Opinion on Ear lopping/tail docking

[GracePoultry]

I'm stepping into dangerous territory here, as I know this is a controversial subject. But what is your opinion on Ear and tail docking? I know that it's helpful for herding dogs so their tails are not stepped on and injured, however I do know that it will cause pain/infections if done incorrectly. I am against docking a dog yourself and I only think it should be done under a professional. Thoughts?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I don't believe ears should be cropped, but like some breeds to be docked. Docking is often done in certain breeds to prevent injuries down the road. It is done young and pups seem to heal up fine. It should be done by a veterinarian. I will not tell others what to do on both these issues as it's a personal decision. People also remove dew claws, and I don't hear many complaints about that.

 

[GracePoultry]

I don't believe ears should be cropped, but like some breeds to be docked. Docking is often done in certain breeds to prevent injuries down the road. It is done young and pups seem to heal up fine. It should be done by a veterinarian. I will not tell others what to do on both these issues as it's a personal decision. People also remove dew claws, and I don't hear many complaints about that.

I agree with you here. I'm not a fan of removing dew claws because it can mess up balance but I haven't looked much into that yet.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I agree with you here. I'm not a fan of removing dew claws because it can mess up balance but I haven't looked much into that yet.

When I got my last Australian shepherd the breeder said they were leaving them on for balance, and especially for climbing out onto ice if you dog falls in. I just know that they can get ripped off, especially the nail if caught on something. They also can be overlooked when doing regular nail trims. I have dogs with and without them. It doesn't seen to be much of a difference that I can tell. I prefer them removed, but most of mine still have theirs.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

My personal opinion is tail cropping is ok. Herding breeds like aussies its breed standard and helps tails not be stepped on. Though border collies, other collies, shepherds and mals have herded without issues.
I know ear cropping is breed standard. But i prefer natural ears. Im not against it but not with it either.

Both our goldens have Dew claws and ive never had a issue. Our chocolate lab before didnt and he seemed a ton clumsier.

 

[tlcmurphy]

Pit Bull owner here. I would never crop those ears, it’s done for purely cosmetic reasons (or for fighting the dogs). I just can’t imagine doing it when they have such great ears! I have heard that tail docking is done for the reasons mentioned above, and that seems reasonable to me.

My pitty also has dew claws on all 4 legs (3 now, she lost a front leg to cancer), and I truly wish they’d removed the back ones at birth. She is constantly ripping them off chasing squirrels up trees/fences!

 

[lagrange chicks]

We had Dobermans when we were younger, some with cropped ears and all had tails docked and dews removed. In this breed the ears were cropped so a intruder/ bad guy couldn't grab the ears.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'm ok with cropping/docking if there's a reason for it. Working guardian dogs are an obvious one as ears can get torn up and tails are also a target when tussling with a predator. It's amazing how long a simple ear tear can take to heal up... my little dog got her ear snagged while playing with another dog, just a small cut, and it took a good 9 months to completely heal up, as every little thing seemed to re-damage it (like her shaking her head).

Dewclaws... I have one dog where we were considering removing them because he was repeatedly cracking the nail there, but with a lot of trimming it's now short enough that he hasn't broken it in a few years.

 

[WingItRanch]

My Aussie has a naturally bobbed tail. He was born without one! I remember meeting him and his siblings when they were first born and only 1 out of the 7 had a tail. Learned something new that day!

 

[texsuze]

IMHO in this day and age unless you're seriously showing a dog and breed standard dictates those types of body alterations, I personally see no reason to surgically alter what the dog was born with. We're in a rural location and I've never seen any of our neighbors' LGDs with tails or ears docked or cropped. And so many folks nowadays have herding breeds strictly as pets or for agility competition so why dock the tail? Dewclaw removal might best be discussed with veterinarian based on the dog's living situation and lifestyle; I've seen some gnarly ones to be sure. Again, just MHO.