Should i dock my dog tail

Advocates of tail docking claim that it does not cause pain or discomfort, as the nervous system of puppies is not fully developed. This is not the case; the basic nervous system of a dog is fully developed at birth. Evidence indicates that puppies have similar sensitivity to pain as adult dogs.

Tail docking is usually carried out without any anaesthesia or analgesia pain relief. Puppies give repeated intense shrieking vocalisations the moment the tail is cut off and during stitching of the wound, indicating that they experience substantial pain. Inflammation and damage to the tissues also cause ongoing pain while the wound heals.

There is also the risk of infection or other complications associated with this unnecessary surgery. Tail docking can also cause unnecessary and avoidable long term chronic pain and distress to the dog. For example, when a chronic neuroma forms at the amputation site. Neuromas are often very painful. The tail is a major communication tool between dogs.

Thus the tail also serves as a protective mechanism for dogs, part of the various strategies employed by dogs to communicate with one another; establish boundaries and to avert aggressive encounters. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content.

Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Featured Video. Related Topics. Getting Started. Article Sources. Vet News ;Feb Tail docking in dogs: a sample of attitudes of veterinarians and dog breeders in Queensland.

Lytton, N. Moissac, JE. The fight against cosmetic surgery. Canadian Veterinary Journal ; Lee RB. Cox: London. Sasson-Brickson G. The bobtail trait in Australian shepherds — part I: a historical perspective and docking Regulations in various countries.

Aussie Times ;March-April Risk factors for tail injuries in dogs in Great Britain. Vet Rec ; Strejffert G. Milne, E. The Truth about Cats and Dogs. Book Guild Publishing, ; Association between tail injuries and docking in dogs. Vet Rec ; Behavioural responses of Canis Familiaris to different tail lengths of a remotely-controlled life-size dog replica.

Behaviour ; Thrusfield P, Holt M. Association in bitches between breed, size, neutering and docking, and acquired urinary incontinence due to incompetence of the urethral sphincter mechanism. Behavioural observations of puppies undergoing tail docking.

Appl Anim Behav Sci ;4: In , Scotland reversed a decade-old ban on tail docking for some breeds of puppy if there is sufficient evidence that they will become working dog, despite concerns raised by veterinary and animal welfare organisations. Tail docking should be banned as a procedure for all breeds of dogs, unless it is carried out by a veterinary surgeon for medical reasons eg injury. Puppies suffer unnecessary pain as a result of tail docking and are deprived of a vital form of canine expression in later life.

Research published in Vet Record found that approximately dogs would need to be docked in order to prevent a single tail injury. We continue to call for a complete ban on tail docking of puppies for non-therapeutic reasons across the UK.