Caring for Dogs With Short or No Tails
Dogs born without tails or with very short tails are typically just as healthy and happy as any other dog. There is really no special care needed for these tailless puppies. In fact, a dog without a tail may even be easier to care for than one with a long tail, as owners don’t need to worry about their dog’s tail getting caught on anything or about the fur on the tail becoming tangled or matted.
One issue owners of tailless or short-tailed dogs may face is reading their dog’s body language. Dogs use their tails to communicate with humans and other dogs. A loose, low wagging tail, for instance, means a dog is happy. A dog also uses its tail to communicate fear by tucking it underneath its body.
Also, while a wagging tail usually signals a dog is happy, it can also be a sign that a dog feels uncomfortable or even preparing to attack. When a dog wags its tail, it will wag in a loose sweep with the tail in a low position. Conversely, if a dog is displaying dominant behavior, it will often hold its tail high in a still position or with just the tip of the tail wagging back and forth.
Without this communication method, dogs born without tails may have difficulty being understood by both humans and other dogs. Because of this, owners of tailless or short-tailed dogs must take extra care to recognize their dogs’ body language by looking at other features of their body such as their eyes, ears, and overall body position.
The Natural Bobbed Tail
Australian Shepherd dogs are one of only a few breeds that can boast the rare feature of a naturally bobbed tail. While not every Australian Shepherd dog is naturally tailless, about one in five Aussies are born without a tail. The natural occurring bobbed tail is hard to distinguish from a manufactured bob but read on to learn a little bit about the differences between the natural bobbed tail and those created by the practice of tail docking.
What Creates the natural bobbed tail?
The natural bobbed tail is a recessive gene within the Australian Shepherd dog breed genetic code. This genetic mutation curbs the tail, naturally creating a shortened tail that is only about one or two vertebrae in length.
The recessive gene responsible for the naturally occurring bobbed tail of an Australian Shepherd dog is the T gene mutation, also known as the C189G gene. This genetic trait exists within every Australian Shepherd pup, and those puppies who are born with a bobbed tail have one copy of this gene. While not every Aussie pup exhibits the C189G gene mutation, every Aussie possesses the ability to pass on the recessive gene.
When genetic code is being written for a new puppy, there are three possibilities for whether or not the bobbed tail will naturally occur. The options are as follows:
Although there are only three genetic outcomes for an Australian Shepherd puppy’s tail formation, it is interesting to note that only 20% of Aussies have a naturally occurring bobbed tail. Similarly, only about one in five dogs in the Aussie breed will be born with a merle coat. The merle coat is a similarly recessive gene, although the merle gene mutation does not carry the same dire effects.
Puppy Born with 6 Legs and 2 Tails Is Thriving
While many dog breeds seem to have no tails, some of these breeds get this look via tail docking. There are dogs that are born without tails, so if you want to have a tail-less dog and avoid the practice of tail docking, this list will help you. Some dogs are born without any tail, while others may have very short tails.
Dogs that have docked tails are dogs that have had their tail either amputated when older or removed with a rubber band at a few days of age. This practice has been banned in many countries. Since this procedure tends to be done without anesthesia, it is generally painful and is considered animal cruelty in many jurisdictions.
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This dog used to have a long tail that was docked. When tail docking was banned in Croatia, breeders began selecting for shorter tails so the breed would still have the short tail.
This French breed has the same tail mutation as the Brittany Spaniel. They are most commonly bred in the United States and may be called a short-tail pointer.
The Pembroke Welsh corgi has been bred to have a short tail in areas where tail docking has been banned. If you are in the United States, the AKC still encourages tail docking for this breed.