There is a loophole in the law concerning Ireland which breeders are using to dock their dogs.

They either ship the pups or the whelping bitch over the Ireland and they are registered over there with the Irish KC (or whatever it's called!) and docked.

The pups are then shipped back over to mainland UK where they are then advertised as legally docked (usually fetching more money) and such dogs are also legible to be shown over here too (because they are registered in Ireland, not here).

It's a stupid loophole and one which needs to be closed but it exists and breeders are exploiting it.

From the gundog point of view, dogs are only supposed to be docked when they are going to working homes. The prospective owner is supposed to prove they are a gamekeeper, have a gun license or whatever before the pup is docked. This only works on the principle that all pups are pre-booked before a mating so docked terriers or gundogs shouldnt really be advertised as they should be spoken for...hope that makes sense!

Furthermore, the docking law only applies to purebred dogs, not crosses of breeds which are still entitled to be docked. So, for example my dog is a German Wirehaired Pointer x Slovakian Roughaired Pointer (both traditionally docked) so he can be docked regardless of whether is is to be worked or was born after the ban.