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Lets see your dock!

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I like the length of Oji's dock, but it was a botched crop. Not sure exactly what went wrong, but I do know it was docked using the banding method. It's got a major bald tip and the tail actually narrows toward the end like there was some atrophy or something. That nasty grey tip hurts when it hits you in the leg.
My previous Dobe's tail was longer than I like, but it actually came in handy. When he would get the leash fouled up between his rear legs I'd just pick his back end up by his tail and set him to the side, freeing the leash.


I'm here admiring his coat! It's so shiny and gorgeous :dobe:
 
Drake has a shorter dock, my preference BTW
Beating the heat.webp
Drake has his Albert expression on in this pic. ;) @JanS how many times have you seen that look on Albert?

Greta had a terrible dock, didn't help with the Weim confusion...
always the hunter.webp

Gigi's is a bit long for me. She has a weird tail, can't tell in this pic but it is sort of bushy on the end.

are you supposed to be there.webp
 
Cute butt! Sorry to hear that he had a botch job, poor boy! He's still ubber cute botch job or not! :)
I think some of what are considered botches is when the stitches get knocked out before they're healed or if they happen to hit right on a joint.
Drake has his Albert expression on in this pic. ;) @JanS how many times have you seen that look on Albert?
Wow you're right, they do look a lot alike there, right down to the expression.
 
I love Dobie butts! They are adorable! The nubs are the best part ❤️

Aria has a beautiful dock. 2 digit, which is recommended standard length
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Faith's is 2 digit.
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Archer has a 5 digit dock. Not sure what his breeder's vet was thinking...
He was a puppy here. He's standing on an incline, so hie topline is off
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^^ cute stubby or nub as you call it!

Seeing as we swayed a little towards the cute butt, though I'd share this cute backside of Kobi at 8 weeks

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Hehe!

So here's a question - do you have any input on the length of the dock when buying a pup from a breeder? And at how many weeks is the procedure done? Just wondering, if the breeder made all the final decisions, that's all.
 
^^ cute stubby or nub as you call it!

Seeing as we swayed a little towards the cute butt, though I'd share this cute backside of Kobi at 8 weeks

View attachment 61392

Hehe!

So here's a question - do you have any input on the length of the dock when buying a pup from a breeder? And at how many weeks is the procedure done? Just wondering, if the breeder made all the final decisions, that's all.
I think that's usually on the breeder I could be wrong, but they are docked a couple days after birth.
 
yes, from what i understand the dock is done shortly after birth, along with dewclaws if they're being done (lol I was recently reading on this) therefore the breeder/vet performing the procedure would decide on thength. In Mischas litter, all of the puppies were the same length. I would assume if you are buying a pup from a litter that isn't born yet you could request the length... In planning my next pup (not for about 3 years) ive even already discussed length with my future breeder not sure if that's the norm or my future breeder is just extra nice ;)
 
Ah, I see!

Yes, so if you plan to have a pup from a litter sometime in the near future you could quite possibly have some input into the desired length of tail docking with discussion with the breeder. Or at least look into the history of the breeder to get a feel with what sort of length they have previously gone by.
 
What makes a breeder choose a longer dock (like a Weimaraner)? I guess I always assumed it was skill level of person docking whether they got the "correct" dock.

But maybe it's preference?


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What makes a breeder choose a longer dock (like a Weimaraner)? I guess I always assumed it was skill level of person docking whether they got the "correct" dock.

But maybe it's preference?


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It might be preference of the breeder? I've heard some say north American dobes tend to have the longer dock and euros tend to be shorter.

@FredC input? Not sure who else here has experience breeding.
 
^^ cute stubby or nub as you call it!

Seeing as we swayed a little towards the cute butt, though I'd share this cute backside of Kobi at 8 weeks

View attachment 61392

Hehe!

So here's a question - do you have any input on the length of the dock when buying a pup from a breeder? And at how many weeks is the procedure done? Just wondering, if the breeder made all the final decisions, that's all.
Tails are done at 2-3 days of age. There is no option to tail length, nor should there really be. It's the same as ear crop, you're stuck with what the breeder did. Typically the breeder doesn't have a choice on dock length, unless they do their own tails, but can make a request as to the length to the docking vet. Imho, a Doberman tail should not be docked short like a Rottweiler tail, working dog/Euro or not. The breed is not meant to have a short dock on either end of the pond. It's not meant to have a long dock (sport dock) either. Breed standard calls for " a dock at the 2nd joint that apears to be a continuation of the spine". FCI calls for the same standard.
 
What makes a breeder choose a longer dock (like a Weimaraner)? I guess I always assumed it was skill level of person docking whether they got the "correct" dock.

But maybe it's preference?


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Breeders don't typically choose, unless they do it themselves. So, it's ignorance on the Vet's end. When you are a vet who docks, you should know proper length of dock for for each breed standard. Show breeders usually have a vet they take their pups to and are more particular on dock length.
 
Breeders don't typically choose, unless they do it themselves. So, it's ignorance on the Vet's end. When you are a vet who docks, you should know proper length of dock for for each breed standard

Okay, I thought it had to do with the experience of the person docking.

So how do I know how many digits Kaia's is. Hers is definitely shorter but not as short as my rotties was.
 
Tails are done at 2-3 days of age. There is no option to tail length, nor should there really be. It's the same as ear crop, you're stuck with what the breeder did. Typically the breeder doesn't have a choice on dock length, unless they do their own tails, but can make a request as to the length to the docking vet. Imho, a Doberman tail should not be docked short like a Rottweiler tail, working dog/Euro or not. The breed is not meant to have a short dock on either end of the pond. It's not meant to have a long dock (sport dock) either. Breed standard calls for " a dock at the 2nd joint that apears to be a continuation of the spine". FCI calls for the same standard.

Thanks for the info! Very informative :)
 
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If you were asking about the owner Ainsley is correct but if you're asking from a breeder's perspective the answer is somewhat different..

Some vets don't give you a choice oddly those are the ones that seem to prefer longer Weim docks. However if you're veterinarian does not offer a choice of length and does tails at a length you don't like you simply find a vet that will accommodate your preference. Same with the ears. To say the tails should be uniform is as absurd as saying all dobermans should have the same crop. One of the reasons I prefer the European Doberman over its American counterpart is because the tails are docked shorter typically, i just perfer the look personally. The majority of IDC judges seem to prefer the look too.

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Tails are A piece of the breeders signature.
 
What makes a breeder choose a longer dock (like a Weimaraner)? I guess I always assumed it was skill level of person docking whether they got the "correct" dock.

But maybe it's preference?


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Some veterinarians just don't know any better.
 
It would be tough unless the breeder is willing to do the whole litter the same length since you won't know which pup is right for you until they're old enough to be evaluated.

That's so true. That was a duh moment for me!
 
Just so I could speak intelligently to the people that want to give me lip about cropping and docking, I asked to watch both the docking and cropping procedures. I would say that for the most part, the dock is a judgement call. At 2-3 days old, it is really hard to see and feel the vertebrae. I think they lean a little long because mom may do a little too much licking in an effort to clean her pups. You can always have them fixed when the ears are done.
Another interesting thing I learned was not all vertebrae are the same. Just like you see a dobe that has a natural tail may be thicker or it may curl more. So a dog may be docked correctly and it may be shorter or longer depending on the size, length of the vertebrae.
 

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