to wonder how the breeders of the dogs in Crufts get away with docking tails?

[AtYourCervix]

I thought docking was illegal, as well as pointles barbarism.

SO why are so many dogs shown still docked?

particularly if said dog is never going to 'work' but will only be shown. - then it is indeed bollocks.

its when its done for no reason at all,my stepmum had a spaniel collie x,she was a rescue dog,she had been docked,all she had was a tiny stump,she just didnt look right,she should have had a long bushy tail :(

Dogs shown must be as close to the breed standard as possible, so whether or not a dog actually works he needs to capable of doing the job he was intended to and that's how they are judged, and that's not just about the tail.

I would think though that Crufts aren't applying this to tails because of the new laws

Don't watch Crufts it's encouraging the creation of inbred mutated freaks, who will have short painful lives.

My mum has a young rescue jack russell, no older than two, that has been docked. I've always wondered why.

could never do it to my dog,unless he had hurt it,plus the cat loves trying to catch it ;)

Docking's just another part of the cruel freak show that is Crufts. No wonder the BBC refuses to give the ridiculous, outdated event any publicity these days.

It annoys me that the guy who owns DFS (the main sponsor of Crufts) is on the Board of The Blue Cross. You'd think that he'd have more compassion for the dogs.

Yes, I am sat here looking at three 'inbred, mutilated freaks living out their short, painful lives...' Or rather I am looking at my three happy, healthy, show line bred pedigree dogs who are also able to do the job they were originally bred for and who live a very happy, comfortable life of luxury.

My breed aren't docked, so I don't pay too much attention to the rules on docking, but every show schedule I havehas stated on the front that showing of dogs docked after the 'ban' is not allowed. (as per KC rules)

There is absolutely no excuse for docking dogs tails.

I think the reasons have been well-explained. But they don't apply to most dogs, thankfully.

To put this in perspective.

I have seen many puppies docked by my mother (she no longer does it). They yelp for about 10 second and then go and suckle their mother and that is it.

I have also docked and castrated many lambs with an Elastrator rubber ring. That is routinley done on farms and causes far far more pain. The male lambs lay prostrate for a few minutes.

One poor dog didn't even have enough stump to wag.

The winner (undocked) was 9 so quite a few probably were over 4. And there were a lot of beautiful feathery tails there (plus a peculiar shaved-looking whip on one of the water dog type things).

Its getting better, and the ban on showing docked dogs going forward can only help stamp out doing it for 'cosmetic' reasons.

i think barbarism is a strong term to use in this context

hard to escalate from this

The Veterinary Surgeons' Act was amended in 1990/93 to allow only Veterinary Surgeons to dock tails. This was flouted and docking continued to be done covertly. The Animal Welfare Act (2006/7) when voted on in Parliament lost a total tail docking ban by 6 votes and the exemption vote was carried instead (which will be seen quoted above).

Breeders of formerly docked breeds have in the past never turned their attention to breeding for tail length and set and it is now important that they do so. Not all Springers have the circular movement tail and some have a low tail set even when moving. Field breeders say it is necessary to see the tail when they are working. The working Springer had a longer tail dock that than the show Springer!

There are many more leg/feet and other injuries that occur especially to working dogs.
Broken tails can very often be mended with splints depending on where the break is and it isn't always necessary to remove a tail.
If a docked dog is being shown at Crufts born after the dates in the Act they should be reported although I imagine the other competitors would complain if this were the case. As more and more dogs keep their tails it will not seem normal to see one without.

Most of the injuries reported in the recent research were in the domestic environment where close confinement can cause a problem.

There are no statistics to show how many pups die as a result of docking or have permanent nerve damage. A docked tail can also be vulnerable to injury because the skin has been stretched over the amputation and is thinner. The breeds that might be carrying von Willebrands' disease may also bleed to death from docking.
"Fit for function" the KC motto should not have to involve removing a tail to make it so.

DB has a boxer and he has a conditon called "happy tail" they are considering with the vet whether or not to get him docked. basically he wags it so much that it bashes against everything and the end of his tail splits. there is nothing to be done with it other than keeping it clean but, as i can say from when he stayed with me for a while, he sprays blood everywhere.

I have a cocker and i can vouch for the bringing back half of the forest when we take him for a walk. Everything gets tangled in his coat and tail. I imagine if he was being used as a gun dog then it would be very much impinging on his abilities.

Thoguh in general i dislike docking.

Yes but I own a Curly coated Retriever, a working dog breed that's not docked. She frequently splits the end of her tail by wagging too hard against the kitchen cabinets and always brings back half the forest from walks.

The 'working dog needing to be docked' argument is totally spurious.

If a Springer needs it´s tail docking so that it can "do it´s job"-isn´t it in the wrong job?

Docking isn't illegal for 'working dogs' it's far safer for a working dog to have their tail docked than to let the dog have a full length tail and rip it off whilst working. I know several dogs who have ripped their tail off whilst on a shoot, one died due to shock and loss of blood.

They should only be allowed to dock tails if they have a valid gun licence and proof they are a working dog.

BeenBeta, that's horrendous - disgusting and shameful.