Collection of Tails. 

"What are little boys made of?Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tailsThat's what little boys are made of! What are little girls made of?Sugar and spice and all things niceThat's what little girls are made of!"

I am reminded of this Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme every time a litter of puppy dog tails need to be docked.  This process involves shortening tails to a specific length.   The lengths are listed in an individual breed standard.  The standard is like all artificial designs, it will fluctuate over time.  There are some breeds that are going for a slightly different look.  Some of the bird dog breeds have changed preferences from a short tail to a medium length tail.   The live product in a show ring is like other traits, what wins in a big show filters out and down to other interested breeders.  Enthusiasts that are not keeping up tend to select an older variant in body style, height or some different parameter and are out of the loop. 

Why are ears cropped, dewclaws removed and tails docked anyway? The origin depends on the breed.  Back when Great Danes were used for Boar hunting in Germany the ears were cropped so the wild boar would have less of a tender target to grab onto.  This was a working dog, hunting or protecting the owner's property.  It is ironic that ear cropping is banned in Germany.  There are states in the USA that do not allow ear cropping.  Other countries such as New Zealand, Denmark, United Kingdom, and some parts of Australia also ban the surgery.  What started out with a practical "need" has been propagated as a cosmetic surgical procedure.  There is a difference looking at a Doberman's uncropped ears and a Great Dane au natural.  We, the American public, have seen many more with ears cropped that an uncropped set of ears looks odd.  Americans have either grown to preferred altered ears or there is a personal preference in breeders.  There are those on both sides of the tails, toes and ears issue.  When breed standards are changed ear cropping will probably become a lost skill. 

I was perusing the all knowing internet and was appalled at the number of web sites that are propagated under the guise of "helpful breeders".   These sites are advocating owner do it your self instruction kits or a step by step how to list crop your own.   I find this type of information disgusting.  This procedure is more invasive and traumatic than ear piercing.  I do not believe it should be left to untrained individuals.  I do not do ear cropping as a personal and professional choice.  I do not have any objections to the procedure being preformed by a licensed Veterinarian using adequate anesthesia, hygiene, and a sound workable pain abatement program during the healing phase.  Healing of the surgical margins usually takes 10-14 days.  There is the art form of structure retention and ingenious methods to encourage ear cartilage to take an erect upright position.  There are some dogs with "hound" type ears that will not stand muster for any surgeon.  There are four variations on ear crops depending on the breed.   Ultra short breeder or "fighting crop", a slightly taller working utility crop, a medium height pet crop, or an ultra long "show" crop are the four  divisions.  The longer the expected peak and tip on the ear the more difficult it is to make it stand on its own.  One of the reasons I choose to not crop ears is the amount of tape tinkering it takes to get the hummers to stand up.  You also must factor in infected edges that delay healing and increase discomfort.

I have had the opportunity to repair torn ears and it is usually a very challenging case.  Getting the edges to match after suturing a deficit is difficult.  Getting edges to heal with out contracting and bending an ear after healing is the ultimate goal.  There are silicone fibrous implants available that can be used to supply support for the ear cartilage.   Getting healed edges is the first goal and they can make you sweat trying to get a great job finished.

Veterinarians are divided on the issue of cosmetic only surgery.  It is a given that a traumatized tail, or ear needs surgical repair.  Deciding to remove a tail that has vasculitis or some type of tumor in an adult dog is a surgical decision.  Pain abatement is part of the protocol along with hygiene, bandaging and antibiotics. 

The American Kennel Club still requires the breed standards that penalize or deduct points from a noncropped dog being exhibited.  Conscientious breeders know pet quality puppies do not require cropping.  They are able to find very happy homes for this class of puppy.  At present show potential dogs do need to go down a different path under current rules with the current show ring rewards systems. 

This is a difficult subject to present as there are extremely strong opinions for both sides of the issue of ear cropping or tail docking.  There are other examples of cosmetic surgery benefiting the health of dogs.  Cheek folds dermatitis in Pekingese, Pugs and Bulldogs is an example of a cosmetic corrective surgery.  Entropion surgery where eyelids roll in or ectropion surgery where the lower eyelid rolls out and shows all pink are two other examples of cosmetic surgery done in dogs.


For more information about a specific case, consult your veterinarian.