So, is a Doberman with ears and tail less of a Doberman? No, I wouldn't say that at all. Temperament and personality are sure to still be intact. But for that signature look, changes are made.
Arguably, Louis Dobermann had these looks in mind, and had he been able to produce a dog with a natural bob tail, and naturally standing ears, he would have. Some have tried to work towards it (I've heard mentions of an outcross to Pharoah Hounds having been tried), but sometimes things like that just don't work out; there's a Doberman body type to be adhered to, and even if you got the ears, something else might go awry, such as the shape of the head, or the brisket. Something's gotta give.
There's a lot of discussion about the benefits of ear cropping, most of it, I'm sure, hearsay. Back when Dobermann was first breeding Dobermans, it could be that the short ear prevented injuries during working, or in the event of a dog fight, and less injury meant less chance of infection. I've also heard it said that the open ear that is achieved by cropping makes for fewer ear infections in general, but I've also heard owners of natural eared Dobermans say that they don't have problems with ear infections. I've heard that the standing ear is optimal for working purposes, so that the flop of the ear does not muffle hearing. I would attribute sources to these statements, but I don't really have any; in my year + of Internet Doberman reading, I've seen a lot of people say a lot of things, recycling statements here and there.
It may seem strange for me to support something that, when it comes down to it, seems like a cosmetic surgery. Certainly I'm not a fan of say, neuticles, unless it gets somebody who would not otherwise be able to handle or appropriately manage an intact male dog to neuter. I'm not in support of the declawing of cats, which removes a portion of bone from each of their toes. So, why cropping and docking?
When you buy a breed, you buy into its looks as well as its personality. I love the Doberman look. Dobermans with cropped ears, I'm told, have an easier time getting adopted out of rescue. Dobermans with cropped ears, in theory, came from a breeder who took the time to make sure that was taken care of before the dogs left their care. Dogs who end up with broken tails, or Happy Tail Syndrome (yes, this is a thing) end up docked anyway, and at an adult age, it's a genuine amputation that requires anesthetics and pain management, plus the Cone of Shame. A puppy docked at three days does not have the completed nerve connections for it to be a major blip on their developmental radar. Happy Tail is fairly rare, I'm sure, but it's on the table.
All in all, Elka seemed to mind being spayed far more than she minded having her ears cropped. We had pain management for both, but the painkillers after her spaying made her trippy and visibly uncomfortable. She had a big incision, and a cone. Her ears? After we emplaced "no scratch", she didn't bother them at all, didn't shake her head, and fell asleep when we retaped them. I'm not a breeder, though, and did not want to deal with managing a female dog in heat. So, spaying was what made the most sense for us.
I have a post on cropping Poodle tails and you have no idea the hostile comments I get, but to me it isn't a Poodle without the shortened tail and foof at the end. I'm sure most Doberman owners feel the same. Tail docking is just a minor snip for puppies.
ReplyDeleteI had a red doberman for 9 years; she had floppy ears and a nub of a tail so short you couldn't see it unless she was wagging. I have no idea what her first owners were thinking, they did the tail wrong & left the ears alone. I guess it was better that they stopped, because they probably would have done the ears badly too. Good thing they gave her up before they screwed up her temperament.
DeleteThe other good thing was that people thought she was a redbone coonhound so I didn't have to deal with anti-doberman prejudice until after they met her and found out how sweet she was. I do like the look of the cropped and docked doberman, but I don't mind the natural look either. She never had a problem with ear infections, but Maggie has had a few with her little "flying nun" ears.
@Jan I've never even thought about poodle tails, I don't think I knew they were docked! What I'd really like to see is more poodles with corded coats. I only heard about that last year, but they look really cool!
Delete@ 2 Punk Dogs I do like them to have a tail at all! Docking at the second joint is what the standard is supposed to be for the Doberman; I do see a lot of "too short" tails, though! Elka hasn't yet had any ear infections, but my coworker's dog, an American Bulldog with floppy ears, has them all the time.
Hi Y'all,
ReplyDeleteHeck, I've got no opinion 'cause I never had to have anything cropped. I would guess it isn't much different from circumcision for a human male. You don't hear hostile comments about THAT! or do you? I don't know.
I do know, years ago, my Human had a standard Poodle and the dog arrived with docked tail. She also had a Great Dane pup that arrived with ears done but still in bandages. She told me she probably wouldn't do it if she had to pay for it herself. But she has no objection to it either.
On the positive, flop ears tend to get more ear infection problems than erect ears...so there is that consideration too.
Y'all come by now,
Hawk aka BrownDog
Oh, I think there's a lot of circumcision talk, too. They just tried to ban it in San Francisco; they also just discovered it may help prevent HIV transmission. So who knows?
DeleteThe ear infection thing is something I've heard off and on; I'm willing to believe it, really, but was hesitant to declare it!
Zeus came to me tail docked & floppy ears.. while I do adore that nubbin tail, I also quite miss what would have been his original length tail swishing =D I won't get his ears cropped ever, but I won't mind a naturally erect or already cropped Schnauzer in future!
ReplyDeleteDobies are very very regal and 'handsome' with their cropped ears..
I don't think I realized until recently that Schnauzer ears could go either way! It's funny, sometimes, the breeds that are cropped, aren't cropped, and are sometimes cropped. Boxers, for instance; I think they're okay floppy. Great Danes, I like them either way.
DeleteDobermans? Cropped. Plus, Elka moves her ears around all the time like radar.
Great post! Some breeds I prefer natural ears such as Great Danes, Boxers and Schnauzers but I do like the cropped Doberman look! I almost always prefer natural tails, but as you said big dogs seem to have no control over what that wagging beast knocks over! I love breeders who, if you are on their waiting list and want one from that litter, will leave the ears/tail natural if you request it
ReplyDeleteDachshund Nola's Mommy
It does seem like more breeders are allowing their dogs to go all natural! Some still don't, if only against the possibility of having the dog returned and having to rehome.
DeleteAs an owner with a rescue dog that came from a really crappy breeder who as a result got a really crappy docking and who will forever have a certain amount of pain and discomfort, I'm just not cool with docking. There aren't enough good breeders to make m think it's worth the risk of all the bad breeders doing it wrong.
ReplyDeleteTo me, docking all dogs of a breed because some will get injured is like saying that all women should get a mastectomy because a number of us will get breast cancer eventually. For example, Happy Tail is a common greyhound problem, but they don't dock to prevent it.
I definitely understand when it comes to working dogs or those whose activities put them at risk, but for the average pet dog whose biggest danger is that they won't get the sunny spot on the couch? I just don't see the necessity. Have you ever seen an infected docking? I have several times from improper dockings - done without pain killers, without antibiotics - all from what I would have *thought* were responsible breeders. Breeders who have been "doing it for years" and then surrendered these pups with poor docks as "unsaleable". Of the dogs that come through our rescue doors with docked tails, our vet estimates that almost 75% have been docked incorrectly or have docks that healed badly (Large scars, uneven skin coverage, fragmented chunks of bone.) I guess I've just seen too often how it can go wrong and I don't see the benefit for a dog that doesn't need it for safety reasons. Just my opinion. I know many disagree.
I'm not really sure injury vs. cancer is a comparison I dig, but I do see what you're saying.
DeleteOstensibly, a dog should be docked by a VET, not the breeder, and there are probably laws in place that cover that (medical procedure). Of course, the onus of aftercare is on the breeder, who might only be seeing dollar signs. Or the vet might be inexperienced or just plain not good at it in the first place.
I thank you for commenting. I do know that not everybody is going to agree with me, an that there are also people who have YEARS of experience ahead of me, and that it isn't all sunshine and lollypops. So again, thank you.
We like our breed both ways. U.S. Airedales have docked tails, but many of our overseas relatives have natural tails. We love them all!
ReplyDeleteWyatt and Stanzie