Tails: the long and short of it!
Most poodles and Australian shepherds have their tails docked(cut off) and dew claws removed. These procedures are usually performed at 3 days old.
Why are dogs tails docked (cut off)?
To adhere to a breed standard.
A Breed Standard is the description a Breed Club -Such as the AKC (American Kennel Club Poodle and Australian Shepard breeds) creates to describe what they believe to be the 'perfect' looking example of the breed. They can not be shown in conformation shows with a full tail.
To avoid tail damage.
The average family pup is not exposed to the conditions or hazards of a working dog.
A valid reason for docking a tail. Australian Shepherds were raised in the rough western areas of the United States, which, have tough weeds, tall grasses, and plenty of other hazards. Poodles were hunting dogs and would encounter similar conditions. These conditions can lead to torn and bleeding tails, which, can be painful and hard to treat.
Tails are important! Why? Tails are used in communication.
The tail is highly visible and serves as a sort of signal flag that communicates information about the animal's emotional state. Variables such as how high the dog carries his tail, how quickly the dog is moving his tail, and even whether the tail is being wagged more to the left or right side of the body can convey a lot of information about how the dog is feeling, his mood, and even his intentions (click here for more). Dogs with very short tails, either because of the nature of their breed (for example the French Bulldog is born with a little stump of a tail which is about 1 inch in length) or because their tails have been docked, cannot communicate as well and such dogs often have difficulties interacting with other canines (click here for more).
The surface of the dogs' tails have supracaudal scent glands (also called Violet Gland), which helps in intra-species signaling and scent marking – Olfactory signaling. The supracaudal glands or the Violet
glands, in dogs, are found above the 9th caudal vertebra and secretes protein and lipids (molecules includes fats and oils, waxes, phospholipids, steroids). This means when you amputate the tail you are removing part of or all of this vital gland too. The greeting pattern in dogs usually differs from breed to breed, due to the presence or absence of supracaudal scent glands. Since the supracaudal gland supports the olfactory signaling, the absence of the gland causes lack of ear movement , and reduces
tail wagging. This, in turn, causes a change in communicative behavior
Tails are used for balance.
The dog's tail is designed to assist the dog in his balance. When a dog is running and turns quickly he throws the front part of his body in the direction he wants to go. His back then bends but his forward velocity is such that his hind quarters will tend to continue in the original direction. Left unchecked, this movement might result in the dog's rear swinging widely which could greatly slow his rate of movement or even cause the dog to topple over as he tries to make a high speed turn. The dog's tail helps to prevent this. Throwing his tail in the same direction that his body is turning serves as a sort of counter weight which reduces the tendency to spin off course. Tails are also used in swimming as a rudder and counter balance.
Here at Aussiedoodle-MI we leave our puppies intact. We do not dock our puppies’ tails.
Tail docking is banned in many areas in Europe because their citizens
and therefore their governments, view this as cruelty to animals. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/canine-corner/201611/why-do-dogs-have-tails
What do dew do?
Traditionally Poodles and Aussies have had their dew claws (thumbs) completely removed. The reasons we have found for dew claws being removed:
If they are not removed they may get 'caught' on things and torn off.
Poodles and Aussies have functional thumbs while a few breeds do not as should be removed. Functional dew claws are used in steep terrain, for traction in quick turns and to grasp things.
Dew claws are held close to the leg except when running at speed or grasping things like bones to chew so are unlikely to get caught.
by Chris Zink, DVM, PhD (as seen in Dogs In Canada – September 2003) In the last several years, while doing sports-medicine consultations for performance dogs across Canada and the United States, I have seen many canine athletes with carpal arthritis. Interestingly, this condition is much more common in dogs that have had their front dewclaws removed. To understand why, it is helpful to understand the structure of the carpus. This joint consists of seven bones that fit together like fieldstones that are used to build the walls of a house The carpus joins to the radia and ulnar bones (equivalent to our lower arm), and to the metacarpal bones (equivalent to our hand). Each bone of the carpus has a convex or concave side that matches a curve on the adjacent bone. Unlike the bones of the elbow, for example. The elbow bones have ridges that slide into interlocking grooves the bones of the carpus do not have ridges that slide into interlocking grooves on the adjacent bone. The relatively loose fit of the carpal bones is supported by ligaments that join each of the carpal bones to the adjacent bones. With so many carpal bones that don't tightly interlock with the adjacent bones, the ligaments of this joint can be easily stretched and even torn when torque (twisting) is applied to the leg. The dewclaws have the important function of reducing the torque that is applied to the front legs, especially when dogs are turning at a canter (the main gait used in agility). In the canter, there is a moment during each stride when the dog's accessory carpal pad (on the back of the carpus) of the lead front leg touches the ground and the rear legs and other front leg swing forward to prepare for the next stride. At this point, the dewclaw is in contact with the ground and if the dog turns, the dewclaw can dig in for extra traction to prevent unnecessary torque on the front leg. Without the gripping action of the dog's 'thumbs’ there is more stress on the ligaments of the carpus. This may cause the ligaments to stretch and tear over time, resulting in joint laxity and ultimately, arthritis. Therefore we do not remove the dew!