|
Location: Virtual Showground
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 9,518
|
|
Originally Posted by
Ramble
The weak tail issue is an interesting one and perhaps one that should have been more fully investigated, looking at a more gradual phasing in of the ban to encourage better breeding??? That is a very interesting point.
In all honesty guys, and you ain't gonna like it, I am thrilled about the ban and as an example (that I've mentioned before because I am genuinely thrilled) I can't wait to see lots of long, waggy tailed rottis out there. I love rottis as a breed and I think they look fantastic in all the pics I've seen of them with full tails, the same goes for boxers and many others. Bring it on!!!!!
The `weak tail` thing is a misnomer, nothing more. No breed is particularly `designed` to have `stong` tail construction specifically. Carriage maybe, but thats nothing to do with strength of construction for safety from furniture, doors, or brambles. Whippets tails are by far the flimsiest and the least protected - their tails are not docked as a `just in case` thing.
Why not ?
Because they use them for racing and to dock them would make them less effective - for the human purpose...
My Lurchers tail would be technically be at far more risk even than a Whippets because its very fine, has long silky feathering much like a Spaniels, and is exceptionally long, with the Saluki `spiral` build - ripe for being damaged, but no one would dream of saying he should of been docked as a pup for having a less than substantial tail build. [ Not to my face, unless they had earplugs in anyway :smt077 ]
At agility shows, I am lucky to see all sorts of `traditionallly docked` breeds with their tails intact and boy do they use them for their agility. If they were so fragile, it would be far too risky to have them going over jumps or through weaves in case they repeatedly knocked them with their whipping action
When seen on agility comp photographs and video clips, they use their tails exactly the same way as all other straight tailed agility dogs do.
Using agility again as a comparison but on another slant :
I do agility. But I dont get dogs to do agility with, I get them as companions first and if they take to agility, as long they are physically sound enough for it in all ways, thats a bonus. I would not do any activity with them that they were not physically suited for, and would not deliberately put them in obviously dangerous situations like working Spaniels are repeatedly put in.
If Spaniels with proper tails are not safe enough for hunting activities without being regularly damaged, [ and lets be honest, the type of hunting they are involved in is for human pastime and so called sport, not out of life or death starvation `need` ], then they should not be used for it, simple as that.
There are other activities a typically mentally and physically active Spaniel can do without being put at risk the same as there are for the most worky of collies which are not in a position to be able to work sheep but can still be given a full life with their brains and instinctive traits needing to be utilised for the sake of the dogs` sanity.
My tripod [ rear leg amputee ] and all other rear leg tripods I know of, rely on and constantly use their tails for counterbalance. Knowing what I do now, having lived with a tripod for so many years and closely observing his movement ability, if he were a docked breed, I would have to of drastically reconsidered if he could have had a good enough quality of movement when losing his leg without a tail to help him so much.
In all the countries who protested as much leading up to their docking bans, they have not had a massive influx of, [ genuine ], tail injuries in previously docked breeds and no breeds have become extinct in those countries either
Ultimately, dogs` welfare should come before a human hobby, and that includes not doing activities causing, [ alledgedly ], regular and what I would consider reckless damage to tails.
And just for you Ramble, here is Stormie again for you to drool over