Question About Tails

[TessaAndSamson]

I don't get it but my boyfriend thinks it would be cool for our next English Bulldog to have a longer tail like the american bulldogs have. I don't like the idea at all and I told him I was 99.9% sure that that wasn't an option. As I understand English Bulldogs are born with the little pig tails, not that they are docked as babies. Is that correct?

[Bulldogg]

I think many breeders dock them, but I have seen a few with really long tails as well. I remember once someone telling me that a long tail is good.

[HighDesertBulldogs]

The bulldog standard says this about tails: Tail -- The tail may be either straight or "screwed" (but never curved or curly), and in any case must be short, hung low, with decided downward carriage, thick root and fine tip. If straight, the tail should be cylindrical and of uniform taper. If "screwed", the bends or kinks should be well-defined, and they may be abrupt and even knotty, but no portion of the member should be elevated above the base or root.

http://www.thebca.org/ilstd.html

[kavrno]

Bulldogs are born with short tails or cork screw tails but the ideal tail even for show dogs is a straight tail that is 5-6 inchs long with a little crook in the tail. Our female who is not a show dog and is spayed was in a fun match we were having for our Reno Bulldog Club and she got the award for the best tail. We did get a female into rescue a definite Bulldog, very short faced, she has a long tail but not like an American Bulldog or Pitbulls who have thin long tails, its fat and heavy more like a Beagle tail. It could be a throw back from past breedings we don't know, her new mom loves her anyway.

[TessaAndSamson]

Wow good to know thank you. Is there anyway to tell that is has been docked and they weren't born that way?

[Mugzilla]

yikes! if any breeder docks them, they are not a very sharp tool in the shed! eb's tails are not meant to be docked. they're naturally born with shorter tails.

in europe, the tails tend to be a little longer (though still short--like to the booty hole or just covering it). in america, you can have up to that, or so short that you can't even see that they have a tail (though that is not desirable in show dogs).

one thing you certainly don't want is an inverted tail--where the tail screws 'into' the body. my tilly had that and it had pockets in there that no matter how many times you cleaned each day, it constantly got infected and eventually was amputated. when my tilly was little, she just looked like she had a little piggy cork screw tail. as she grew older, the tail screwed 'in'.

but you're correct--eb's are born with short tails. they're not docked--at least they shouldn't be.

[Mugzilla]

a long tail is good.

you were told right, unless it's a gay tail.

[TessaAndSamson]

Sam has an inverted tail too but it has never turned into a big deal. When he was little he was scooting his butt across the carpet alot. First they thought he just needed his anal glands expressed. When that didn't work I went back and they discovered the inverted tail. They gave me waterless shampoo to spray on a cloth, clean under the tail with that then wipe with a masaleb pledglet. I do that a couple times-once a week and keep up on his anal gland expressions and it has never been an issue since, it's been over 3 years.

[MissBailey]

yikes! if any breeder docks them, they are not a very sharp tool in the shed! eb's tails are not meant to be docked. they're naturally born with shorter tails.

in europe, the tails tend to be a little longer (though still short--like to the booty hole or just covering it). in america, you can have up to that, or so short that you can't even see that they have a tail (though that is not desirable in show dogs).

one thing you certainly don't want is an inverted tail--where the tail screws 'into' the body. my tilly had that and it had pockets in there that no matter how many times you cleaned each day, it constantly got infected and eventually was amputated. when my tilly was little, she just looked like she had a little piggy cork screw tail. as she grew older, the tail screwed 'in'.

but you're correct--eb's are born with short tails. they're not docked--at least they shouldn't be.

I would be very concerned with a breeder who is cropping tails. Keeping the breed pure should be the goal not cosmetic surgery. I agree with you they should not be docked!!!