I recently found out that some breeders have the Pembroke tails docked. I was completely unaware that this still happens to any breed and thought that all Pembrokes were born with the short tails. Does anyone know more about this? Honestly it made me sick to my stomach to think that little Gonzo could have had his tail chopped off as a puppy.
Permalink Reply by JW on January 15, 2008 at 10:18am
I'd say this is a really smart reason. Our German Shepherd is always chomping down on Griff's tail when she chases him! It's definitely an unfair advantage on her part :)
If it's AKC regulations, if our dogs are AKC registered, does that mean they were docked? When we got Coral all I assumed was that they were born with nubs!
Permalink Reply by Sam on January 15, 2008 at 6:18pm
A corgi can be AKC registered and still have a tail. Showing in the conformation ring would be another story. Currently the standard is written that tails must be docked. Most corgis are born with tails and are docked within a few days of birth.
I don't think it hurts to ask in my opinion. They may give you the whole "not being able to show" shpeel but I've never asked so Im not sure. I think the two things that may cause a no is if they do it all in one shot and wont know which pup is yours till later and/or they want to do it just in case you don't buy the pup (which you can counter with tossing money at them hahaha! joking of course :) )
Well they don't actually have them "chopped" off. When they are about 3 days old, the breeder will tie a tourniquet around the tail as close as possible without it denting in. Eventually it falls off. I can't say for sure if it hurts them or not. People might say it doesn't, but how do they know?
Some are born without tails, some with. The ones who are born without tails are much longer than those who are docked off. They tend to have pointy hairs sticking out, which kind of look more like a Jack Russell's tail in a way. My little Eowyn had her tail docked. If you move her fur from her tail, you can see the scar upon it.
hmm now Im going to have to play with Roxi's nub to try and figure out if she was born with it or not lol! I think the breeder said no but it seems short for a born nub though dang girl clamps that thing with every inch of her life when you poke it - this might get tricky :)