but my point is that, i'll use boxers as an example, if looks are so important that you wont accept a boxer how it is meant to be (with a tail) then why not just choose another breed, that you can accept how it is meant to be.

a girl i work with wants a boxer, but refuses to have one with a tail... i dont get it though, why want a specific breed of dog if you cant accept them for how they are meant to be...

And that is the point I am trying to make,

Boxers along with other traditionally docked breeds have been docked for so long, that docked IS how many will see them as "meant " to be.

It will take some peopel longer that others to adjust to seeing their breeds looking different.

A a Boxer with a tail does look different.

Yes we will get used to them in time, watching all the puppies come through now in the show ring with tails.. you begin to see past the tail.

I am 100% pro docking and although if I was looking for a Boxer now, I would not go out of my way to find a Docked one (or a bobtail) I still will always prefer my Boxers docked.

When I first saw this thread I wasn't going to bother to read it as it's all been done to death so many times, but now I'm glad I did as it's really been very interesting and has also reminded me a question I've always meant to ask....

Now, I have never been on a shoot in my life but I understand that Cockers were docked to stop their tails getting caught and damaged in undergrowth...

In which case why didn't they just keep the fur trimmed short instead of chopping off the 3/4's of the tail? And why do they have such big fluffy ears???? I know that the working type ears aren't as silly as the show type but they are still soft and floppy, what's that about?

Instinctively I'm against all docking but I admit I don't know enough about working condition to make an informed decision there. I am completely against any pet being docked purely for aesthetic preference.

Unfortunately I think that for many people the decision starts and ends with the look. But fortunately now the ban is in place people will get used to the look of formally docked breeds with tails.

Sadly Hali I think that sensible people like you and Dogsey members are the exception, not the rule.

Personally I have 2 dogs with tails and one without and I think tails are great!

J

I can see that it may be sensible for certain working breeds to still be docked, but for the most part the original reason for docking has long since gone and it has purely been for appearance - which I am firmly against.

but just coz boxers have for years been docked, people shouldnt see that that how they are meant to look... they are meant to look how they were born. i dont get why people want to go chopping bits of there dog off...

i am 100% anti docking, i think it is cruel and totally unneccessary. especially for a pet, why does looks have to play such an important part for you??

Why any animal lover would want an animal docked purely for looks, is beyond me What looks better than a seriously waggy tail

Mine have seriously waggy tails

i agree.

i dont think a teeny bit of tail can be anywhere near as expressive as a full length one

Well I can vouch they can be!! equally as expressive as any other dog.

I won't generalise but I have to say in my case that Pepper's little bit of tail is definitely not as expressive as the boys full length ones. I love the way the boys carry theirs arched over when they are playing, or low when they're unhappy, it really helps a non-dog (i.e. me!) to work out how they are feeling. All poor old Pepper can manage is a bit of a wiggle as an excuse for a wag.

J.