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Presuming that she is a purebred Border Collie, the short tail could be due to an accident or injury; a genetic quirk is possible, but the odds are very low. To the best of my knowledge, no one who breeds these dogs bobs their tails intentionally.

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Came from a breeder, (though his practices are questionable,) still tail dock was intentional. Cant see why anyone would want to cut off their rudder. I asked the fella I bought her from, if he was gonna give me 25.00 dollars off her price for the missing tail, (jokingly) and he did!

 

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Came from a breeder, (though his practices are questionable,) still tail dock was intentional. Cant see why anyone would want to cut off their rudder. I asked the fella I bought her from, if he was gonna give me 25.00 dollars off her price for the missing tail, (jokingly) and he did!

 

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Our dog must of had an accident. Her tail is not that short, but it is def. missing some length.

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With her curly hair and her wiggly little tail, she could just about go undercover in a sheep herd :rolleyes:

Heehee, Cheryl, you are funny! Daisy's tail was bobbed, and I also think Clara's Ling has a bobbed tail. Out west it seems that some ranchers bob all puppy tails. Why? The steer stepping on tail rationale seems odd to me, but I don't have any other explanation. I think if Daisy had a tail, it would be flying in the wind in this picture, which I've posted before but am very fond of.

 

Daisy1.jpg

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Some mother dogs will chew on their puppies tails. I do not know why. A friend has a dog with about a 9 to 10 inch tail and they know thats what happened to her because they caught the mother doing it.

My dog Bandit (RIP) was the same way beautiful fluffy tail but looked like some one had forgot to add the curl at the end.

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Yep, here's Ling, Daisy's long lost sister. Sad but true, she has the scar on the tip of her nub where somebody docked her. What I've never been able to figure out is why someone would go to the trouble of docking her tail, then dump her on a country road at 9-10 wks old. Go figure.

 

Look Ma, no tail!

 

Beach6.jpg

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Why do people cut things off dogs??? :rolleyes:

I believe I've read that ranchers often bob a working dog's tail to keep it from filling up with foxtails and the like.

 

Now if we were talking about terriers, Terrierman has helpfully explained in detail (here) why one might want to dock the tail of a working terrier:

 

...some terriers and other breeds have long thin tails that can be damaged when whipped in brush, worked in rock, etc. so they may benefit, medically, if they are docked. How often an over-thin and fragile tail is a real medical problem depends on the breed, the dog, how it works, where it works (and if it is worked at all).

 

A terrier's tail, of course, is an essential part of the dog, and I consider it a very stupid thing to dock a terrier tail too short. I always advise people to err on the side of leaving the tail too long. You do not want to lose a good handle on the rear end of a working terrier by being too quick or aggressive with a pair of tail nippers.

 

That said, a very long tail is of no use to a terrier, and could be a small health liability. A dog often has to exit a hole backwards and around curves. In that situation, a long thin tail could be a problem -- imagine exiting a tight and winding tunnel with a spring-pole stuck out behind you, and you get the idea. And then there are the thin tail tips that bleed when banged against rocks and brush.

 

Myself, I like a tail on a dog (no offense to Wick, of course...it' s just my preference).

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Came from a breeder, (though his practices are questionable,) still tail dock was intentional. Cant see why anyone would want to cut off their rudder.

 

I've heard that reference to the tail as a rudder elsewhere. For those of you with bobtailed dogs, do you notice any difference in your dog's ability to make tight turns at high speeds (differences in overall body structure, age, health aside)?

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For those of you with bobtailed dogs, do you notice any difference in your dog's ability to make tight turns at high speeds (differences in overall body structure, age, health aside)?

Wick can turn on a from full speed - she is probably the most agile dog I've ever seen. And we've never lost a bar to an errant rudder. :rolleyes: However, I do think dogs use their tails as rudders and I sure wish they would leave 'em on.

 

I've heard the old "cattlemen dock so the tail doesn't get trampled/dirty/whatever" thing but anyone who has seen Wick on stock will attest that there is no *way* that she comes from working lines. What I've heard from other docked dog owners in WA State is that it's fashionable to dock the tails. In fact, I have heard it referred to as "the Yakima dock". I think it looks silly, and I really enjoyed watching the European dogs from the FCI Agility video with their ears and tails a-flopping. The poodles looked especially nice with long tails!

 

One of the top trial dogs in our region lost her tail after an unfortunate car accident. This dog also can turn on a dime, and she is a wonder to watch. I bug her owner that she could clean up at ASCA trials. :D

 

chica2.jpg

chica1.jpg

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One of the top trial dogs in our region lost her tail after an unfortunate car accident. This dog also can turn on a dime, and she is a wonder to watch. I bug her owner that she could clean up at ASCA trials. :rolleyes:

 

Hee!

 

Darci, that is one adorable pup, tail or no tail!

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Thanks PSmitty, she was a good one too. She's about 5 now I think. She's in Nebraska now working on a large sheep and cattle operatin. Shoulda kept her, turned out to be a fine little dog.

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I'll always wonder why someone docked my muttly Abby's tail (and those of her littermates). It just doesn't make sense to me since I don't see any predominant breed in her at all. You can see her trying to use it as a rudder here:

 

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Doesn't seem to stop her from being a super athlete though!

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We had a cat that snuck out the door, ran across the street, and got hit. His tail got the worst of it. The vet warned us that he might have to amputate part of the tail if the nerves were damaged because Frodo would not have been able to control that part. It would have dragged and been likely for not jsut dirt but infections. Luckily, the nerves were fine and he kept his whole tail.

 

That sort of situation is always a possibility. The vet said that tails caught in doors were the worst with kittens and puppies.

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Some times, an over zealous momma dog gets to chewing off the unbilical cord, and gets a bit of a pups tail chewed off to. On some that werent typically bobbed looking, that could be an answer. Ive seen a few. A GSD with half a tail is pretty funky looking!

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I am so glad that they passed the law here that it is illegal to doc tails without a medical reason

there is a little JRT pup with its full tail and it just looks so happy all the time

 

its not just rudders they use em for - air brakes - waching Ben run at full pelt when he wants to stop the tail furls round and round

His friend a boxer is just as fast as him in a straight line but cannot turn or stop v well (although I think that has more to do with him weighing 10 times as much rather than having no tail)

 

Its cruel to steal the dogs tail for fashion - although your dogs are lovely I just adore watching Bens tail and getting an idea of subtle moods that you just cant see on a docked dog

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We adopted a BC (an owner surrender) when he was about 3 years old. He has a stub of a tail and looks very much like Airbear's Wick. Our Vet believes the tail was not docked, that he was probably born that way. He can wag that little stub about 90 MPH. He is so active, and gets into so much that grooming would probably be much more difficult with a full tail.

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  • 12 years later...
On 2/7/2008 at 2:31 PM, 1sheepdoggal said:

Came from a breeder, (though his practices are questionable,) still tail dock was intentional. Cant see why anyone would want to cut off their rudder. I asked the fella I bought her from, if he was gonna give me 25.00 dollars off her price for the missing tail, (jokingly) and he did!

 

post-7917-1202416255_thumb.jpg

My dog’s tail looks the same way!! Was it docked or she born like that? Mine was a stray so I have no idea.

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