Can You Dock a Yorkie's Tail After Eight Weeks?

Docking refers to the practice of removing a portion of a dog's tail through either a surgical procedure or constricting the blood flow to a certain portion of the tail until it falls off. Originally tail docking was thought to strengthen the back, increase speed and prevent rabies and injuries. Presently, tail docking is done to only certain breeds, such as the Yorkshire terrier, and typically very early in the dog's life.

  1. Docking for Older Puppies

    • While it's not unheard of for Yorkshire terriers (Yorkies for short) to have their tails docked as late as three months, it is often not recommended that any tail be docked after a few days. After a certain age, depending on the dog but generally seen as one week after birth, the dog's nervous system is developed enough that it has complete feeling throughout the tail. Thus, removal of a dog's tail at eight weeks of age can be extremely painful and requires anesthesia. Consult with the dog's veterinarian before deciding whether or not to dock the tail. If there is no health-related reason to do so, it may be best to leave the tail as is.

    Docking at Birth

    • Typically if a dog's tail or ears are going to be trimmed, it is done within a few days of its birth. When puppies are first born, their nervous system is not yet completely sensitive in the extremities, including the tail and ears, meaning that docking and cropping of these areas is easy and painless. Once the nerve endings are complete throughout the tail, docking becomes extremely painful, much like dropping a brick on your toe. Thus, for breeds that normally have docked tails, it should be done very early in life, before the dog really comes to control its tail.

    Rubber Band Method

    • If you wish to have a Yorkie's tail docked after eight weeks, avoid the rubber band method. While useful in younger dogs, after 10 days, depending on the dog's development, the tail has complete feeling. Using the rubber band method after the dog has feeling would be akin to wrapping a tourniquet on your arm and leaving it there until the limb dies and falls off. After eight weeks, it would be considered cruel.

    Surgery

    • After eight weeks, the preferred method of tail docking is through surgery. As with any other surgery, it is necessary to provide anesthesia to temporary deaden the nerves in the tail while the surgeon cuts it off. Also similar to other surgeries, there will be a recovery period and may be some lingering scarring in the tail. A clean, successful result depends on how much care is taken at the removal site during the recovery period.