Tail Docking

[brionon]

Cruffts -I noticed that the Schnauzer had his/her tail docked. Is this practice not ended yet ? Anyone know what the situation is,please ?

[moonshadow]

The Royal College of Veterinary surgeons are opposed to docking unless for medical reasons and it's no longer taught. So now it's up to the individual vet if he wishes to do this. The last I heard certain working dogs are exempt from the ban but the docking must be done legally by a vet. I can't see how a Schnauzer can be classed as a working dog though ??

[fredpuli47]

The ban took effect from April 6th 2007 in England, March 28th in Wales and April 30th in Scotland . It's still legal to show a dog with a docked tail if the tail was docked before the ban.

The result is interesting. At Cruft's there were docked and non-docked competing together. If anything proved the need for it it was the sight of American cockers in the ring: the undocked had happy, wagging tails, whereas the others had but little stumps.

[fredpuli47]

moonshadow . It sounds odd doesn't it, a giant schnauzer being a 'working dog' ? After all, the schnauzer and the miniature schnauzer are both 'utility' breeds. The giant schnauzer was originally bred as a cattle drover but is now used as a guard dog and police dog. So the Kennel Club lists it in the 'Working Group'. That does not alter it's status for docking. Only a few breeds in England are eligible for docking and then only when the vet can be satisfied that the pup is to be used in one of the categories of work where docked dogs are still permitted (there's a formal procedure involving signed declarations from the breeder etc as well as a declaration by the vet). Most of the breeds are gundogs of one kind or another, but there is a possible exemption for dogs used in military work .

In any case a show dog can't be docked, 'show' being defined as a show which the public pay to enter, though a docked, exempted, working dog may be shown if it is being shown only in a demonstration of its working.

[lankeela]

There were actually three docked dogs in the BIS lineup, the Giant, the American Cocker and the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier.

There were a few dogs with tails from previously customarily docked breeds shown over the four days, but not many as there were very few chances to qualify for dogs born after the regulations came into force. Some of course were from other countries, where the docking ban has already been in force for some years.

Next year will see many more dogs with tails shown as they will qualify during the year.