sarasquares

iTrader: (1)

tail docking, de-clawing, de-barking and ear clipping

you can get all this done to your dog in the USA, wtf??

would be interesting to see the difference of opinions



at the end of the day, if you do all those things to your dog, aren't you just left with a hot water bottle

i dont agree with any of it unless the tail docking if for working dogs

gallois

de-legging and de-facing are apparantly popular too.

sarasquares

iTrader: (1)

i havnt heard of de-legging

oh yeah, the 3 legged dogs

renny

iTrader: (2)

I have a Boxer that has it's tail docked and the dew claws removed.For this type of dog it is essential to have the claws done at a very young age IMHO. They're hyper dogs and because they are higher up on the leg,they would catch very easily and would imagine be very painful for the dog.

Just my opinion.

Edit: Oh and the ear clipping is a BIG no no!!

Maz

iTrader: (34)

People with more money than sense.

Scoob99

iTrader: (1)

As a boxer dog owner I prefer the tails docked, although our boxer now has a tail, bloody thing is leathal, as for the the ears thats a no no.
Cheers
Colin

Jamo

iTrader: (23)

you ought to see a dog with a dew claw hanging off, and then tell me its not humane to remove them at a young age

renny

iTrader: (2)

Dew claw,that's what they're called - time to edit !!!

CrisPDuk

Our collie cross had her dew claws removed for her own safety, she was forever nearly ripping them off, not a nice sight, and extremely painful

Our english setter on the other hand still had them when she passed away at nearly 14, but then she was considerably less accident prone

Docking and clipping ears though I would never ever consider having either done to a dog of mine

A friend of my Mum's once had a cat that had come from the US, her daughter had taken it in whilst over there, and brought it back when she came home. That had been declawed The poor thing would drive itself nearly insane trying to climb things

Jamo

iTrader: (23)

any dog thats either a working dog or will be in a farm enviroment ie: through hedge bottoms and thorn hedges should be docked. as for ear clipping thats just cosmetic and imho cruel. my rottie is docked and his dew claws have been removed, hes a happy loving dog.

Markus

I can only speak about Weimaraners when it comes to docking, and for that breed I am pro-docking. Why? The main reason is that the tail is very long and thin and can be very easily damaged. I've had the misfortune to see the damaged caused to a weims tail that was not docked, after it had been for a run through the undergrowth. You could see the dog was in distress over it's tail and thankfully in that case the tail did heal, but other dogs have not been so lucky and there are a few I know of who have had to have tails removed, which for an adult dog is a very, very traumatic experience, let alone for the dogs owner who has to see their friend in pain.

A Weim that's going to be a family pet is less likely to have severe damage done to their tail, however, the one mentioned above was a family pet who'd been looning around in woodland, so it can happen. If the Weim is going to be a working dog then I'd say the risk of tail damage does increase somewhat.

From what I know of docking, and this is from a good friend of mine who breeds weims, they are docked when they are a day old, and so feel little, if any pain during and after the procedure.

Why dock? Well, unless you have definite buyers for your pups, which isn't always the case, you don't always know beforehand if the pups will be pets or working dogs, thus isn't it better to err on the side of caution and have the pups docked, that way if they become working dogs a long tail will not be there to be damaged, if they don't, well, it's not a massive problem, the dog doesn't seem to mind having a short tail.

My friends bitch has just given birth to a litter, which will be their first litter to not be docked, due to the new laws in the UK meaning docking is illegal. It will be interesting to see how these pups fair and wether they do encounter any tail damage.

zs_phil

iTrader: (1)

i also have a boxer look at my profile.
and i agree that boxer's tail should be docked yes they are lethal they wag the tails constantly

sarasquares

iTrader: (1)

when i said de-clawing i meant removing all of the claws. my pup needs her rear dew claws removing as she catches them.
removing all the claws is wrong

renny

iTrader: (2)

Removing ALL the claws

That IS cruel and just can't be justified!

sarasquares

iTrader: (1)

exactly, its done a lot to cats but dogs also have it done

renny

iTrader: (2)

Lovely Boxer you have there fella - got the same id tag as our Boxer too!

Wouldn't be without ours,absolutely top temperament

Prasius

iTrader: (1)

Removing all claws, de-barking, and ear clipping is horribly wrong

Dew claws - depends on breed.

Tail docking - depends if it's a working dog or not.

Not all of these procedures are equal.

EddScott

Load of old neuticles to me!

Neuticles.com

little-ginge

My 12 year old Boxer had his tail 'docked' when he was a pup... my fiance's boxer is 5years old and has a full tail.

It is like a lethal weapon! Boxers are well known for their stump/tail wagging, but this is just ridiculous! I am always saying that one day he is going to break it

I agree with docking of tails and dew claws..particualrly the latter as if they catch and tear them it can cause tremendous problems, but docking of ears and de-barking? Thats just cruel IMHO

Diesel

Ear clipping is out of order (even if you do give 'em a Paracetamol first) , but there are much greater animal welfare issues out there. Milking bear bile being one...

My OES had his tail 're-appropriated' when we got him, but it wasnt a choice we would have made. He does look a bit lame when he is shaking his booty as he has no tail to swiggle instead to show he's just so happy though!



D

Janspeed

iTrader: (1)

In the US they think of anything, yet they have not come up with "Intelligence", "Morals".........etc etc

Devildog

Docking arose from necessity for certain working breeds and became breed standard. Docking, if done properly, is quite humane and the pups show no distress. I know, I've seen it, and I've read the proper research (as opposed to the sensasionalist crap posted by some welfare groups)

Docking if done by some half wit down the allotments with a pair of scissors because chavette and chav's dog has got pregnant is, however, absolutely abhorrent.

Whilst I prefer my Rotts docked (as my two are) for asthetic, practical and cleanliness reasons, I am happy to see the standard change to ensure that chav and chavette's dog's pups are not put through any unecessary suffering.

De clawing - dew claws are absolutely fine to remove. Domestic dogs have no use for them and the pain and distress caused when they break them (a common occurence in some breeds) is prety severe (as you would imagine)

Declawing the 4 nails on the dogs feet is, IMO, an absolute no-no and only done to prevent damage to precious owners flooring.

Ear clipping - historically very common in america especially amongst breeds like pit bills, mastiffs and great danes to remove the floppy ear and give the dog a more agressive, alert appearence. Again, absolutely abhorent, irrespective of what pain relief is administered.

De barking - can only assume that involves cutting vocal chords. Again, abhorrent imo. Dogs bark - if you don't like it don't get one. If they bark incessantly, then train them properly.

Sarah, its the USA - a nation of feckwits. What do you expect?

joe79er

we have just had our dalmations dew claws removed because i live near a quarry and she has broken them twice. vets advice to get them removed as they dont serve any purpose.

al4x1

Nice to see a sensible thread about this for a change. I've had Jack Russels and all of them were docked. Always done less than a day old before the bone had hardened and done at home by my mum who was a vet nurse, dew claws at the same time is very minor just a very small cut. Saves a lot of potential problems as they otherwise end up with tails that are long and curl over and catch most thorns they run under.
I've now got a German Wirehaired pointer and she's been legally docked under the new laws and its a major thing she has a thick pad of paper signed to say its done legally, had to be chipped at an age I'd not want to chip at all to stay legal.
With boxers etc a lot of the issues come from wagging a tail and bashing it on everything in sight. If you get a wound it takes forever to heal and usually ends up septic as it keeps getting banged. Add the fact that its on the end of the spinal cord infections can be life threatening easily. Its another piece of legislation thought up by people with no real experience of it and just their imagination running wild. A bit like the fox hunting ban but thats another story

Diesel

Docking for most domestic pets is based on tradition and aesthetics if people were truly honest about it. I do actually prefer the 'look' of dogs like Boxers, Dobermann & OES with a docked tail. I am however not gonna get too worked about a law that says the tails stays - esp if this minimises some inevitable 'back st' cruelty. D

Paddi70

As a boy we had Rotwiellers, however you spell it, so have grown up around docked tails. My mum used to do as a breeder when they were pups, same with dews. Its how things were done then, now forget it. And as of April last year it is illegal to dock tail, unless they are working dogs and you can prove it.
We now have two Australian Sheppard Dogs, which also have docked tails. And we love them and the breed so much we will have another, and it will be with a tail. Dew claws are a must to be removed, no use what so ever except to get caught on.

As to de-clawing and ear clipping, thats just wrong, and I can't find any reason why you would want to.

Pic of pups attached