age to dock puppy tails
Thanks: 2. Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts. how old is too old to dock tails??? i am purchasing a 9 week old pup whom i am going to take to the vet to talk about cropping ears, but his tail isnt docked right now. i know that breeders usually do it when they are puppies, but i want a standard looking dobie. Yorkie Tail Docking. Overview. The Yorkshire Terrier tail and the issue of docking is a very controversial subject. In the US, per AKC standard, the Yorkie should have its tail docked to a medium length. There are many other countries around the world that ban the procedure of docking a dog's tail. The 2nd involves the cutting of the dog's tail with surgical scissors or a scalpel, performed by a veterinarian. When done this way, it is normally done at the young age of 2 to 5 days. Anesthesia is not used as it is considered a risk at this age. Argument #1: Docking Hurts. In the U.S., docking is usually done by the puppy’s breeder. There are two methods. The puppy’s tail may be amputated surgically, or the breeder may fit a tight elastic band around the tail to cut off circulation. The tail dies and drops off. Boxer tails are left longer in the States, so adjust accordingly. As a rough guide a docked length of 2cm (3/4 inch) will give a three inch tail when grown. ie. 7mm or 1/4 inch per inch required in an adult dog. Tighten the knot, but not excessively, just enough to make it firm and not slip. Docked tail breeds have their tails docked at 3 days old before the nervous sytem is fully developed. At this age these dogs have a fully developed nervous system and it would be a major amputation that would cause extreme pain. Not a simple docking. Return these dogs to whoever your got them from. Dogs have their tails docked at 3-5 days old--at that age, the circulation and nervous systems in tail, ears, feet, etc are not fully functioning. At this point you would need to have them removed surgically. The rubberband method is NOT good. Docking tails by banding is done when the pups are between 2-5 days of age, depending on the size of the puppies, and can be done in the box when the pups are suckling, or it can be done on a table with the pup placed on a towel. I've had tails re-docked when the vet initially docked them way too long. It's costly, but the pups are none the worse for it. I do know of dogs imported from Europe who have been docked at 12 weeks of age. While it's not a practice I recommend, I have had it done later, and there were no repercussions to the dogs. Many Boxer breeders will have a puppy docked very early, within a few days of being born. Since a dog is not sold or given to a new owner until the age of at least 8 weeks, many owners do not see the docking process or the healing process. Although this may make some cringe, if a Boxer puppy under 12 weeks old is to have their tail docked, it is usually done without anesthesia. In states where it is legal, an owner may have their Boxer's tail docked at any age; however the older a dog is the longer amount of time is needed for recovery.
Between 2-5 days of age, depending on the size of the puppies.