To dock or not to dock...that is the question!

[nevadagirls]

I have been tossing around this question for quite a while as Abby will be reaching the age to be spayed and at that time we were going to dock her tail. She was not docked when she was born because she was taken to the vet/vet tech because she was so small and needed some sort of intervention or she would have died, she was just trying to fight to stay alive, therefore she was not docked. Her vet says that at this point it is an amputation and very hard on the animal, taking 2 weeks to a month to heal but people do it. I've also talked to people who say that boxers have "happy tail" (and boy does Abby have one of the happiest!) and that they can "break" when wagged into something sharp like a door frame or something of the like. So I throw the questions out to you my boxer forum friends...to dock or not to dock???

[Eurobox]

Does she injure her tail? I know of people that bring in European puppies that have a full tail, and dock them with no issues. I personally love the look of a full tail. But if she is hurting herself, than I say dock!

[Cluemanti]

I would say keep what you got. Makes your boxer stand out.

[starburst900]

I say leave her like she is unless she repeatedly injures her tail there for needs it removed because it's already past the age where it would be considered a dock. If you do it now it would actually be an amputation and she would probably be in pain due to the fact that she now has pain receptors in her tail

[WeppyWeps]

I love the tail-- I have a German Boxer so their standard is to have the tail but I opted to keep it regardless.

Why would you want to put you pup through that pain? I would say NO DOCK.

[Quando]

We have a German boxer because we live in Germany. I always chip into the discussion about docking and cropping.

Our dogs are not docked or cropped; they never have been and never will (with or without a law) our dogs have never injured their tails nor have they knocked things off the table, nor have they bruised our legs when wagging their tails. If all of this would be true about natural tails then vet offices here would be packed with dogs (not just boxers) with natural tails with injuries.

We are members of a boxer club; I see hundreds of boxers a year at shows and competitions, I never seen one with a damaged tail. We work our boxer, we do Schutzdienst, we see others doing the same, and I have never seen a boxer with a natural tail injured.

The stories about having it done “because it’s for the dogs sake and own protection” is a brainwash. It is totally and completely unnecessary.

[Rocco Balbones]

I agree: try it au naturel....

[WeppyWeps]

Keep in mind you are supposed to crop the tail when the dog is 2days old--you are way past that age.

[phoenix414]

I vote keep it. Just move things that are at risk for being knocked over. If she hurts herself then re-visit the option.

[LokiLoki]

As someone who is very pro docking- ears and tail, and personally I would not have a boxer that doesn't have a cropped tail...aesthetically I just feel strongly about it. However, I think you should seriously re-consider when your boxer is already this old...I've heard or read somewhere that as they grow the spinal cord also grows into the tail and if you dock you could do damage to the spinal cord. Obviously your vet knows best, but it would be as everyone else has said, painful and difficult.