Why do they dock Brittany Spaniels tails?
Hunting dogs often have to go through brush and bushes. If the tail gets caught, it could get broken and a broken tail is very painful for the dog and it’s hard to heal. At a couple days of age (when tails are docked) the breeder usually doesn’t know which dogs are going to grow up and be hunting dogs, so they just dock all of the tails. It’s really not a big deal, as it heals quickly on a young puppy and it’s not painful when done properly. However, it should not be done on an older dog because it doesn’t heal properly and it’s more painful. Some other breeds, like dobermans, have long and whippy tails. Since the tails are so thin, the dog risks breaking the tail when it wags the tail too hard. So these dogs’ tails are docked to protect them from breaking. It is not an aesthetic thing, like some people would like you to believe. Docking tails and ears has always been for the benefit of the animal.
