Is it illegal to buy a docked dog?
In short, no. Unless the owner has asked for the dog to be docked or done the docking themselves then there is no legal recourse against them.
Which dog breeds have docked tails?
The ones we are most familiar dog breeds with docked tails include Australian Shepherd, Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog, Brittany Spaniel, Danish Swedish Farmdog, Jack Russell Terrier, Schipperke, and Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Many of those are due to a gene mutation called C189G. Their tails were bred off them.
A ringed or curly tail, as the name implies, tends to curl over the dog’s back in a spiral or curlicue. Dogs that usually have ringed tails include Samoyeds, akitas, chow chows, and shiba inus. A sickled tail is a type of curly tail, but it tends to be a less defined curl. Some breeds known for having sickled tails include Siberian huskies, and other breeds that are associated with cold climates (in cold weather, these dogs can curl up with their heavy tails wrapped around them, or even covering their noses). In corkscrew tails, the ring is extended into a spiral shape. This type of tail is caused by a vertebrae deformity, so unlike sickled or ringed tails which dogs can straighten according to their mood, corkscrew tails stay in one curled position. Pugs and bulldogs tend to have corkscrew tails.
The tail can also help a dog maintain his balance and move around swiftly and quickly.
Pulling a dog’s tail can result in avulsion injuries, or nerve damage. This can be a serious injury as it can affect not only the nerves that control tail movement, but also those that control elimination, which can lead to incontinence. It should go without saying, but never pull a dog’s tail, or allow a child or other person to pull their tail.
How a dog’s tail works can also depend on its shape. Just as there are many different breeds of dogs – according to the AKC, 195 registered as of September 2020 – there are different types of tails, too. Some dogs have short tails, some have long tails, some have curly tails, and some even have no tail at all, whether by breeding, or due to the practice of docking.
Slow, stiff wag: If you’re seeing a very slow wag, and the rest of the body is very still, it can mean that a dog is uncertain, anxious, or insecure, or can be a warning sign of potential aggression. As behaviorist and author Patricia McConnell writes, if a dog stands still, stiff-bodied and immobile except for a tail wagging slowly back and forth, it’s a big red flag that says to stop whatever you’re doing. “Tail wags that only involve the tail are often the canine equivalent of (human) smiles that only engage the mouth,” she says. They are NOT honest indicators of a happy dog, and are often a sign of potential danger.”
Interpret Dog Tail Wags: How to Understand Dog’s Body Language
It is a simple fact: dogs wag their tails. The wagging tail is a communication tool in the canine world, so a dog that does not wag his tail is a dog with a problem.
The tail is an important part of a dog`s anatomy and is actually an extension of the spine. The bones of the tail (vertebrae) are bigger at the base and get smaller toward the tip. Soft discs cushion the spaces between the vertebrae and allow flexibility. The tail muscle and nerves facilitate tail movement. This complex tail structure of bone, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels can easily be injured.