Why do jack russells have docked tails

Female JRTs face huge pain when giving birth to puppies due to the interruption of their tail. And dogs also may face injuries after mating as a result of their long tail. Some people believe that having a long tail does not suit the appearance and personality of Jack Russells. Therefore, tail docking is done for cosmetic reasons; they especially need to give their preferred look to their pet.

Since docking tails is costing some money from your wallet, you can manage it according to your convenience. If your JRT is a domestic pet that does not interact with tight spaces, then it is convenient for you and your pet to not docking its tail. Docking Jack Russells tail is considered necessary when they are working terriers that interact with tight spaces and below ground. Even though some countries have banned docking tails, those animal welfare acts exempted the working terriers and gundog breeds.

The tail docking aims to prevent injuries of JRTs in working, and its target is to minimize the threat of another major surgery in the future. Tail docking is a minor operation conducted by a veterinary surgeon. Some believe that docking will provide a lifetime of safety from other serious injuries.

Working terriers work above ground as well, as due to their small size, they are used to working below ground. Then tail injuries can happen, and therefore it seems necessary for a working JRT to have a docked tail. Tail docking is a routine surgery. It should be done within days old age if you need to dock their tails. It should be conducted by a licensed veterinarian and proportionate to their body size. The best length is docking one-third of their tail.

Docking is known as safe for puppies since a qualified veterinarian conducts it. Commonly, the puppy would immediately resume suckling on the mother when he has no idea about the procedure. But there is the risk of spinal injury. However, it would be best if you found an experienced vet with all the necessary facilities to avoid the risk of the process.

The closer it gets to its quarry, the more vigorously it wags its tail. Nevertheless it is not uncommon for a terrier to wear away the hairs at the end of its tail when working below ground, even when correctly docked. If the tail were any longer it would be continuously beating against the sides of the holes, roots, rocks and any other obstructions encountered below ground, and would result in far more significant injuries.

Due to their relative size differences, a 2 inch tear or injury to the tail of a 12 to 14 pound terrier is a far more significant and difficult injury to heal and care for than a similar injury on a gundog weighing 35 to 55 pounds. The Animal Welfare Act summarised below acknowledged the above and exempted working terriers, on animal welfare grounds, from the recent tail docking ban.

An outright ban was imposed in Scotland. Whatever the reason, tail docking is at the discretion of the owner and there are arguments for both sides of whether it should or should not be done.

Best Jack Russell Terrier Lovers. How Old is Your Jack, Really? The owner of this page reserves the right to republish or distribute any photos, videos, or stories submitted. Everyone knows a dog wags their tail when they are happy or excited, so what happens when they have less of a tail to wag?

Well, when a Jack Russell with a docked tail is in the park playing with other dogs, the other dogs are much more likely to misunderstand such a Jack Russell. This could lead to a Jack Russell with a docked tail being interpreted as aggressive by other dogs, causing them to get into more fights than a standard dog would. With less ability to balance, your Jack Russell may end up unable to swim, and they will enjoy car rides way less. As we have detailed, Jack Russells today mainly have their tails docked for purely aesthetic and unnecessary reasons.

In fact, with many dog shows banning dogs with docked tails from being shown, and with most countries and areas making docking of tails illegal, it is likely that there will soon be zero Jack Russells with docked tails in the future.

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