Puppies & Dogs

There is constant debate about whether the Doberman tail should be docked. Tail docking is traditionally done with the Doberman Pinscher because it has a history of being a “working” breed. The docking procedure was done to help keep the breed from being injured because the natural Doberman tail could be considered long. Currently, if the reader is considering acquiring a Doberman Pinscher, it is likely that you may not be able to choose one with or without a docked tail. You will learn that breeders frequently dock the tails of the newborn litter way before the pup is ready to go to a new owner.

What occurs when a Doberman Pinscher tail is docked? Something like a dental band (which is like a rubber band) is put around the dog’s tail. When this is done, it will cut off the supply of blood to the end of the tail which will soon fall off. Therefore, because the majority of breeders carry out this procedure very quickly after a Doberman litter is born, a potential buyer may have no choice. Know that it is possible to find a Doberman without a docked tail, but you may have to research a number of breeders to locate one who will not dock the tail. If you feel that you will need to make such a decision, some positives and negatives regarding this procedure.

Even though some believe that docking is merely cosmetic, there are other proponents believe that it does actually serve a purpose. For instance, if he Doberman Pinscher did not have a docked tail, it could be that attackers could grab the tail to distract the dog and possibly injure the guard or police dog. Also, if one looks at an undocked Doberman tail, it is actually thin and quite tender. With an undocked tail, the Doberman may end up with a broken tail and possible injured vertebrae. Even tail wagging could cause such injury.

There is the other side of the “docking” debate which believes that the procedure is simply cosmetic, causes canine stress, pain and tail tip sensitivity. There are several countries, mainly in Europe, where tail docking is illegal. These countries include Greece, Sweden and Norway. Other countries have attempted to prevent breeders from doing the “docking” and, by law docking is to be done by licensed veterinarians. So, one can see that there are numerous opinions regarding docking the tails of the Doberman Pinscher.

This article was written by John Jackson and has been contributed by http://www.greatdogsite.com For more information on the Doberman Pinscher, please visit our page http://www.greatdogsite.com/breeds/details/Doberman_Pinscher/