Tail docking in Britain

Some people are surprised to hear that it is still entirely legal to dock a puppy’s tail in the UK as long as it is done by a veterinary surgeon before the puppy’s eyes are open.

The British Veterinary Association, the British Small Animal Veterinary Association, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) and the RCVS are all opposed to the docking of puppies’ tails. Veterinary bodies and welfare organisations such as Dogs Trust believe that puppies are caused unnecessary pain as a result of docking and are deprived of a vital form of canine expression.

Tails are docked either by ‘banding’ where a ligature is placed over the end of the tail which ‘comes away’ after 3 days, or by cutting off with surgical scissors. Where tails are cut off, stitches may be needed for larger breeds. The procedure is usually performed without any anaesthetic (which would be too dangerous) at between three to five days of age. Complications in docking can lead to the death of the puppy and the tail stump may be painful in later life due to the formation of scar tissue.

The pain and disadvantages associated with docking cannot be allowed just so that a dog will look a certain way. Dogs are born with tails for a reason – if they didn’t need them, evolution would have made them smaller or got rid of them altogether by now!

Negative aspects of docking:

+ Docking removes a very valuable tool for communication. Dogs use tails to tell each other how they’re feeling. They use different positions and movement to let others know if they’re happy, excited, scared, not sure, a bit grumpy or that they may attack. If they meet a docked dog in the park and can’t tell what they’re going to do, some of them may well launch an attack just to be on the safe side! That’s not very fair on a perfectly friendly docked dog, who must be awfully confused as to why others keep beating him up and may even lead to him becoming aggressive on meeting other dogs or people as a way to defend himself.

+ Docking is associated with perineal hernias. Dogs without tails may have weaker muscles around the anus and are therefore more likely to develop hernias. These hernias can lead to constipation, straining and difficulty in passing poop, which of course can be very uncomfortable and distressing. Sometimes the bladder becomes trapped in the hernia, causing severe problems which may become life-threatening.

+ Docking is associated with urinary incontinence in bitches. The muscles that help control urination in female dogs, attach to the tail base. These may become weakened or damaged in docked dogs, leading to an increased likelihood of urinary incontinence. Although most dogs don’t realise they are doing it and don’t become distressed, it can lead to unhappy, fed-up owners deciding to rehome or even destroy their otherwise happy and healthy dogs.


What I find really strange is that some breeders say that they’ll stop breeding their dogs, if they’re no longer allowed to dock them. I really don’t understand this; surely everything they love about their dogs can’t be less important than having to keep a wonderful, swishy, expressive tail?

DO YOU THINK DOGS LOOK BETTER WITH or WITHOUT TAILS?

To help you, you can see photos of traditionally docked breeds with tails at the website of the Anti-Docking Alliance www.anti-dockingalliance.co.uk