Do I dock their tails?

[farmergal]

I have a delima. I own a toy poodle that is due to have puppies in a week. She was bred by two males on the same day so I could have a litter of purebred and mix bred puppies. My male Maltese was the first to get her. The problem is he tried to breed her 6 months ago and she didn't take. He also bred another toy poodle who was due to have puppies tomorrow and she didn't take. He's getting to be an old man. He is now 6 years old. The other male is a very young toy poodle that bred her 12 hours later. He just turned a year old. I had him breed my female Maltese that is due to have puppies in two weeks. She is huge, proving that the toy is definitely a fertile boy.

The question is do I dock the tails of the toy poodle mom assuming that she is having poodle puppies? Knowing that there is a possibility that some of the puppies if not all the puppies could be maltepoos.

[Eagles Nest]

I say dock them! More than likely your mat stud is sterile. Has he ever sired a litter? Even if they turn out to be maltpoos(???) they would still be cute with a short tail....Def. dock them.
Edited to add, I've seen poodles with "long" tails because they weren't docked, boy were they funny looking, and actually rather ugly...

[Miichelle]

Dock them. I used to groom and long tails are messy and never look as nice. My ex is a vet and quite frequently we would have people bring in older pups and adults wanting their tails docked, I don't think it's mean on day old puppies but it is on grown dogs.

[farmergal]

These are the two want-to-be dad's. The Maltese is an old pro. He's produced 4 litters for me. He is more than willing.

The toy poodle well... lets just say the girls had to convince him he is a boy and that's what boys do. Those shameless hussies.

Baron my toy boy's tail was docked to short to grow a pom pom. That stubby tail is just so cute when it wiggles. It's definitely not your normal poodle tail.

[Perrys_mama]

Why dock them at all? Why cut off any part of an animal? Especially if they aren't being sold as show dogs?

I'm so disappointed that Spooky's tail was docked...it's so sad.

I really wish that vets would stop docking tails and cropping ears. Make long tails the new fashion!

[Eagles Nest]

Originally Posted by Perrys_mama

Why dock them at all? Why cut off any part of an animal? Especially if they aren't being sold as show dogs?

I'm so disappointed that Spooky's tail was docked...it's so sad.

I really wish that vets would stop docking tails and cropping ears. Make long tails the new fashion!

They do it because they (yes Poodles) are hunting dogs and when they hunt their tail wags and it hurts the hunters legs and scares the birds, etc. So they dock them. Same with ears, breeds like Min Pins are cropped because they are "ratters" if their ears are hanging down then the rat could bite the ear and the dog could actually bleed to death as there are a lot of veins in the ears.

Horses are the same, they dock the tails to keep them up out of the plow/hitch/wheel.

I see nothing wrong with an animal having proceedures done so they can do the task they are bred to do, even if that chance is small. I hate to see poodles with their tails long, and I hate to see great danes without their ears done. Just me, I know it's "cruel" in some eyes, but there you have it. For those of us who breed for a standard, trying to make our breed better, not just reproducing for fun/cause we can/for money, it is important that they look like they can do the task that our breed was developed for, don't like those traits choose a different breed. This is a big "pressure" AKC breeders face as PITA and the likes say we should show without cropped ears and docked tails, but the reality is, if your a purist, your dog should look like he is able (and actually be able with training) to go out and perform the task it is bred for. It is much, MUCH more cruel to dock a tail as an older puppy/dog than it is to do it at 1-3 days of age before there is blood in their tails and it seems they associate it with birthing...they don't even remeber and no, it doesn't seem to hurt that bad. They squeel a little for all of 30 seconds then they are back on momma like nothing happened.....

[KatieMae]

I say dock them.
Especially if someone plans on showing their dog.. The breed standard is to have a docked tail. 20 points of the dogs overall score is based on the body, neck, legs, feet and tail.

[Drafty]

You don't show maltepoo's, so I would leave the tails undocked. I don't hunt my poodles or show them so I prefer the tails long. Yes it takes a little extra work to keep them looking nice but it is worth it to have those long beautiful tails.

[ToveroMom]

Miles of difference between docking a horse and a dog Perrys Mom.
Since they are going to be crossbred then you can just leave them long I guess.

[VickiE]

I have to agree with TMom on this one. The dogs are going to be crossbred...why dock their tails? That is just my personal opinion on this!

[Perrys_mama]

EaglesNest, you're welcome to do whatever you think will better your dogs. The original poster has a bred pet and can't guarantee the parentage without a DNA test, so why bother docking the tails of animals who most likely can't be shown? Do you really care how your pet looks THAT much?

<snipped myself>

[ToveroMom]

Well the great thing about different opinions is that they do not have to be shared by everyone.
OK then I will snip mine too as it makes no sense

[Perrys_mama]

Sorry TMom, I got all riled up prematurely.

Since puppies have been known to bite each others' tails off in play, I don't think it is really all that hard on them.

Still though to the OP, if you're not sure they're going to be purebred, and they are going to be pets anyway, unless YOU really want their tails short, I wouldn't bother.

[ToveroMom]

Me too-sorry
Being a former Dobie breeder/handler-I react too quickly too.

[Miichelle]

Purebred or part-bred, I liked docked tails. Docked tails on horses, no. Cropped ears, not unless they look like some of the Schnauzers I've seen with great big bat ears...JMO

[barnmom]

i would dock them as long as it's done within 24hrs, i used to dock my own, the runt depending on size i would wait a little longer or have the vet do them, you really have to watch for blood loss and keep them away from the mom for a while or she'll keep licking it and it will never stop bleeding

[Miichelle]

I think a vet should do tail docks. If done with a scalpel, extra skin can be left on top and "tucked under" and stitched with a couple of disolving sutures. This way you don't have a piece of bone that is exposed and with short haired breeds (especially black and tan dogs where it is tan under the tail) it looks "natural". If the tails are sutured they heal quicker and you don't have to worry about mom licking them. Vets are usually pretty cheap when it comes to docking tails and IMO it's worth it...

[Carri]

I completely agree with Michelle- Having the vet do it allows the pups to have lidocaine to numb the area, and sutures and antibiotics to help recovery.
I work at a vet clinic, and they no longer ask me to help with tails or ears, I just can't do it. I can handle the nastiest surgery going, but don't ask me to hold a puppy while it's tail is being cut off.
The one time I did it, I cried and threw up. I thought I could handle it because I would rather a vet do it than have it done at home, but I was wrong...

[barnmom]

i worked for a vet at the time and did a lot of them i wouldn't say an amateur should do it, and yes we sometimes would do a stitch but very rarely

[jkj10209]

Tail docking is all about personal opinion. In reality I worked for a vet for 3 years and am in vet school, it does not hurt the puppy that much it is rather quick procedure and relatively painless if you gauge the pain on the cries. The puppies tend to cry only because of the way you have to hold them still while the vet is working on them. Usually the procedure is done within 72 hours or 3 days of birth. I would discuss the procedure more with your vet if you are considering it to see what they think. I have never seen a poodle with a long tail and maltese although they have tails can also have them docked. I think that docking tails when the dogs are puppies is humane and allows for better sanitation practices in the future.