Can You Dock a Puppy's Tail at Eight Weeks?

Many dog breeds have recognizable short pointy tails -- or no tails at all -- and triangular ears that stand straight up. These traits can be a natural occurrence in some breeds, but many are altered through surgical procedures right after birth. Tail docking is sometimes a necessity for show dogs, but unless the dog is purchased from a breeder that docks, most owners of household pets have the choice of removing the tail or not.

  1. Tail Docking

    • Tail docking is the process of cutting off a puppy's tail at various lengths for cosmetic or practical purposes. Tails are usually docked between 24 hours and the first ten days of a puppy's life. The tail is either cut off by a veterinarian with or without a local anesthetic; or banded within the first three days until it falls off.

    Tail Docking at Eight Weeks

    • After the initial ten days of a puppy's life, when most of the tail is still cartilage, tail docking is an amputation that should only be done by a veterinarian under anesthesia. The main problem with docking a tail later, is that a puppy can have complications from the anesthesia -- but it would be cruel to do the procedure without it. The desire to crop the tail must be weighed with the risk of the surgery; including heart attack, post surgery complications and infections.

    Docked Breeds

    • Many breeds standards include docking for working purposes. Many hunting dogs, like the spaniel, pointer and terrier breeds historically have docked tails to prevent injury while navigating thorny underbrush. Guard or fighting dogs like the rottweiler and doberman tails were removed to prevent the long appendage from attack. Some breeds like the cavalier King Charles spaniel and toy poodle, have no practical reason for a docked tail -- and it is done for cosmetic reasons only.

    Controversy

    • While tail docking remains the choice of the breeder or owner in the United States, it has been banned in much of Europe as an inhumane procedure. Proponents of tail docking want to preserve the standard appearance of breeds -- some hundreds of years old -- and refer to the original reason for tail docking, namely to prevent injury. Opponents of tail docking point out that the procedure is unnecessary, as most household pets are not performing the same tasks that led to tail docking in the first place.