WHY I NO LONGER WILL CROP EARS OR DOCK TAILS
AND WHY YOU SHOULDN'T WANT ME TO
I’ve owned schnauzers for over 35 years now. When I first got a schnauzer, it was common for them to have their ears cropped and tails docked by the breeder. Most breeders wanted you to take your dog to a vet to have the ears cropped after the puppy came home. I talked to my vet all those years ago and she told me the procedure offered no health benefits whatsoever but was for aesthetics only. I could not see putting my new puppy through something so painful just for a “look.” So I have never owned a dog with cropped ears.
Fast forward many years later, and some countries have deemed the practice as animal cruelty. I feel rightfully so. Why would we continue a painful procedure on an innocent animal for a look? I had one person that got a puppy from me decide to crop the ears even after I told them the risk involved, (infection, pain, etc). She called me in tears. They sent a happy playful puppy to the vet for the procedure and got a scared and frightened puppy back. She never quite recovered emotionally from the procedure. So if you want a puppy that you plan to crop the ears on, you will not get that puppy from me.
Now I had a different path with tail docking. I did dock tails for many years, and two of my adult dogs have docked tails now. I have had mixed emotions about that procedure. It is usually done at 3-5 days of age along with the removal of dewclaws. I started to find out though that there is a nerve that can sometimes run up in the dog’s tail, and if it is clipped or damaged, a dog can have a difficult time holding their bladder. I thought, then why are we doing this?
I had also heard that docking a dogs tail can effect its ability to communicate. I thought, my schnauzer are so full of life and personality, I really can’t see that to be true, right? Well I now have a puppy with an undocked tail, and I can truly say I know what she is feeling and thinking so much easier because I can see her communicating what she is feeling with her tail soooo much! After getting Waffles with her undocked tail, I have made the decision that I will no longer dock tails. I have also looked further into the risk of tail docking, and decided it isn’t worth it for my schnauzers. I have linked some really good articles about this subject below.
According to pet.webmd “Tail docking is banned in many parts of the world, including Australia and the U.K. In the U.S., these procedures are unregulated — meaning they are not banned or controlled. But they are highly controversial. New York and Vermont have considered legislation to ban them, but neither state has so far.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) says the practices are “integral to defining and preserving breed character” in certain breeds. But the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) opposes docking and cropping. “The most common reason for cropping and docking is to give a dog a certain look. That means it poses unnecessary risks,” Patterson-Kane says.
Docked tails can also develop a neuroma, or nerve tumor. This can cause pain and make your dog snappy if their tail is touched. Studies show that dogs communicate emotions like anger and excitement by wagging their tails, so docking “may interfere with your dog’s ability to interact with other dogs,” says Andy Roark, a veterinarian at Cleveland Park Animal Hospital in Greenville, S.C.
Read these links for more in depth information: