Is it necessary to dock the ears and tail of a Doberman, or can you leave it uncropped?

Pedigree dogs have a certain, reference appearance, and the owners who give birth to such animals must do everything to ensure that their dog conforms to generally accepted canons. Modern views on ear and tail cropping are beginning to be criticized, and not every dog ​​breeder rushes to the veterinarian to adjust his pet to the standards. To find out whether you need to stop the Doberman or you can do without this procedure, you should carefully study this issue.

The Dobermann was bred by Friedrich Dobermann, who had his own clear idea of ​​how this breed should look, and for many years it was. The body of the dog had a beautiful shape, and thanks to the raised ears and short tail, the profile turned out to be powerful and attractive. It was this breed that won many prestigious awards, and a lot of breeders spent a lot of time and effort to bring their puppy to the standard appearance.

In recent years, the talk of animal rights activists who did not support changing the appearance of dogs, calling it animal mockery, began to come to the fore. Precisely because docking of the ears and tail occurs solely for the sake of a presentable appearance, opponents of this procedure are so insistently demanding that it be abandoned.

The Dobermann, whose tail and ears have a natural appearance, is radically different from the breed bred by Friedrich Dobermann. Those owners who make a friend for themselves and do not plan to participate in exhibitions can safely leave the pet with the natural length of the ears and tail.

To determine whether it is worth changing the appearance of a pet for the sake of the breed, or it is better to leave it the way it was born, you can evaluate the arguments in favor of this transformation and against it. Those breeders who encourage docking talk about its positive aspects, which are manifested in the following points:

• maintaining the Doberman population as a breed, since the ban created a deficit in the number of individuals that look according to the standard;
• in countries where there is no ban on docked dogs, it is this variety that wins competitions much more often;
• a chance to avoid diseases that can be obtained in a natural form: these are necrosis, ulcers and various neoplasms;
• pets with a pugnacious character, as well as very active representatives of the genus, can injure long ears and infect the wound.

If we talk about the opposite arguments, then opponents of docking talk about the benefits of the natural state of the dog due to factors such as:

• long ears do not change the quality of the dog's life in any way, do not interfere with it at any age;
• dog fights and similar skirmishes have long been prohibited, therefore there is no danger of tearing the ears in such a battle;
• the truncated shape of the ears can prevent dogs from communicating with each other and understanding each other well;
• cupping refers to a surgical procedure that should not be done unnecessarily;
• it is believed that during the procedure, the animal is very painful.

The cropping procedure itself is quite painful, since you have to cut off the excess part of the tail and ears. To minimize discomfort, the optimal scope of the procedure was deduced. The first is better to work with the tail, and behind it are the ears. It will be correct to dock the tail from the age of three days, when the puppy is too small to understand what has happened, and its tail vertebrae are as soft and easy to cut as possible.

The procedure can be performed in two ways:

• using scissors for cupping;
• thanks to the bandaging of the tail in the place where it will need to be shortened (blood stops getting into the limb, and it dries out).

It is very important to carry out transformation work for those puppies, who are completely healthy and full-term, otherwise the animal will experience too severe stress, life-threatening. So, you can shorten the tail from the third to the tenth day from the moment of birth, or postpone the procedure for a longer period and carry it out from the moment of the onset of three months and ending with six months. After that, you should not start this type of activity.

If we talk about ear cropping, then the optimal time would be the age from 5 to 8 weeks, this will allow some break between the ears and tail to allow the puppy to fully recover. From week 12, this procedure is already considered undesirable., since at this time the Doberman's teeth begin to change, which in itself is painful and there will be no need for additional stress. This period is marked by the rapid growth of the skeleton, which requires a large supply of minerals, and this will significantly complicate the healing process of the ears. The earlier the cupping procedure is carried out, the easier it will be transferred and the bleeding will be minimal.

To dock the ears and tail of a Doberman, the owner must first of all learn as much as possible about the specifics of the procedure, how it is carried out, and how to care for the animal after its completion. It should be noted that the operation can only be performed by an experienced veterinarian at the clinic, any other options can negatively affect the dog's health and the future appearance of the pet.

The preparation of the owner consists in the presence of certain knowledge and the correct choice of the timing of the procedure. It is necessary to plan the docking of the ears and tail so that there is at least a week of rest between them, which will allow the operated limb to tighten and tighten.

If we talk about the preparation of the dog, then it is important to pass all the tests to check that the Doberman is healthy and ready to undergo two surgical interventions. It is necessary to make sure that the dog does not have worms and fleas, that it is completely healthy and active. Immediately before the operation, you should not give the dog a drink; about two hours before the procedure, it is worth completing the water supply, and the feeding stops the day before the appointed time. Once all tasks have been completed, docking can be carried out.

Doberman's ears and tail should be cropped by a specialist so that the result satisfies the owner and does not harm the animal itself. The first Doberman procedure is performed on the ears and looks like this:

1. the animal is anesthetized;
2. using a marker on the ear, marking is made in order to know which part needs to be removed;
3. with the help of specialized scissors, the excess parts of the ear are cut off, after which they are brought to the desired appearance;
4. sutures are applied to the edges of the ear, after which an antiseptic is applied;
5. pulling the ears on a specialized frame and bandaging with a wide adhesive plaster.

After the procedure, the Doberman may have certain complications associated with the withdrawal from anesthesia: drowsiness, slow breathing and heartbeat, a decrease in body temperature, an allergic reaction. Thanks to experience, the veterinarian will quickly resolve the situation so that nothing threatens the life and health of the pet.

The tail docking procedure is a little different. The doctor performs the procedure using straight scissors with a rounded cone. The tail at the exit site must be tied with a narrow bandage and an incision must be made behind it, which must be treated with an antiseptic.

For the ears to have the desired shape, you need to make some effort. For convenience, a special design is used, which is called a "crown". It is put on the Doberman's forehead and tied around the head. Once the structure is secured, you can pull your ears over it. For fastening, you must use an adhesive plaster, with which the inner part of the ear is glued.

It is important to position the patch so that it does not touch any stitches left after surgery. The next step is to pull the ear up as much as possible and tether it to the top of the crown. This manipulation must be carried out on each side. If it was not possible to purchase a frame in a store, it can be made from scrap materials, the main thing is to observe the proportions so that the ears are extended upward as much as possible, and there is a distance between them that does not allow them to close.

During and after bandaging, it is necessary to check the correctness of the shape of the ears so that they are directed upwards, do not bend or sag, otherwise the appearance will be spoiled. Due to the lack of experience, such mistakes may be frequent at first, therefore it is necessary to learn quickly so as not to make them. If the rewinding result is unsatisfactory, you need to remove everything, ventilate the eyelet, wipe it with an alcohol-containing solution and repeat the procedure.The crown must be chosen correctly, otherwise there is a risk of providing the dog with a hall of the auricle, which will not allow it to get the desired shape.

When the ear heals after the operation, horns are made from it, wrapped in a rigid structure like a plaster. You need to leave the dog in this form for at least 5 days., after which everything is removed, the ears are massaged, then they are wiped with alcohol, and the horns are wrapped again. This gives the cartilage the opportunity to remember a new shape for itself, and the muscles to hold the ear.

Any surgical intervention has certain consequences that you need to know and be able to quickly overcome. In the case of docking the ears and tail of Dobermans, the owner must check the condition of these body parts, decontaminate them and take care of them until complete recovery. In the postoperative period, it is important to maintain the same diet and walking regime as before, this will speed up the dog's recovery.

Inexperienced dog breeders may fear complications after surgery, which include:

• bleeding;
• thickening of tissue at the seams;
• bulky tissue at the site of the scar.

If the procedure is carried out within the established age range, then the risks can be minimized, but if everything is delayed, then the consequences can be serious. In order not to get any complications, it is important to treat the operated areas with antiseptics, it can be:

• brilliant green - one percent solution;
• hydrogen peroxide - 3% solution;
• weak tincture of calendula.

The threads with which the ear is sutured should fall off by themselves after 10-12 days, if this has not happened, then with the help of clean scissors it is necessary to remove all the knots and remove the remnants yourself. The postoperative period is characterized by initial painful sensations, so pain relievers may be needed, which, if necessary, should be prescribed by a veterinarian. The most important thing during wound healing is to maintain the sterility of the stitches, make sure that the Doberman does not touch the ears, otherwise you can get an infection.

Thanks to the tight bandaging, it is possible to protect the operated area from the contact of the pet's paws, but if this does not help, you can put on a special collar, which will serve as additional protection. The mode of activity at the first stage after cupping should be small and calm, you should not play too briskly with the dog, during the week he should be sedentary, which will make it easy to go through the healing and recovery period.

For information on whether it is necessary to cut off the ears and tail of a Doberman, see the next video.