Ear and tail docking involve surgically removing part of a dog’s ears or tail. This practice, which has been around for centuries, originally aimed to prevent injuries in hunting and working dogs.

Editor’s note: Dr. Lee Pickett has retired, but Creators continues to distribute columns from her archive. This one is from 2022. Q: Our Rottweiler has a docked tail, as do many dogs in the U.S. While ...

At one time, dogs weren’t pets. Instead, they had jobs and consequently had a docked tail. Dogs worked on farms and in the military and helped with hunting, fighting, ratting, and baiting. That’s not ...

Canada’s province of Quebec recently passed an animal welfare and safety act that will ban some cosmetic surgeries on dogs and cats. Effective Feb. 10, 2024, non-essential cosmetic procedures — ...

I am thinking about getting a schnauzer puppy. A friend of mine has one with a natural tail. Should I get one with a docked tail like in the dog-breed books? I can't make up my mind. Make us a ...

Dogs that have undergone medical procedures to alter the shape of their ears or the length of their tails seem to acquire a certain combative appearance and there is some new data which suggests that ...

Ear and tail cropping in dogs has always started debates among dog lovers, vets, and breeders. For some people, this practice makes a dog look strong, sharp, or neat. For others, it is nothing more ...