How much tail do you leave when you dock your Australian Shepherd's tail?

Answer 1

Wow, lots of opinions and no answers. You should contact the parent club of the breed you have, they can give you the exact length to leave. In my breed, we leave 3 vertebrae. However, you should only do this between 3 -5 days after birth. Their nerves are not fully developed, it causes minimal discomfort, usually no blood. If you have never done, nor observed this being done, you should ask a show breeder to help you, or take them to the vet. It is less stressful on mom and puppies if you do it yourself in your home - that way you don't take the chance of mom or puppies being exposed to something at the vets. However, if you are nervous, or unsure, it is always better to go to the vet.

AnswerOm my gosh, I don't think you should be doing the docking yourself. Are you? When you take the dog to a vet they usually will go over length with you before the surgery. You could go to the American kennel clubs website and look at the pictures of the dogs there to get an idea of what show dog type dogs have. Personally I think if you are not going to show the dog, leave the poor things tail natural. If they were meant to have short tails they would be born with them. AnswerJust don't do it! AnswerUgh!! don't do it!! It makes dogs look fake, it does not look natural. Also, everytime I see someone with a dog with a cut tail I cant look at the person, I see them in a different light, oh and that's a BAD light. DONT do it, its not necessary!! and it costs money!! AND DO NOT DIY!!!!!R U CRAZY!!!!!! AnswerDocking an animal's tail is equivalent to cutting off the end of your spine. Would you want that done to you? Answerdon't do it! leave the whole tail - it looks better AnswerIm sorry but docking a poodle's tail is necessarry and also whoever said they cant look at a dog with a docked tail has never seen a poodle as it hardly looks like they have had anything done. They all have their tails docked as that is what defines them and you cannot have a show poodle that doent have a docked tail. It is best to do the docking between 3-5 days after they are born as their nerves are not fully formed. It is also a good idea to have quick stop in case of bleeding. Also if you plan on doing the docking at home make sure you have the right tools. If this is your first time you should probably get in touch with your breeder for instruction or call your vet. Taking your new mom and her puppies out at this young age will most definitely be stressful so it is probablly better to do it at home. I think the length is either 1/2 or 1/3 off (ie. you have 2/3 still left of the tail)but I would call you breeder to make sure. hope this helps

Answer 2

One to two vertebrae.