Types of Weimaraner Tails

What are the different styles of Weimaraner tails? Well, there is natural, long tailed Weimaraner or docked tailed Weimaraner.

All Weimaraners are born with long tails. Tails provide the dog with streamline support as they run; and balance as they use their strength and agility to do what they were born to do! Run, chase, retrieve, herd and play!

when does tail docking matter? Or does it?

Tail docking in many dog breeds was a trend set in 1950 by the American pedigree standards for show dogs. It was purely for cosmetic reasons to give the dog a proper line when in show stance and therefore making the dog more suitable to the most desirable breeding opportunities. Therefore, it was believed; the result would produce the best qualities in the offspring and promote the reputation of the breeder.

What You Don’t Know About Dog Tail Docking Will Surprise You

Ancient Roman’s Docked Dog Tails to Prevent Rabies

They also docked dog’s tails  “Because the tail was believed to help a dog in the chase, dogs were historically docked if they were owned by a poor person not permitted to hunt game.² (Ironically, it is sometimes argued that docking increases a dog’s strength or speed.³)” and to prevent injury to the dog’s tail. https://www.avma.org/about/canine-tail-docking.aspx/canine-tail-docking-faq

Tail Docking In Hunting Breeds is Practical

It is believed that the longer tails on hunting dogs that are truely used for hunting, put the dog at risk of undo tail injury, from prey, from underbrush and are constantly unkept HTTPS://WWW.AVMA.ORG/ABOUT/CANINE-TAIL-DOCKING.ASPX/CANINE-TAIL-DOCKING-FAQ

Is Tail Docking Painful?

Most references I read do claim tail docking is painful. It is a procedure done in the neonatal period when the puppies are very young, just born . The procedure involves cutting the bone, which is actually the dog’s spine. Once fully healed, the dog will have a near-normal life.

However, the healing phase may not be so straight forward. Puppies who undergo tail docking procedures can get serious spinal infections which could be fatal if not caught in time. There is also no guarantee that the docked tail will heal in an esthetically pleasing way. The hair will usually grow to cover the scaring, but to the close eye, there may be apparent patches or bald spots, because fur will not re-grow through scared tissue.

I would like to think that trained veterinarians are the only ones doing these procedures and only if necessary. I want to believe that veterinarian practice has evolved enough over decades to provide adequate pain control for these procedures. Because just like with human babies, research with puppies indicates that extreme pain in puppyhood changes the way the dog’s brain works and can lead to lasting developmental issues, including bonding to care givers.

How Many Weimaraners Out There Still Have Docked Tails?

Care to share if your Weimaraner has a docked or natural tail? Me first: Titan had a docked tail. It was still healing when we took him home at 8 weeks old. He healed fine, with a bald spot in in the center of his tail that was not very obvious. We were lucky, not everyone is. This was 20 years ago, and breed standards and societal trends are changing.

American and Canadian Veterinarian Associations are trying to have pedigree standards for docked tails stopped.

Reference

https://www.avma.org/about/canine-tail-docking.aspx/canine-tail-docking-faq