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Aussie Tails

by Carmon Roy
(Fairbanks, Alaska)

I noticed that European Aussies have their tails, are there breeders in the US that have puppies with tails?

Comments for Aussie Tails

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Aussie Tails
by: jcrply

Some breeders in the US will not cut the tail on your pup if you pay ahead of time. This means choosing your pup when the pups are about 3 days old because that's when the tails are docked.

Multi tails
by: Rob

While not an answer to the question - we got an aussie shep puppy from a breeder here in Victoria Australia. The breeder had a litter of five puppies - 3 had tails, 2 didn't. (We ended up with a docked tail Aussie.) I always figured the tail/no tail was a natural genetic thing and part of the breed.

The docked tail is utterly cute by the way... she gets a full bum wiggle going when the stump is wagging. :)

Tails and Stumps
by: Nancy

I live in Washington State and I did a heavy search across the country for one that had a tail. I personally don't like the stub. Although, I have to say after a year and a half she is cute wiggling her butt and I call her stubby and wiggles for love names. I personally think they would look better with tails. There is nothing better than seeing a tail wag. I was told they do it so cows or other herding animals don't step on the tail but I think most people don't use them in that fashion anymore. 3 days old is not even an option for me as you have no idea yet what the personality of the dog will be. With that said, I wish more breeders would take a chance and keep the tail. I bet they're cute as can be! : )

Tails
by: Rob

Are you guys telling me that some breeders dock the tails?

As I said above, I was lead to believe that the breed comes both with and without a tail.

To Rob
by: Nancy

I have yet to find a breeder that does not dock their tales by 3rd day of birth. : (

If you find one, I would be shocked!

To Rob
by: Anonymous

I could be wrong, but my understanding is that some aussies are born with long tails or with tails of varying lengths. One with a stubby tail is referred to as a "natural bob". Just what I heard.

NBT
by: Rob

According to Wiki, Aussies do come with naturally bobbed tails, NBT.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Shepherd#Tail

So if a breeder is docking them, then they must believe that it's a preferable feature/asset.

If the Aussie isn't actually working and rounding up cattle/sheep, I can't see why breeders would want to dock the tail. Google up some images of Aussie sheps - they look gorgeous with full blown tails.

Having said that, my Zola is just adorable with her natural bob tail.

I guess this still doesn't answer the original poster's question, but I suppose if people ask breeders specifically for Aussies with tails, they might hold off from docking them.

tails
by: Gayle

Aussies can either have long tails, NBT, or be docked surgically. Docking is illegal in Europe and many other parts of the world.
There are breeders who are not docking in the US. They are mostly performance breeders--agility and obedience. Dogs with tails have better balance which is a big advantage in dog sports. Of course there are other reasons for not docking tails, mainly the unnecessary surgical procedure that really does hurt.

Euro Aussies
by: Anonymous

The reason you see more Aussies with tails in Europe is that in many European countries it is illegal to dock tails. As stated above some aussies are born docked while others in the same litter might be born with tails. The puppies born with tails are docked because thats the AKC standards.

Our aussies have tails
by: Anonymous

We breed aussies for pet not show... We will NOT dock their tails.

Breeders in Michigan
by: Anonymous

Looking for breeders in Michigan who don't dock the tails

Leave the tail on
by: Anonymous

I would love to have an Australian Shepherd with the tail still attached. A big gauge of my Aussie mix dog's comfort/health status is how he holds his tail.

Aussies with tails look beautiful and balanced.

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