Tails...which do you prefer?
I've had Labs, Collies, Husky, and then Tag, and they've had tails...okay not a big deal, they were fine, most of these except for Tag were farm dogs. Personally I love the dogs without tails, when we had Tag his tail was everywhere before he was. It hurt to have him wag his tail near our legs, and loud if it thumped on the floor. It was also hard to groom him in that area verses Remy. If I could go back I would have docked his tail, I think..=D I'm curious to see if any of you would ever go back to dogs with tails, or seek out OES breeders that don't dock the tails. |
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| To me no tail is just part of what an OES is.
I don't like or dislike a breed because of having a tail or not, however, I have come to the conclusion that I would not like to have to worry about ear cropping again. |
| Personally, I don't like most of the breeds (appearance wise) that are known to have docked tails (or ears). I just think they look better with tails. Even as a little kid, I always liked "the dog" ...but hated the fact they were tail-less.
After seeing OES' with tails here, I prefer them w/o. |
Like Stacey said..it depends on the breed..I like tails, but I think a tail on an oes is a novelty....I like rubbing Pandas Bum.  |
| We have docked Boxers, Boston Terriers which have what is called natural screw tails which are short and very tight to the body and then there is Mallory who has a natural tail!
And up until we put the Christmas tree up a couple days ago, I THOUGHT I liked it ok. LOL That was until she ran into the living room all happy, tail wagging wildly from side to side and ornaments went flying this way and that! So I would have to say, although the best puppy (Mallory) in the whole world has a tail, I still prefer no tail. But as she was a pound rescue we didn't have a choice in the matter.  |
| My first sheepie had a tail, and MAN! Could he wreck havoc on the house!! We had an extra wide window sill that I liked to keep small plants on - WRONG! Coffee tables were bare, as were end tables. Standalone plant stands were history. And I had to laugh when I read about Mallory and the Christmas tree - been there, done that!
Maybe tails are okay on smaller dogs, but for bigger ones, I prefer no tail. Chris |
| We don't have a choice, docking ban in Australia since April 2004, so not many around with tails, only a few born since the ban came in, still trying to get use to the look. But if it is a choice between having no sheepie in your life versus a tail, then I suppose a sheepie with a tail. Still prefer them as bobtails, but we have no choice in the situation at the moment unless we can get a breed exemption, which is being put together at the moment ready to go to government for review. |
I think most of my dogs have been tail-less, so I guess I prefer them.  |
| Thanks everyone,
Our farm dogs were outside dogs, so there tails were never a problem, in fact happy to see the wagging tail greeting you. Having Tag, as an inside dog with a tail...both hubby and I shook our heads and couldn't believe what power is behind that wag. Such a huge difference with the two. Remy is quiet with her bum wag, and Tag would dent the walls. Jackson had so much bounce and energy, we would be wipped with massive bruises with their thin long tail. II had a dream we got another boxer, sigh...someday again. Quote: That was until she ran into the living room all happy, tail wagging wildly from side to side and ornaments went flying this way and that! ROTHFL =D |
| I guess it depends on the breed.
sheepies with tails are fun to watch, dunno If I really wanted a wagging tail with the super-power of knocking everything in sight at home. I like Lennon's Rabbit like tail, looks like it runs on batteries when he's happy wagging at high speed. |
| I love TAILS!!!
OES tails are absolutely gorgeous..resemble a beautiful fan, at least Shaggy's did (my previous OES). Merlin has no hint of anything..whereas Panda and Big Dog (also a previous OES) each have stubs. I miss the tails to view the signs of how they are feeling when greeting other dogs (although body stances are used too) but tails give immediate signals to owners as to how they view newcomers (speaking of canine meetings). I love brushing Shaggy's plume like tail..it was beautiful. So my choice would be a shaggy tail. Marianne and the boys |
| They do have beautiful tails, and very thick and very strong. |
| I have one with a tail, one with a stub and one without the tail. Favorite....hum....... I'm with Saul, I like the stub for the action. I like the tail except to brush it out. I like the no-tail model for the butt action. I love all three models. |
| When it is a wiggle butt do you really need a tail? Sam is a stub, but when happy her whole back end shakes. I agree with everyone who said about what havoc a tail can bring... |
| When Pooh stands next to the range, he has been known to thump it a bit. Havoc around the coffee table.....but since i've never had a dog with a tail.... |
| I suppose I wouldn't have given it any thought before my first oes or my boxer.... we always had golden retrievers when I was growing up, and the thought never occured to me to worry about their tails.
Abby's tail never hits anything, she just wags it fast, not wide though, it's kind of funny. |
| I've always had dogs with tails, mind you a labrador to me would look odd without it, but you couldn't leave anything on the table - it would go flying !!! When I went to get Ollie (first OES) the first thing I said was oh his tail is docked (but thats my ignorance about the breed) the breeder got quite short with me and said these are bobtails, i was like, ok fine. She explained that the OES's tail is very thin and said if Ollie had his tail he would be in the vets constantly as they are bittle. I prefer OES's without tails, like Darcy says' I love giving Ollie's ickle bum a cuddle and I wouldn't be able to call him Ollie Wollie Bobtail if he had a tail. |
| Tails....we love em! Someday we would LOVE to have a sheepie with its tail intact!
Merlin has hardly any stub...he is not really expressive so no wigglebutt either  Avalon has a bit more of a substantial stub AND is she ever the wigglebutt...Faith has a long beautiful 'J' tail and it is always wagging...hubby and the kids call it her "happy flag"...we are not used to it wigging/wagging tail as before we had a chow and they hold their tails high on their back so we never got the leg wacking that we get now with Faith's tail
But having said all of that...I do like the sheepie no tail bum  |
| I do think for us now, having had both...my next dogs in the future will be either tailess or spitz breed...where the tail is up over the back like a keeshond. Unless we live on an acreage and then we can pick a dog who can live outside...tail's won't be an issue again. But all house dogs will be tailless, or stub's. Hubby know I want all our pets in the house.
I do find it funny how after having such happy dogs, we grow to love the wiggle bum, it is what melted my hubby's heart to Remy. He was the one to knick name her Bumwag, said with a smile.... |
Mollie had a beautiful long tail. She was a rescue from Arkansas. I think she was the result of a backyard breeder 
Mollie had alittle fawn in her ears and I think they didn't dock her tail because of it. Mollie didn't like me to brush her tail, however, Mollie didn't like alot of things. Poor girl. On rare occassions, when she would wag her tail, it was powerful. Mollie weighed 95 lbs. Beau, doesn't have a tail. I like them both ways. |
| I got Daisy at the animal shelter when she was 3 mos old. They called her an OES/ terrier mix but everyone now agrees she's all OES - but she has a very beautiful tail. I couln't imagine her without it. She doesn't really like to have it brushed but she does let me when I tell her she needs to look pretty. (This is the only way I can do her feet as well). Otherwise she loves to be brushed. |
| WHEn I got Bunker, I realized that her father had a tail. Huge and beautiful fur. I don't care for the big tails, they knock things over, break bulbs on the christmas tree, hurt when they hit you. I love it when Bunkie's little stub moves (which is constant) her whole backend shakes. My Dad calls her Wiggle***. She answers to it to now. |
| We are Tail-lovers here! Duds has a GREAT one, too! Sure, he knocks things over and puts bruises on my legs. I don't really care too much about that. He's a happy guy, and that's the most important thing. I would like to see the breeders give folks a CHOICE in the matter. Where do you go when you WANT a tail on your sheepdog? I don't care about showing, and I would like my dog to be in one piece, as it was when it was born, with all its parts included. (spay/neuter aside, that's just a good idea if you're not breeding) The same issue exists on the boxer email group we are a part of. (Duds is a boxer and OES mix) Their debate extends to ear cropping, too - which is another alteration issue in itself. I guess I just don't understand why it is desireable to deliberately put a dog through a painful and wholly optional procedure, just to get a certain "look". The dogs can't tell you "no, I want to keep my tail, please". I dunno. I understand it's "tradition", but it's not one I like. JMHO, ~Katie. |
| I agree, the ear cropping procedure is very painful...since it continues on , and our boxer had natural ears, and he was sooooo cute.
However, I wasn't asking for this to be a debate on the cropping or docking issue...just wondering which do people feel more inclined to have, or seek out. A dog with the tail, or the dog without the tail..esp if you've lived with both. I am not questioning love of our pets, we'd love them no matter what they had or looked like. But now for me, if I was to be shopping for another dog, I am more likely gonna get one with no tail. As for getting a choice, I suppose you could as long as you didn't mind what the personality was. Since it happens so early, the breeder can't possibly know which pup is a good match for you. But I am sure if you requested a male or female, one pup can be left alone, as long you didn't mind not being able to pick, or you'd have to pick soley on coat pattern. Or find one from a place where docking is banned, and have a pup shipped to you. |
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