Legislation

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Cropping and docking surgeries are controversial elective procedures that are heavily debated in the dog world and criminalized in some places. Traditionally, many herding breeds have their tails docked to avoid having them stepped on by livestock. Some guardian breeds (Dobermanns, Rottweilers, etc.) have their tails docked to prevent them from being grabbed by intruders. Pointers have their tails docked to aid in pointing, to prevent it from making noise in the brush, and to prevent injuring their tail by whipping it on trees. Ear cropping is performed on baiting and guarding breeds to prevent assailants or predators from grabbing the ears to gain advantage in a fight. Proponents of docking and cropping argue that these traditional procedures are essential to preserving the breeds and performing their jobs, but opponents of these procedures argue that they are archaic and unnecessary. This page aims to discuss and evaluate the costs and benefits of these procedures so that you can decide whether to support or oppose the continuation of these practices, the breeding of these dogs, and/or legislation banning these surgeries.

Tail Docking

Tail docking is not painful for puppies (it is done at about 2-3 days old), but it also is not necessary for dogs who will just be pets. It is traditionally performed on working dogs and gundogs to prevent their tail from being trampled by livestock, grabbed by predators, or split open on trees and brush. It also helps reduce noise in the woods and helps with pointing. In other words, it is more ethical to dock the tail during early puppyhood (before the spinal cord finishes developing) than it is to work the dog with an intact tail and risk the occurrence of these injuries. Pet dogs do not need their tails cropped, but ethical breeders prove their dogs in show and field trials, and it is impossible to tell at two days old which puppies will be show and field champions, so it is better to dock all of the puppies than none of them. If the AKC would stop penalizing undocked dogs, then at least show breeders could stop having this procedure done. However, if we are to continue using dogs to herd sheep, guard livestock, and hunt birds, then docking these breeds is more ethical than leaving their tails intact and asking them to perform these jobs.

Ear Cropping

Ear cropping is traditionally performed on hunting, baiting, and guardian breeds to prevent pursued animals from tearing the ears. Cropping is done at 8-12 weeks of age under anesthesia. Puppies with von Willebrand's Disease should not be cropped because it can be dangerous, but two carriers of this disease should not be bred in the first place. The posting process (for show crops) is far more uncomfortable than the surgical procedure and healing process, but posting can provide a source of impulse control training for puppies. Laser surgery has a lower risk of pain and infection, but it also makes ear posting more likely to fail due to reduced scarring, so it should only be used for dogs with shorter crops. The risk of complications is very low, though, and cropped ears are no more or less likely to develop ear infections than natural ears; besides, it is the owner's responsibility to keep the ears clean regardless of whether they are cropped or natural. Proponents of ear cropping say it is functionally necessary, completely harmless, gives the dog the traditional look of their breed, and even helps with sound localization. Opponents say it is cruel, unnecessary, and interferes with the dog's communication via ear position; this last point is only valid, however, when applied to very short crops, because longer crops are more expressive than floppy ears (wolves and other wild canids do not have floppy ears). Whether you support or oppose ear cropping, it is literally equivalent to circumcising a male human baby. So if you are anti-cropping but not opposed to circumcision, you need to rethink your position on at least one of them.