Doberman Tails - These are NOT Weimaraners - Doberman Forum : Doberman Breed Dog Forums

Kansadobe · 04-18-2011, 06:54 PM

When we were getting the puppies ears cropped yesterday, our ear cropping Vet asked us about tail length. She said that she recently docked a litter of tails to the correct length and the "breeder" chewed her out telling her that the tails were too short. She told her that the current fashion was for "longer" tails. This is a personal pet peeve of mine. I hate long tails. From a show standpoint, a long tail only serves to exaggerate any problems the dog may have in the croup area. If they have a short flat croup the tail will tend to be gay. If the croup is long and rounded, a long tail just draws attention to the round croup and low tail set.

From the AKC Standard:

Tail docked at approximately second joint....

From the FCI Standard:

TAIL: It is high set and docked short whereby approximately two tail vertebrae remain visible.

This does not mean a 3 or 4 joint tail. I think that many of the Vets simply do not know what a correct tail length is on a Doberman.

duncdobe · 04-18-2011, 08:53 PM

and it's something I've notice more now that I'm back on the East Coast. It's not something we see a lot of on the West Coast.

It absolutely emphasizes the faults just like you said.

When my vet docked my puppies (west coast) the bitch I kept was docked too long; she has a bit of a gay tail and boy did that longer tail (only 1 joint) made it very obvious. When she was cropped I had him fix the tail and wow what a difference it makes; her tail length is perfect!

I wish they would stop those long docks too!

TucsonDobieOwner · 04-19-2011, 12:31 AM

My last Dobe had a long dock and when he sat down he banged his nub on the floor. It appeared to hurt him. My current dog has plenty of clearance between his nub and the floor. I prefer shorter docked tails, but my opinion is only that of a pet owner's. It is heartening to know there are breeders who prefer the shorter dock also.

the_discowhore · 04-19-2011, 12:36 AM

Is a Rottweiler docked at one vertebrae? I know that I HATE HATE HATE Rottweiler docks on Dobermans, I don't like a gun dog dock on a Dobe either, but prefer that over the tail that can't ever cover the bumhole dock lol

Abby · 04-19-2011, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_discowhore

Is a Rottweiler docked at one vertebrae? I know that I HATE HATE HATE Rottweiler docks on Dobermans, I don't like a gun dog dock on a Dobe either, but prefer that over the tail that can't ever cover the bumhole dock lol

I agree with this, Vegas has just a teeny little bump of a nubbin and I really wish it were longer. Its super awkward when she tries to tuck it down and she just gets a little pucker above her "bumhole" (lol) because the nub just mostly goes *squish.*

MeganUK · 04-19-2011, 08:58 AM

I've noticed a lot of longer docks lately, too. I think I had posted a thread awhile back wondering what was correct. I don't care for the long or the short dock.
Someone at a pet festival told me that Josie's tail was docked way too short (this wasn't even a dobe person!) but Josie's is at the second joint and I think it looks perfect.

eventermal · 04-19-2011, 09:15 AM

I get told that Perrin's dock is too short, too, but its at the second joint. I like it. Guilty has a bit of a longer dock, but its not too bad.

mangujowa · 04-19-2011, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_discowhore

Is a Rottweiler docked at one vertebrae? I know that I HATE HATE HATE Rottweiler docks on Dobermans, I don't like a gun dog dock on a Dobe either, but prefer that over the tail that can't ever cover the bumhole dock lol

Yep--Niz has the butthole flap dock. It's really sad lol, but he can basically make his tail disappear when he clamps it down. He can't really wag it, but we watch for movement in that area

. I prefer short docks over long docks, though--just not "butt flap" kind of short. >__>

Murreydobe · 04-19-2011, 10:03 AM

I don't like overly long tails, but I think the most unattractive tail of all is one that's too short. I don't care where someone docks a tail, if the dog looks like it has virtually no tail at all, then it's too short! You can't reattach tail after it's gone, and it's always possible to redock at ear cropping time.

What I've seen is there are variations in tail length even when they're docked around the second joint. I had two bitches here in past years, both docked the same way by the same vet. One had a tail considerably longer than the other-she was a long, lanky girl in general, and obviously had more space between vertebrates.

GingerGunlock · 04-19-2011, 10:10 AM

I like the second joint dock, not the Rottweiler dock, as mentioned above. It seems like I see the "Rottweiler dock" on a lot of breeder websites. Or perhaps it's an indication of quality, in that case.

brw1982 · 04-19-2011, 10:13 AM

I've noticed longer docks too. I don't care for gun dog docks or the bear nub / butt flap docks.

I really like Fi and Tali's docks. They're both just right, IMO.

Also, Megan, I like Josie's dock. I think it's the ideal length, too. It doesn't look any shorter or longer than Fi's or Tali's. It's just right if you ask me!

ETA...I was just talking about this but I think Fiona's dock looked longer when she was a little pup. She was around 6-months old when I noticed it started to look more the 'correct' length. Is it common for pups to sort-of grow into their nubs like they do their crops?

Even in pics of her as a baby her nub looks longer than now that she's bigger and started filling out.

Faireview · 04-19-2011, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brw1982

ETA...I was just talking about this but I think Fiona's dock looked longer when she was a little pup. She was around 6-months old when I noticed it started to look more the 'correct' length. Is it common for pups to sort-of grow into their nubs like they do their crops?

Even in pics of her as a baby her nub looks longer than now that she's bigger and started filling out.

Yes, I noticed that with Chase, too. As a pup, I thought his dock was really long and looked funny. Some people on here even commented on it. Now that he's a bigger guy, it looks SO, SO, SO much better! I'm a little OCD and fixate on stuff like that, so it drove me nuts when he was little!

**dax0402** · 04-19-2011, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brw1982

I've noticed longer docks too. I don't care for gun dog docks or the bear nub / butt flap docks.

I really like Fi and Tali's docks. They're both just right, IMO.

Also, Megan, I like Josie's dock. I think it's the ideal length, too. It doesn't look any shorter or longer than Fi's or Tali's. It's just right if you ask me!

ETA...I was just talking about this but I think Fiona's dock looked longer when she was a little pup. She was around 6-months old when I noticed it started to look more the 'correct' length. Is it common for pups to sort-of grow into their nubs like they do their crops?

Even in pics of her as a baby her nub looks longer than now that she's bigger and started filling out.

I am so glad you brought this up because I was wondering this also. We only have 1 photo of Baron as a puppy and a short video. We are sure the puppy in the video is Baron and the tail looks so much longer.

waiting · 04-19-2011, 06:13 PM

I have been noticing the longer docks as well. No thank you. Totally agree with your statements. Either cut it proper or leave it alone!!

Mephistophelian · 04-19-2011, 06:17 PM

I like the shorter (second vert) dock. Aksel's litter was all docked at the same time and i assume by the same person. I think he was the only one from his litter to get a re-dock because it just didn't heal properly. I LOVE the length of his tail and it fits his body nicely but I also like the tails on the other littermates I've seen. Now that they're all grown up its hard to tell difference, they definitely grew into them.
At the dog park a while ago there was another dobe with a much longer dock, the owner said it said it bothered him to sit or it he jammed it into something. Is this not the same with Weims then?

Fitz.kara · 04-19-2011, 09:12 PM

ugh I HATE THE LONG TAILS!!!!

i personally like a short nubbin-even the show dobes I see at local shows are too long for my liking. Elsa has a perfect tail length for me. not too long, not too short.

JNKHANGMAN · 11-19-2012, 06:46 PM

Thanks, the female pups tail is at the 1st joint. The two males are at 2nd. I am concerned
that being that short could lead to issues? Maybe I am just now at my age thinking more of quality. We have had two females over the last 19 years. Cost was an issue then, quality was not. Now that we are older and successful, quality is an issue, cost is not. The breeder is very nice, not sure how much experience they have. We are in a situation to fill a void in our family due to Maggie's sudden death at age 10. She was such a great companion and guardian. Just not alot of choice here in Central Indiana at this time.

NINKOjIN · 11-19-2012, 08:16 PM

My dog stabs people with his nub as he sits on their feet, leg, whatever.

It actually hurts sometimes, lol.

However, I'm not entirely sure what the length is. I know it's not short like a rotty, but it's definitely not as long as I've seen on some. So guessing in the middle.

BenVera · 11-19-2012, 08:37 PM

The first pic is of Tessa's tail, which I believe (and please correct me if I'm wrong) was amputated at the second joint. It doesn't help that it's low-set, but when she's alert, it does look a tad longer. In my opinion, it's too short, but I've seen many Euro dobes with tails this length.

These two pics are of Levi, who had a tail at the perfect length, IMO. Would y'all agree it was amputated at the third joint?

Rallypup87 · 11-19-2012, 08:42 PM

could someone post more pics so I could see the difference from the side of a correctly docked tail. I think my boys may be a tad long.

monicaei · 11-19-2012, 08:44 PM

I'd say that first pic is after the first joint, not second (but a side view would be easier) And yeah I think the other pic is third joint. In between those 2 pics is ideal, but I'm no expert.

Sam1491 · 11-19-2012, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rallypup87

could someone post more pics so I could see the difference from the side of a correctly docked tail. I think my boys may be a tad long.

Correct is a tad difficult to define...imo, you know what joint to dock it at ("approximately" according to akc standard as stated above) but that doesn't mean you can't still have variable looking length from fat pads on the end of some and not others, tail thickness, and overall proportion to the body...

BenVera · 11-19-2012, 08:49 PM

Sorry, I should have clarified. I meant that it was amputated at the end of the first joint before the second joint and Levi's tail at end of second joint before the third joint.

Quote:

Originally Posted by monicaei

I'd say that first pic is after the first joint, not second (but a side view would be easier) And yeah I think the other pic is third joint. In between those 2 pics is ideal, but I'm no expert.

Here's a side shot of Levi (taken by Michelle Santana):

And of Tessa:

Her conformation is so poor anyway that it really doesn't matter where her tail was cut, but I think it might have helped if it were just a bit longer. I love her all the same!

monicaei · 11-19-2012, 08:56 PM

Levi's tail looks perfect, to me, in that shot.

Tessa's tail gives her character.

. I like dogs with personality, even "butt personality".

JerryDog · 11-25-2012, 12:05 AM

Redocking an adult is very painful. Sadly, it is necessary in some cases - I had to redock a rescue adult whose long tail stayed cracked and open and sore from sitting on the end.

Those "trailer hitch" tails, gazelle necks and mule ears all make for a "purdy" show dog, but they SCREAM "not a working dog". Sure, you CAN work a dog with a flimsy neck, but is it fair to the dog? In old age arthritis may well be a severe problem IF the dog has "oomph" in the bite work.

The doberman is supposed to be... a utilitarian breed. He should look the part!