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This article is from the rec.pets.dogs: Assorted Topics, posted to
rec.pets.dogs newsgroup. Maintained by Cindy Tittle Moore with
numerous contributions by others.
002. Docking and Cropping
Docking is the practice of removing all or part of a dog's tail.
Cropping is the removal of a portion of its ears so that they stand
up. Tails are docked within the first three days of a puppy's life;
cropping may occur at different ages but is typically about 4 months
of age. Some people claim that docked puppies are slower to develop
coordination for walking and running -- the shorter the dock the
greater the effect. Docked puppies do catch up in their development.
Most docked breeds are left with at least part of the tail and many
are left with enough to be fully functional for communication. Breeds
with short crops which don't need help to stand upright are done quite
early. Breeds with tall crops that may need taping and bracing are
done a bit later.
The practices have their origin hundreds of years ago when dogs were
cropped and docked to prevent injury to those extremities. Ears can be
vulnerable in fights, tails can be vulnerable to underbrush when
hunting. Docked terrier tails provide a secure "handle" by which to
pull a dog safely out of a holes and tunnels For certain breeds,
docking and cropping is required by the breed standard. The exception
is in countries that outlaw the practices, such as the United Kingdom,
much of Europe, and Australia.
Today, there is little practical use for docking and cropping a dog.
There are movements to change breed standards to reflect this,
although some people and organizations feel very strongly the other
way.
There is at least one practical reason to have some hunting dogs'
tails docked. A hunter once described his experiences with a hunting
dog he decided not to dock -- and was horrified several years later
with the sores that the dog would pick up on hunting trips. He then
had the tail docked, but of course the procedure is more painful to an
adult dog. If your dog does not hunt, this is moot. Many terrier
people who have their dogs go to ground feel that tail docking is a
practical and useful procedure in their sport.
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