Tail Removal

[Kfett]

Hi I hope I am posting in the right place.

I have a 4 month old female Boxer (Zoey). Her tail cropping has never been done and I think to get the Boxer look the tail should be cropped. At 4 months old I was wondering if there are any concerns i should be worried about before I have the procedure done. I have had a few people tell me that cropping at this age is not a good idea that it may cause balance problems.
I would rather see what the real Boxer owners say before I listen to old wives tales.

Thanks for any info on this topic.
K.

 

[TwoDogs]

At 4 months old, it is no longer a simple docking--it is the amputation of a limb. All her nerves and pain receptors are developed, so it will hurt alot. Docking when they are a few days old is very different than amputating the tail at her age.

 

[boxer17]

Cropping a tail at this age is a very big surgery and not recommended. It is usually done within a few days of birth.

It would be very painful for her and in the long run not a good idea. Others will post more information, but I would just be happy to have yourself and happy and healthy Boxer!

 

[Caney Creek]

Like the others have already said, docking the tail after 5 days old is no longer considered docking -- it is considered amputation. It requires surgery and a long, painful recovery, and the dog is likely to experience "phantom pains" for the rest of its life.

Docking is performed at such a young age because the nerves are not fully developed at that point, and the newborn pup's tail is so small that it is snipped off with very little bleeding and *might* require one stitch to close it up. Docking your pup now would not only be a major surgery but the recovery would be long and painful, just misery for your pup.

At this point, unless your puppy injures its tail SO badly that amputation is necessary, you should not have it done. I doubt you'll find a vet who would agree to do it anyway (and if you did find one, I would question his/her morals and ethics

 

[sriley]

I urge you to do further research and give the decision to dock some serious thought before you proceed, particulary since you're considering the procedure for purely cosmetic reasons. Some dogs have serious issues with their tails (cracking, bleeding, infection, etc.) that sometimes warrants a dock. It doesn't sounds like this is the case with your pup. Irregardless of tail length, a Boxer is a Boxer. IMO, I wouldn't put a pup through that pain and trauma just for "looks".

 

[iluvfrankie]

Its too late to do it. In my opinion the natural dog is the best as ive met loads of puppy boxers with full tails and i love them! I dont see the reasoning in docking anymore. Unnecessary.

They still look and act just as boxer as the docked babies!

 

[x19er]

Here is an excellent response from Gmac to a similar question posted a while back:

http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/boxer-ring/145236-tail-docking.html

I think the responses to this thread about covers it.

Here in the UK tail docking is banned - if your born with a tail you should keep it and having experienced boxers with tails they look fab and should have them!

 

[Furface]

I am not going to reiteratre what everyone else has already said, rather I will say how fantastic a tail is.

My previous boxers had a docked tail, which I agree looked "right" However I now have one with a tail, and I can honestly say I would never have it any other way again. With a stumpy tail there is only one way they can carry it. When you have the rest of the tail, you can see how much more expression is in it. When Devon's tail is up and curled she is happy, when it is straight out she is curious etc etc which you can't get from a stump.

PLUS there is nothing like coming in and hearing that tail thumping against things, you don't even need to see her to know she is happy.

So please heed the advise of the others don't dock and simply enjoy your tail

 

[HostelDog]

Also, please remember how important a tail is for communicating with other dogs. Tail position shows feelings of fear, dominance, submission, friendliness....without the tail it's hard for other dogs to 'read' how the docked animal is feeling and respond accordingly.

 

[CRDS]

My boy still has his tail!