated that I advised against it.
As for the ears, I do like the natural ears. I love the cropped ears though.
tails I am for Docked… I dont like long tails.
Hope that helped.

Ps. I am not breeding right now… but I do have cockers and dobermans all docked. and I use to breed them.

it has nothing to do with reselling the dog later on-
since it has to be done at such a young age-the breeder does the whole litter at once.
Then they later pick over the pups.
you can’t tell which pup is show/working prospect that young-so they do the whole litter.

By: jakebrink23

jakebrink23 — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 03:50:51 +0000

because, have u ever seen a rottie with an uncropped tail? it looks like a rats tail, the way its shaped, but i still love rotties, even with an uncropped tail

By: say no to BSL

say no to BSL — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:20:43 +0000

I believe in docking, but not in cropping. Cropping gives a dog absolutely no benefit and is therefore cruel, while docking often spares a dog from getting his tail injured later on from whipping it side to side too fast.

Some breeders refuse to allow their dogs to go UNDOCKED because docking is done when the puppy is very, very young, too young to determine whether or not it will be show quality, so the whole litter is docked. I have no certain idea about why they’d refuse to not crop – maybe so that ALL their dogs will conform to the breed’s cropping standard?

If I chose to buy, say, a Doberman pinscher from a breeder, I would not request that it not be docked, but that its ears not be cropped. Docking would save the dog pain later on in life…cropping would only give the dog pain. I would never buy from a breeder who refused to let me buy a dog without cropped ears.