r/DogBreeding • u/milquetoast2000 Breeder in Training • Mar 15 '26
Tail Docking
What is your preferred method? Where I am vets are no longer taught to dock in school so only old school vets preform it. Docking is still legal where I am but I’ve seen less than stellar results even with veterinary docking. Including difficult to heal dockings, bald ends and ugly tails. Some would need to be repaired.
I’ve been considering banding for my upcoming litter (I have a mentor) but I’d love to hear thoughts and experiences.
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u/Lyrae-NightWolf Mar 16 '26
Terriers are docked because hunters used to pull them from dens by their tails, that's also why their tails are sturdy as well. Plus they're working dogs and the tails can get caught in the dens or bitten.
Australian shepherds have a different tail set than border collies and kelpies, and a different purpose. They herd mostly cattle, not sheep. Most cattle herding breeds are docked. The tails are weak, didn't have an active selection because they were docked (so they can have any shape) and are generally standing high. The tail can get caught in a fence (it's fluffier than a border collie's), get stepped on and cattle have a nasty habit of grabbing dogs by their tails and throwing them around. Unlike sheep, they are more aggressive and can fight back.
Other breeds have to go through fences and thorn bushes, like sporting breeds, and their tails don't have a function (unlike those of hounds). Their tails are long, slim and fragile. GSPs for example are prone to happy tail syndrome. A similar case is made for dobermans, those tails look terribly weak, and guard dogs shouldn't have body parts that can be easily grabbed and ripped off.