What do you think of docking dogs tails?

my pup doesn`t have his tail docked and cant image him without it

sorry Mary - it´s just a horrid thought when yousee it written down. When I was a vetnurse I detested amputation ops of any kind and can still hear the noises in my head ergh!

If you read further down Ally (if you haven´t done so already that is)...I have explained a bit about ´docking´ in horses due to the subject having been brought up by Margaret and Rourkey.

Many years ago, before the procedure was made illegal back in 1949, horses particularly those used for driving or working were routinely docked as youngster´s (and I mean amputation of the tail bone) - the horse was often held up against a fence and the tail placed over a wooden post, another assistant would weal an axe or machete like tool and bring it down across the tail bone...the amputation was done in one fell chop basically (NOT pleasant at all).

Years later, and docking is prohibited in many countries including our own BUT legal docking (and again I do mean amputation) is permitted on foals that are to be used as mare´s on USA & Canadian farms that produce urine especially for the Pharmacutical Industry for women´s HRT treatment and other menopausal treatments - thankfully, the primeval procedure of docking is long gone and it´s instead done by a veterinarian under a local anaesthetic.

Many horsey people do not like using the term ´docking´ to describe the shortness of horse tails because it conjure´s up the old image of amputated tails when it fact these days it often describe´s just the method of tail trimming and is not meant in the same way as we discuss ´docking in dogs´ for instance.

(See my post below explaining this).

I and many other other´s use the term ´banging´ a tail which means just that....trimming a tail to a required length without actually harming the animal or causing any bone amputation.

It´s easy to get confused, when using a term to describe something else which is totally different from which it was first associated with!.

I am horrified that horses tails are docked - I never knew that... horrific.

There are some place´s around the world that still dock (amputate) horse tails but there are restrictions on importing such horses and they are forbidden in show rings.

In modern days, the term ´docking´ usually no longer refer´s to ´actual´ tail amputation as it does with some dog breeds.

Instead, the term "docked" or "docking" generally refers to the practice of cutting the hair of the tail skirt very short, just past the end of the natural dock of the tail. In particular, the tail is often cut short to keep it from being tangled in a harness for example although another term for the ´docking´ procedure is also ´banged´ or ´banging´ - a term which I use myself!.

It was more than likely, that the horse you saw Margaret was just that, tail cut very very short but with the full bone attached.....horse tail bone´s are not very long at all and if the hair is cut tight as described above, then it can give the appearance of perhap´s having been cut totally bone and all - the woman whom you referred too, most likely use´s the term ´docking´ as many of us use the term ´banging´ but it´s still removal of tail hair only and not actually full amputation.

Incidentally, my horse´s do not have their tails cut short short but just past their hock´s.......it keep´s the tail looking neat and tidy but still allow´s them full use to express themselves and swish away flies and bug´s!.

Thanks Mary. I must be getting mixed up between docking and hogging. I know that is the word I was looking for about the mane and I have seen one horse with an actual docked tail, as it was pointed out. Perhaps the horse was imported?

Why is it OK to dock and mutilate a working breed, but not otherwise, if its as cruel as made out to be, it should be banned completely.

I DO NOT LIKE TAIL DOCKING AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!
Apart from working dogs but then you have the case where a litter is from working stock and not all end up as working dogs they can get round this that way.
I see why working dogs may need their tails docked although most would not have a lot taken off like some of the poor dogs who have had their tails docked jsts for "show" ive seen boxers rotties ect with tails docked SO short its almost the bone.
I am so glad its banned now apart from where its needed such as working dogs. Why on earth people dock dogs tails just for "the look" also unless theire is a medical reason of course.

thanks for that Mary...thought I was going mad for a minute...haven´t ridden for years or read a horsey book, so a bit out of touch on the horsey front but glad to see my memory still works, and even gladder to see this act was passed in 1949 which definitely makes it before my lifetime...phew! LOL

Just to clear up a small dilemma here - the docking (or nicking) of horse tails was made illegal back in 1949 under the Docking and Nicking Horses Act.

Horse´s that have very short tails (usually heavy draught horses or carriage/driving horses) have either had the tail hair banged (cut off just under the tail bone) and/or shaved and the shaving or harsh clipping of mane´s (normally in Polo ponies) is known as Rourkey rightly say´s as Hogging or Hogged.