How do you "dock" a puppies tail?

Question

You know, to cut it off. And how old do they have to be?

Answer 1

As a breeder for many years I have done both Rottweiler and Doberman pups. Also from being on a farm and dealing with births deaths and injuries. If you have to ask how and when then this is the best I can do for you and the pup(s). I do mine at 2-3 days old. Most vets do them within the first week.



It is best to take the pup(s) to your vet and have him/her do the docking. Watch him/her do the prcedure and afterwards if you feel comfortable do the next litter yourself. If they aren't done right you may dock them too long or too short but that is the least of it. More serious problems could occur like needing a stitch or two or secondary infections.



If you don't know what you are doing have a professional do it there is less stress and risk to the pup(s).



Good luck

Answer 2

I am not quite sure if you want to know where to go, or how it is done, so I'll tell you both. I work for a vet office as a vet tech and I assist in surgery (so I see this all the time). Take your puppy to a local vet office, it's best to do this within the first 5 days because later on it will become more difficult, more costly and more painful. The pup (if only a few days old) will not be put under anesthesia due to the high risk of it, but within the first two weeks of birth a puppy's senses are at an all time low and not developed yet. They can not see what is going on, hear what is going on, or feel pain. They will feel the discomfort of knowing they are not with mom, but their pain receptors have not yet developed. If brought in at such an early age, the procedure for one pup will take about 5-10 minutes and they will be ready to go home. The vet will take a surgical blade and make a ring around the pups tail to cut the skin, pull the skin back far enough to see the joint, cut in between the joint and stitch him or her right back up. It's a very simple procedure when the puppy's are brought in at the right time. When the pup is older, the dog will be put under anesthesia which brings higher risk. They need this because by this time their eyes and ears are open and their brain has further developed the senses. After being put under anesthesia the dog will be closely monitored while the surgery takes place. The vet will take pins to locate the joint in the puppys tail, and place them through the joint to ensure that he cuts it at the right point. He then will remove the skin from the upper portion of the tail, and tail a blade and work his way through the joint. This requires more stitches and takes about 30 min. to an hour if the pup is more than a couple of weeks. They also must recover from the anesthesia before going home. I hope I have answered you question, have a good day =).

Answer 3

There really is no humane reason to dock a dog's tail or ears. It is done because humans think it necessary. It is the accepted standard for several breeds of dogs. Generally a vet will not dock a pup's tail if it is over 5 days of age. Our vets will only remove a tail from a dog older than that for medical reasons. Say the dog wags a heavy, hard tail that hits things and breaks open and inflicts severe injury. To dock a dog's tail is a medical procedure and should only be done by a vet. It involves putting the dog under anesthetic and cutting the tail off . They go in between the bones in the tail and cut it off at the desired length.

Answer 4

When deciding whether to have your puppies tail docked, weigh all the pros and cons, and then make your decision. Expect to be criticized by those who disagree with your choice regardless of which you choose.

Depending on the breed of dog, smaller dogs should be done between 5-7 days old, larger dogs can be docked as early as 3 days old. It is recommended that you take the puppy to the vet to have the procedure done. But if you choose to do it yourself, there is a procedure called banding in which the tail is wrapped with a rubber band and falls off on its own, think there are several articles online and even books available on Ebay on how to perform this procedure but I don't recommend this as there is a high risk of infection and the tail may not come off as planned. Take the puppy to the vet, It's fairly inexpensive to have a tail docked, think my vet charges around $7 plus an office visit charge. They will perform the procedure at the same time the dew claws are removed

Answer 5

What breed of dog are you talking about??? Tail docking is normally done at 3 days of age by the vet. Read up on the laws now in Germany with dogs. They are not allowed to dock tails or crop ears on dogs anymore.

Answer 6

If you have to ask, you don't.



Should have been done by the breeder by 5days old, from what I understand, before the bone hardens and stuff. Now you'll have to try the vet, and it'll cost you.



Besides, why do you want to do it? It's obviously not a show dog with docking in the standar, otherwise it would have been done already. It's senseless, there's no reason, just puts stress on the dog's body. I don't think it's quite cruelty when done the right way, but it's like someone with a perfect nose going and getting rhinoplasy, you just have to ask "Why?"

Answer 7

Tail gets snipped at the desired length with a pair of scissors and the skin edges are sewn together. It's really sad to hold the poor puppy down while it is being mutilated and it's screaming it's head off because it doesn't know what's going on. I hate it. Some vets will use local anesthetics to numb the area before the chopping but some don't just because it's quicker.

Answer 8

the vet will know where to cut. They have to make sure they cut between the bones. I watched them dock my puppies tails. I think they were only a couple days old. (been a few years tho, maybe it was a couple weeks old)

Anyway, they do it real young, and use scissors or a knife. (pretty gross)

I had min-pins, and they all looked great and healed fine.

Answer 9

If you have to ask here, don't do it yourself, go to a vet. Many states now require this to be done by a vet. It needs to be done 24-96 hours after birth. You should know tail docking is now considered inhumane and an unnecessary mutilation to your pet, along with ear cropping.

Answer 10

Go to a vet. They pull the loose skin of the tail up towards the body and cut it. You need to be trained on this, or you can do serious damage. Then with the loose skin they pull it over the end and put a stitch in it. This is usually done when the dew claws are removed, 7-10 days old. It's fairly inexpensive.

Answer 11

I breed boxers and they have their tails docked by the vet anywhere from 1-5 days old. They have to be done before five days or they have too many nerves developed and it really hurts them.

Answer 12

Docking a pup's tail should only be done by a licensed veterinarian. Typically tails and dewclaws are done within the first three days after they are born.

Answer 13

You don't do it your vet does. If the pup is a large breed then by the time they are 12 weeks old is to late. Then it's major surgery. If docking your pups tail is necessary then the sooner the better.

Answer 14

Why would you want to dock a pups tail? It won't be in the dogs best interest, it will be because YOU have some dumb idea that your dog should have it cut off.

If they were not meant to have a tail they would be born without one! It is a part of their spine and will be bloody painful when it is cut off!

In Australia, tail docking is ILLEGAL unless for medical reasons!

Leave the damned thing alone, or give the pup to a pound where some one who will care for it properly can get it

Answer 15

http://www.netpets.com/dogs/healthspa/case4dock.html



Is Docking even necessary?



Dr Bruce M Cattanach quotes, "Bans on docking will have serious consequences for many traditionally docked breeds. One solution to this problem would be to breed dogs that have inherited short tails. A number of options are possible all of which of necessity include crosses to breeds possessing inherited short tails.





One successful example of how this can be achieved has been demonstrated with Boxers. KC registered Boxers with inherited short tails now compete successfully in the show ring. The image of the docked dog is maintained. The effect was achieved using a bobtail gene derived from a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Other possibly better genes exist in other breeds."



There is further information about his work on this website: http://clubs.akc.org/abc/bobtails/new_page_1.htm





The BBC...



As an agency, The CFA would prefer to invest its time and training expertise in dogs which are more likely to get work on television, in advertising and in films: when contacted, the BBC stated that they would rather not use docked dogs to avoid the controversy surrounding the issue. In light of this, it does not make sound business sense to advertise or train dogs which are unlikely to produce revenue in the future.



Dogs Today Magazine...



have stated a preference for using dogs with tails, especially dogs who would have been traditionally docked. The CFA therefore encourages owners with such dogs to train with them by offering a free private lesson or a 10% discount on their course fees, whichever suits the owner best.



What is docking?



Docking is the amputation of all or part of a dog's tail. Whilst adult dogs which have sustained an injury that requires this surgery have the benefit of a general anaesthetic, puppies do not. The latest research suggests that whilst the myalin sheath is incomplete in neonatal puppies (0 - 5 days old) they still experience the pain of having their tail cut off in exactly the same way as an an adult dog would.



There is a limited list of breeds of dog which are born naturally with very short tails. These breeds are said to contain the "bob-tail" gene. It should be noted that just because a breed contains the gene, not all members of that breed will exhibit it, ie; some of those dogs may still be born with a normal length tail and these puppies will be docked.



How can you tell a "bob-tail" dog from a docked dog?



The back bone (spine) comprises of small bones called vertebrae. At the end of a natural tail they taper off and the last vertebrae is markedly smaller than the vertebrae at the top of the tail. A docked tail terminates abruptly with no tapering.





Which breeds contain the "bob-tail" gene?



The CFA is aware of the following breeds that carry this gene: French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, Corgies, Polish Lowlands, English Bull Dog and Australian Shepherds. If you know of any other breeds that should added to this list please let us know.





What is the aim of the CFA?



If our policy increases the awareness of the general public on the legal issues surrounding the docking of puppies tails, or reduces the number of puppies which are docked illegally then we will have satisfied our aim.





What is the CFA's policy regarding tail docking?



If you buy a docked dog or puppy the vendor/breeder must (or should have no reason why they can't) be able to provide you with acceptable evidence to prove that your dog or puppy was docked by a qualified veterinary surgeon. If they cannot do this, you must assume (or would be justified in assuming) that the puppy was not legally docked.

If you rescue a dog (ie: you are not the first owner of that dog) and that dog already has a docked tail, or your dog was born prior to June 1993 and was docked, or your dog sustained a tail injury and was docked as a result, or your dog was legally docked and you can produce evidence to prove this, we will happily train you and your dog.

If you have bought a docked dog or puppy and would like to train with the CFA but your breeder cannot or will not provide evidence to prove that it was legally docked, the CFA suggests that you contact the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and ask them if, in their opinion, your dog should have been docked. If they agree that on this occasion, docking was a reasonable procedure you should take the name of the person you have spoken to at the RCVS so that we can confirm it. The CFA will then help you train your dog, provided that you are aware that such a dog is unlikely to get any kind of film work after its course.

We sympathise with the many owners of docked dogs who were unaware of the controversy and legal issues surrounding the docking procedure when they bought their puppy. However, we do not feel that ignorance of the law is a justifiable defence in this case, and the CFA regrets that docked puppies bought from breeders who will not or cannot produce evidence that their puppies are legally docked will not be advertised in the "Dogs Available For Work" section on the CFA Web Site.

If you have bought a dog with a docked tail because you believe it enhances the dog's looks or you belive that a red ribbon from the show ring is more important than your dog retaining the tail it was born with, the CFA simply will not accept you or your dog for training.



What is acceptable evidence?



Acceptable evidence must have been issued by the veterinary surgeon who carried out the docking procedure & includes either:



http://www.caninefilmacademy.com/TTsEtc/TailDocking.htm



http://fishandgame.org.nz/SITE_Default/media_archive/Dockingdogtails.asp



http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=36688



http://www.puppys-place.com



i hope this helped-good luck!

luver of an Aussie/border collie mix!

Answer 16

You will need to take the puppies to the vet to have this done. If you do it yourself, you risk the chance of seriously injuring the puppy or it dieing due to an infection.

Answer 17

A badly done dock job can cause a dog a lifetime of pain and misery. Please do not attempt this yourself. Go to a vet if you must. Better yet don't do it at all.

Answer 18

they have to be 1-4 days old and only a vet should do that for u!

Answer 19

It's Better to do it when they are puppies because they won't remember a thing when they are older. And A vet will cut it off for you but it's kind of rediculas to pay for it.

Answer 20

if there is no specific reason for you to be docking you should not be doing it at all, if there is reason you use a vet only to perform the surgury.

Answer 21

ONLY THROUGH A VET- ONLY.. if you hit the nerve endings, you can kill the dog from it bleeding to death....

Answer 22

You don't... It cruel and is now illegal in Australia

Answer 23

Just a few days old and have the vet do it please!

Answer 24

Please have this performed by a vet. Do NOT do this yourself!!

Answer 25

Give the dog a little whiskey and break out the Ginsu knife from your fine cutlery set.