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There were originally, and in some cases still are, reasons to dock a dog's tail. Dogs like rotties or dobermans were originally docked becaue it gave opponents something less to grab on to. Dobermans were bred as guard dogs for money, and they didn't want someone's accomplice grabbing the dog's tail to pull it off of someone else. Boxers it was so the tail didn't get grabbed when it was fighting another animal. A lot of herding/guard breeds are docked and cropped, as are a lot of hunting breeds that might get tails broken or tangled up in the field.
Today, it tends to just be cosmetic. Most people don't work those breeds in the field any more, but because of years of breeding without focusing on the tail (that would just get cut off) a lot of those breeds are extremely unsuited for their own tail. Boxers for example ,have very muscular hindquarters and their tails tend to be very very thin and whiplike. Boxers with intact tails tend to break them or bang them enough to produce horrible abcesses and eventually they have to be cut off anyway.
Even so, the argument could be made that if that becomes the case, dock the tail then. It poses more pain and discomfort to wait for the animal, however, and they have to learn how to walk again and balance without the tail.
Here's where we come to the seperation of animals and people. A human being has a voice and free will, and should be able to make cosmetic decisions for themselves as much as possible. Obviously, a child with a cleft palate needs to have that fixed as an infant even if it is only cosmetic and won't interfere with suckling, but for something as medically unnecessary as circumsicion or ear piercing, they should make that choice themselves when they're old enough to understand it. Yes, it may cause them more pain to do it as an adult, but they'll understand that and take that into account.
A dog cannot understand any of this or make their own choices. A dog with an undocked tail who breaks it repeatedly only understands he's in a lot of pain, for an extended amount of time. If the tail gets taken then, he has to suffer through the surgery, pain and recovery without choice or understanding what's happening and why. More reason then to do it if necessary when they're little pups than to risk that suffering when they're older.
Other dogs won't ever break their tail or have any issue and will go through their lives just fine. It is up to the owner what risks they want to take in that venue and sometimes they make the wrong decisions.
Honestly, certain breeds I would own with docked tails- dobermans and boxers among them- for the exact reasons I've specified. Others that normally have docked tails (like Rotties) I wouldn't bother...their natural tails are very thick and paddle like, kind of like a labradors tail, and there is little to no risk of them being broken and the dog isn't going to be working a job where it could get grabbed or bit or used against it, so no need for docking.
Ramble over. Again, this is all my opinion, and i don't think less of anyone who chooses to have their kids circumcised or their dogs' tails docked or not.
Today, it tends to just be cosmetic. Most people don't work those breeds in the field any more, but because of years of breeding without focusing on the tail (that would just get cut off) a lot of those breeds are extremely unsuited for their own tail. Boxers for example ,have very muscular hindquarters and their tails tend to be very very thin and whiplike. Boxers with intact tails tend to break them or bang them enough to produce horrible abcesses and eventually they have to be cut off anyway.
Even so, the argument could be made that if that becomes the case, dock the tail then. It poses more pain and discomfort to wait for the animal, however, and they have to learn how to walk again and balance without the tail.
Here's where we come to the seperation of animals and people. A human being has a voice and free will, and should be able to make cosmetic decisions for themselves as much as possible. Obviously, a child with a cleft palate needs to have that fixed as an infant even if it is only cosmetic and won't interfere with suckling, but for something as medically unnecessary as circumsicion or ear piercing, they should make that choice themselves when they're old enough to understand it. Yes, it may cause them more pain to do it as an adult, but they'll understand that and take that into account.
A dog cannot understand any of this or make their own choices. A dog with an undocked tail who breaks it repeatedly only understands he's in a lot of pain, for an extended amount of time. If the tail gets taken then, he has to suffer through the surgery, pain and recovery without choice or understanding what's happening and why. More reason then to do it if necessary when they're little pups than to risk that suffering when they're older.
Other dogs won't ever break their tail or have any issue and will go through their lives just fine. It is up to the owner what risks they want to take in that venue and sometimes they make the wrong decisions.
Honestly, certain breeds I would own with docked tails- dobermans and boxers among them- for the exact reasons I've specified. Others that normally have docked tails (like Rotties) I wouldn't bother...their natural tails are very thick and paddle like, kind of like a labradors tail, and there is little to no risk of them being broken and the dog isn't going to be working a job where it could get grabbed or bit or used against it, so no need for docking.
Ramble over. Again, this is all my opinion, and i don't think less of anyone who chooses to have their kids circumcised or their dogs' tails docked or not.
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