Dog Tail Docking: Unveiling Reasons and Realities

Tail docking is the process of removing a portion of a dog’s tail using surgical scissors or a scalpel, or cutting off the blood supply to a portion of the tail until it falls off.¹

Tail docking is a somewhat common practice for certain breeds, but is there anything to gain from it? While some people still practice tail docking, most experts agree that it’s medically unnecessary and painful for dogs.

So, why do people cut dogs’ tails and is it harmful? Here’s everything you need to know about tail docking. You can navigate to a specific section using the links below.

• Understanding Tail Docking: An Overview
• Why Tail Docking Became a Practice
• The Shift in Tail Docking Practices
• Global Perspectives on Tail Docking
• The Ethical Debate and Animal Welfare
• Alternatives and Care for Docked Tails

Understanding Tail Docking: An Overview

You may have heard the term, but what is tail docking? Tail docking is the practice of removing a portion of the tail and is more common in certain breeds, such as Cocker Spaniels, Boxers, and Dobermans. For many people, tail docking is a way to meet breed appearance standards — although it began for other reasons.

Tail docking has been practiced for centuries, but it’s becoming less common as people consider animal welfare and whether tail docking is ethical.

Why Tail Docking Became a Practice

Dog tail docking began in ancient Rome, where people believed removing a portion of the tail could help prevent rabies.¹ Of course, this changed when the cause of rabies was discovered and we developed a vaccine for it.

Around the 16th and 17th centuries, dogs’ tails were removed to increase back strength. The belief was that dogs with shorter tails would be stronger and have less to grab onto, making them more effective fighters.²

Tails were also docked during the 17th century as a way of separating taxed companion dogs from untaxed dogs with docked tails that were more commonly owned by the lower class. In an attempt to save money on taxes, many people who owned working-class dogs would dock their tails so they wouldn’t have to pay taxes.²

People also docked tails around this time in an attempt to prevent injuries. This was common practice in hunting dogs who were exposed to ticks, burrs, nettles, and foxtails. The American Veterinary Medical Association also recommended tail docking for dogs whose tails were abnormally long for their size.³

Tails were also docked on herding dogs and guard dogs for many years. Docking herding dogs’ tails prevented injuries caused by slamming gates and livestock. For guard dogs, tail docking was a matter of preventing intruders from restraining the dog by its tail.²

Tail docking is still promoted in competitions where dogs are required to conform to breed appearance standards. Several breeds including Rottweilers, Yorkshire Terriers, and Cocker Spaniels are expected to have docked tails in a competition.²

The Shift in Tail Docking Practices

While tail docking is still done today, it’s done for different reasons. While this practice began because of the purported benefits of tail docking in dogs, it’s now more of a cosmetic procedure.

Initially, tail docking was used for plague prevention in ancient Rome. Later, hunters and farmers would use tail docking to prevent injuries to working dogs. Even guard dogs had docked tails to prevent them from being restrained.

Today, tail docking is done primarily for cosmetic purposes. Breed appearance standards state that certain breeds should have docked tails, so docked tails are still common in Rottweilers, Terriers, and Cocker Spaniels. 

Additionally, AVMA cites several other instances where tail docking may be carried out for reasons other than cosmetic appearance. For example, working dogs might benefit from tail docking to prevent accidents and attacks. With an undocked tail, guard dogs could be grabbed by their tail during an attack, while hunting dogs may damage their tails when traversing through brush.³

Many veterinarians and other experts agree that tail docking isn’t medically necessary in most cases. While some dogs may need to have their tail amputated for medical reasons, that’s different from docking and typically occurs later in life. As far as the benefits of tail docking in dogs, there’s no evidence to support cosmetic tail docking.

The shift in tail docking practices has led to a lengthy debate, with many states and countries outlawing the practice to protect animals. 

Global Perspectives on Tail Docking

Tail docking has historically been a global practice, but a growing number of countries and states have imposed more stringent regulations on tail docking or have made the practice illegal altogether.⁴

In the United States, there are only two states that regulate tail docking in dogs. In Maryland, tail docking needs to be performed by someone with a veterinary license and there needs to be a reason for the procedure. In Pennsylvania, you’re prohibited from docking a dog’s tail after it’s five days old. However, a veterinarian can still perform the procedure using anesthesia once your dog is at least 12 weeks old.

In Canada, tail docking is banned by provincial legislation in certain provinces. For example, tail docking is illegal in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. 

Tail docking is currently banned in more than two dozen countries, including Austria, Colombia, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and Turkey. Brazil and Israel have banned tail docking for cosmetic purposes. In countries like Denmark and Germany, tail docking is banned with the exception of some gun dog breeds.

While tail docking is banned or restricted in many parts of the world, that’s not the case everywhere. There are still more than a dozen countries where tail docking is completely unrestricted, including Afghanistan, Bolivia, Egypt, Japan, Mexico, Tunisia, and Iran. In fact, some countries like Morocco have no animal protection laws at all.

The legality of tail docking throughout the world has led to a shift in the number of dogs with docked tails. While tail docking is still fairly common in areas where it’s legal or unrestricted, it’s become increasingly common to see Rottweilers and similar breeds with undocked tails.

The Ethical Debate and Animal Welfare

While tail docking isn’t as common as it used to be, there’s a real debate surrounding the practice. Many people feel tail docking is cruel and unnecessary, while others believe there are benefits of tail docking in dogs.

We’ll start with a common question: are all dogs born with tails? While tail lengths vary between breeds, every dog is born with some kind of tail. Certain breeds — including Boston Terriers, Jack Russell Terriers, and Pembroke Welsh Corgis — are born with naturally bobbed tails that may appear similar to docked tails.

There are several potential physical effects of tail docking. The initial procedure causes pain to dogs if no anesthesia is used. According to the National Institutes of Health, tail docking within the first seven days can lead to hyperalgesia (heightened sensitivity and an extreme response to pain) and neuroma-induced chronic pain in the tail stump.

Tail docking also comes with risks like any other surgical procedure. Regardless of the method you choose, complications such as infection, necrosis, and excessive bleeding are possible. This is particularly problematic for people who don’t have experience with tail docking or use improper equipment.

There may also be psychological and behavioral consequences of tail docking. Dogs use their tails to express how they’re feeling, but they can’t wag or tuck their tail when it’s docked. While there’s no strong link between docked tails and behavioral problems, tail docking may make it harder to read behavioral and emotional cues.

There’s also the question of whether docking affects how dogs communicate with each other. Dogs use their tails to communicate with humans as well as other dogs, so dogs with docked tails may have a harder time communicating.

Alternatives and Care for Docked Tails

Fortunately, there are ways to get the purported benefits of tail docking in dogs without causing pain or long-term medical issues.

Switch trimming involves trimming the hair around the tip — or switch — of the tail to prevent matting and help prevent injuries. This is the generally recommended alternative to tail docking.

Caring for dogs with docked tails requires some additional knowledge and effort. Immediately after the procedure, keep bedding clean and monitor the tail for swelling and redness. Once the tail has healed, it’s important to be cautious when trimming the hair around the tail. You may want to take your dog to a professional groomer for docked tail grooming.