Docking Tails (dogs- want your oppinon).

[ninjapoodles]

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That makes total sense, because the factors in play for the original injury would, presumably, still be in play afterward. I feel like I'm in a V-8 commercial!

Your little toe, right foot, meet my entire navicular area, right foot. Shattered in a riding accident, patched back together over a couple of years and several surgeries until they finally just scraped some bone from my hip and put it in my foot and let everything fuse into a solid mass of bone. Hey, I can't do ballet, but at least I can walk!

 

[jacyjones]

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You cannot honestly believe that poodles are still bred to have a purpose other than licking themselfs on the lap of an old woman.
Come on now let's be realistic, there is no way a poodle can handle more than 30 seconds in a duck blind. I do agree with you on what these dogs used to be able to do hundreds of years ago, but because of show breeders can no longer do any of that. you cannot tell me that this dog is suited to sit with a hunter in a duck blind, as apposed to it's main purpose of barking incecently at the doorbell. with all due respect stick to what you know and don't presume to think that all non poodle owners are idiots.

Sorry, Al, I myself have owned and currently own working hunting poodles. They do just great in a duck blind or just about anywhere you'd like to work with them. "Stick to what I know?" Um, that's exactly what I'm doing, "with all due respect,". And where in the world do you get the idea that I think "all non poodle owners are idiots?" That's just bizarre. Everyone has the right to own and work with whatever kind of dog they choose.

I'm seriously curious about your hostility level over this, and why you're choosing to openly mock me simply because I shared my experience with my breed of choice--lots of people, and I mean LOTS of people, hunt with poodles. Mostly standards, but also a respectable number of miniatures. There is a miniature poodle who is related to my silver line who has a water-rescue title, for rescuing PEOPLE (the WET-X)--there may be more, but I just happen to know about Jib because he's "family." He also has hunting titles. We have a water-retrieving title test at our national breed specialty show. Poodles are eligible to earn AKC hunting retriever titles. In the UKC, an older registry than the AKC, standard poodles are in the GUN DOG group.

Poodles are great dogs, and it doesn't matter to me whether or not you like them, but you obviously know nothing about them. "Show people" are devoting significant resources to preserving the origins of the breed. Just check out workingpoodle.org, or our breed national results. We even have a hunting dog division in our CONFORMATION classes, to give extra honor to those dogs who fulfill their original purpose and also meet the breed standard. Trust me, Al, there are tons of them out there. Just because you don't know something doesn't make it a lie. These are reference sire shots from when we picked out our current hunting companion--we chose her specifically for these working bloodlines (and they are also conformation champions):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2182/2313420187_3e02625c30_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2081/2314234272_135b9a687b.jpg

And this is a shot of Owen, a half-sibling of one of our MINIATURE poodles, completing a working title at our breed national--this would have been the land portion. Owen is in a working continental in this pic because he was also competing in conformation.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1045/678209766_342d45a75a.jpg

There are pages and pages and pages of breeders and enthusiasts of hunting poodles out there...Google is your friend. I'm sorry that it seems to make you so angry that some people choose to hunt with a "non-mainstream" breed, but honestly, what skin is it off your nose?

Those are amazing pictures - in my ignorance I did not realise that poodles were still used to hunt. Certainly they are not the common choice of working dog in the UK. I know poodles are incredibly intelligent and it is great to see them in the field.

 

[ninjapoodles]

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Yeah, compared to Labs, certainly not common at all! There are much better pictures out there, of beautiful water-entries, ice-breaking, all the dramatic moments that make watching a dog work so fascinating, but these just happen to be dogs related to mine.

Here is one of mine who I retired to a pet home years and years ago. While I did not place her as a hunting dog, she wound up living out her life as an "upland" game dog, mostly as a quail-hunting companion for a retired gentleman.

I find, in my own personal experience, that people who hunt with poodles tend to be people who own poodles, and happen to hunt...that's certainly how it happened here. When my husband wanted a duck dog, it only made sense to use a poodle, since that's the breed that we know and love. They have webbed toes, a water-resistant coat, and most that I know still have the instinct they need for the work, regardless of what others might say.

There are currently seven poodles in residence here, and not one of them is a "lap dog" who "barks incessantly at the doorbell."

 

[rebbetzin]

Our Spartacus (Cane Corso~ Italian Mastiff) has a docked tail. Normally this breed has the ears cut almost completely off too.

We really didn't want one with the ears cropped.The tail had already been done before we had any say in the matter. Most breeders of pure bred dogs want to stay within the "approved" standards for their breed.

My husband is against any type of "cutting off" of parts. I on the other hand see nothing wrong with tail docking in some breeds. I can't imagine what kind of tail our 150 lbs beastie would have! But there would be lots of things knocked off of tables to be sure if he still had his tail!!

Come to think of it, I have owned mostly dogs docked tails. Old English Sheepdogs, German Shorthaired Pointers, Poodles, Cockers, and Cockapoos.

To me some dogs just don't look "right" with long tails, they look like "mixed breeds" , when the standard is for the tail to be shorter.

But, I used to show some of my dogs, so I probably am prejudiced on this issue.

 

[walkswithdog]

Ninja, you should have added Poodles as guide dogs and service dogs as well as hunters and therapy and agility dogs and obedience dogs.

My favorite dogs when working with CCI - Canine Companions for Independence, was with the Standard Poodles, donated by an excellent show breeder, that came in to the training kennel.

Standards almost always pass working standards for service work when well bred.

A breed's potential has little to do with what the average or below average pet owner does with it. Judging a breed by what the average pet owner does with it is doing it a major injustice.

A dog can't do something it's owner won't do with it. Dogs are prisoners of human ability and expectation and dedication. Please don't blame the dogs.

The little poodle, licking an old lady never got the opportunity to fling itself wildly into pool or pond or river to do screamingly fast retrieves or run an agility course.

What a dog can do is limited by us first and genetics second.

I've seen German Shepherds from crumby lousy lines that given the opportunity to herd, could and did and did it well, once the owner was convinced to train the animal and give it a job.

Breed potential is still there, we waste it. We ignore it. That doesn't mean some people dedicated to their breeds aren't retaining both the breed standard and the breed's abilities to do what they were bred for.

 

[SportTees]

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I have raised many breed of dog and have found out the hard way-- If you are going to sell the puppy they need to look the standard for there breed. Allot of people won't buy a puppy if it doesn't look like the ones in magazines. If you need any dog breeding advise or money saving tips about breeding dogs just P.M. me. I have breed Weimaraners, Poodles, English Bull Dogs, Just to name a few and know breeders of about every AKC breed. I no longer breed dogs but could help with any advise you may need.

 

[SportTees]

If you are going to hunt your dogs get there dew claws done if nothing else-- if you have ever seen a hunting dog rip a dew claw you would understand why.

Now a Question for Ninja

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Yeah, compared to Labs, certainly not common at all! There are much better pictures out there, of beautiful water-entries, ice-breaking, all the dramatic moments that make watching a dog work so fascinating, but these just happen to be dogs related to mine.

Here is one of mine who I retired to a pet home years and years ago. While I did not place her as a hunting dog, she wound up living out her life as an "upland" game dog, mostly as a quail-hunting companion for a retired gentleman.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/41/76051765_019c83087f_m.jpg

I find, in my own personal experience, that people who hunt with poodles tend to be people who own poodles, and happen to hunt...that's certainly how it happened here. When my husband wanted a duck dog, it only made sense to use a poodle, since that's the breed that we know and love. They have webbed toes, a water-resistant coat, and most that I know still have the instinct they need for the work, regardless of what others might say.

There are currently seven poodles in residence here, and not one of them is a "lap dog" who "barks incessantly at the doorbell."

I have a Standard Poodle and a DH that Duck Hunts-- Any ideas on how to get the dog started- hes 8 mo

 

[ninjapoodles]

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Very well said. Cocker spaniels, from the OP, are a case in point. Those who DO hunt with Cockers, do fine and enjoy their dogs. I just don't understand how anyone who is any kind of a fan of dogs and dog activities could universally bash an entire breed that they know nothing about, or why they'd want to. Weird, huh?

 

[JayBird+16]

I have 2 rescued Dobes - 1 with cropped ears and 1 without, both have docked tails. When we get our next Dobe I will be looking for one with un-cropped ears. I love how expressive their ears are. I must admit though, while I’m considered looking for one with a tail – I really love that little nub.

 

[Wildsky]

Now I want a Poodle