Cross Breeds

Why do they cut the tails off certian breeds of dogs?

Would some breeds of dogs just spend all day chasing their tail at like 100rpm if it wasn't cut off?

Public Comments

1. tails are docked for many reasons. depends on the breed and the reason for the breed ( hunting, fighting, guarding etc) but had nothing to do with dogs chasing their tails.....
2. some breeds get their tails docked because that's what the breed standard was established as when the breed was first founded. it doesn't mean that a non docked tail dog will chase it's tail, i'm not entirely sure why any dog does it, it's simply for looks or function of the breed depending on the dog. unless a dog is being shown it certainly doesn't HAVE to have it's tail docked
3. It was done with dogs that worked. It was believed the tail was docked to keep the dog from hitting thier tails and hurting them. Now it's done mostly for cosmetic reasons.
4. Well it was originaly for a reason but now a days its for looks. Like some herding dog have there tails docked so they dont get stepped on or bit while working. I know a hunting or retreving dog had its tail bobbed so the hunter can grab it by its tail and pull it out of an animals den after it crawls in.
5. Depends, It's usually part of the breed standard tho. Dobermans are docked because they have a long thin whiplike tail that can break easily, and it's better to have it docked than to have it broken later. Not only that, but because they are a working dog, guarding... it stops a criminal from easily being able to grab them.. just like the cropped ears.. not much to grab, harder to catch the dog. Different breeds are docked for different reasons.
6. The folklore is that it helps them hunt, fight, and herd. That has been conclusively shown to be false and is in fact a hindrance. Besides that, the vast majority of dogs no longer can do the job they were designed for anyway (how many poodles do you see retrieving game birds?). However, standards written with that old mindset are still used, so serious breeders have no choice but to do it or their dogs lose out in the conformation (beauty) contest.