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Hello Everyone, I just received this little guy about a week ago. I never seen a pit bull with a tail cropped before… Is this normal for a pitbull? Will it cause any future damage? Thanks, Any advise will be great. Jason
Hi BrunoDog,
Pit Bulls are not supposed to have docked tails. If I remember correctly, if an APBT’s tail is docked they cannot be registered or papered (correct me if I am wrong on this). Some get their tails docked if an injury is sustained and it is medically necessary. I have also heard of APBT getting docked for reasons necessary to be a fighting dog but once again I am not sure of this.
Ultimately, there should not be any real health concerns related to the docking if it was done properly. However, your pit will not get to leave welts on your legs or knock glasses off your coffee table! 🙂
Congrats on becoming a pit bull owner. I agree with aschlauf. Sometimes people feel the need to dock their tails and crop their ears. Most things I have read say they do so for fighting purposes so there is less to be tore off by the other dog in the fight. Registered pits can not have docked tails that is correct. As long as the docking was done correctly then there should be no concerns. If it wasn’t you would know by now there would be a sore or it would be deformed. When in doubt on the next vet trip just ask your vet. Most vets frown upon mutations such as docking and croping because it is cruelty to animals. There aren’t even any vets in my area that do the ears anymore.
On the up side aschlauf is correct you won’t have to worry about getting beat to death with it and everything will stay in place on your tables. I couldn’t tell you how many times I have had spilled drinks because Ace is just so happy to see me and get attention.
Amber
Well, you learn something new everyday! Here in Colorado, vets will not crop the tail after the age if 2 weeks. It is a cosmetic thing. However, they will “amputate” the tail if it is badly broken or is life threatening. My pit has a crazy tail that’s always going! I rescued her and it looks like it has been broken 3 or 4 times. I’m taking her to the vet today to get it looked at. From what I’ve read, it is not uncommon for them to break their tails on walls and such. Congrats on the new pup! You are sure to love it!
Congrats on your new pup! I hope you will enrich each other’s lives.
One of the things I love about my Vanilla is that she has her full ears and tail.
It’s my understanding that people do this purely for cosmetic reasons to make the dog look “meaner” or as amberc922 said, for the purposes of fighting.
There have even been reports as of late of people trying to do this at home, which is just insanity.I have a very strong opinion toward not doing it but I won’t elaborate as I tend to get carried away.
I’ll just say that I think one of the best sounds in the world is Vanilla’s tail thumping on the couch when she sees me!
Yes, cropping of tails or ears is either for cosmetic purposes or fighting. However, this is true in Canada, but I am not sure about the US, if you have your dog in a dog show, then the tail and ears must be cropped. Some old school traditional crap if you ask me.
Congrats on your new pittie! Cropping of APBTs tails is not normally done. I hate to ask this, but are you sure it is not a mix of boxer and APBT, or a Boxer? Many Boxers nowadays look like pitties, and vice versa. Boxer/APBT mixes tend to usually have a cropped tail. More than likely, the breeder was an idiot and cropped the tail, or lied about the breed just to get a sale. Regardless of the tail being cropped, it will not harm your dog at all. It will just make reading his intentions and emotions much harder as so much is expressed through the tail (height of tail, depth of wag, speed of wag, etc.). Nubs are hard to read, except that the Boxer has tail movements specifically for the Boxer.
The AKC does not recognize the APBT as a breed, so there is no need for cropping tails or ears. The UKC recognizes the APBT as a breed, and they look at ears only. The AKC does recognize the American Staffordshire Terrier, and the ears are only to be cropped. The tails are to NOT be cropped, as that would be a huge fault.
There are very few dog breeds that actually have cropped tails as the norm.
Papers or not, APBT tails are not cropped. Since the AKC does not recognize the APBT as a breed, more than likely the papers that anyone gets are bogus, which many breeders do to charge a ton of money for their dogs. Any of us can make up “papers”.
Regardless if your little guy has a full tail or not, love him just the same! 🙂
“Regardless if your little guy has a full tail or not, love him just the same! :)”
This is the best advice in the thread! 🙂
Amen! I can’t speak to any specific health conerns related to tail docking, but I do know that Love is a powerful medicine. Personaly I’m opposed to any surgery done soley for astetic purposes. However, whats done is done. Every Pitbull needs love. You have chosen a great breed that can be your best friend, tail or not. I hope you and your new buddy have a wonderful life together.
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