Cutting dogs’ ears, tails isn’t really justifiable anymore

Today’s question:

I don’t know just why this is so, but there are two different words involved here. People “crop” a dog’s ears, but they “dock” a dog’s tail. The origins of this sort of “dock” are a bit hazy, but it seems to date back to the 13th century.

It refers to the bony part of the tail, the part that’s left after they hack off the rest.

The habit of cropping/docking seems to be a very old one, but I don’t know exactly how old.

There were two reasons for why they did this to dogs.

Hunting dogs that spend a lot of time in the underbrush can get their tails snarled with burrs and stuff that, if left unattended, could lead to infections.

The main reason, however, seemed to be fighting.

In a fight with another dog or a wild boar or whatever, ears or tails give the opponent something to grab on to. Cropping/docking removes that threat.

Today, there is no real justification for this practice other than what some people consider to be a nifty or traditional appearance.

How would you like it if a dog cut off your ears or nose or some other body part just because it thought it made you look better?

If your hunting dog gathers a lot of briars and brambles, bring along a curry comb. If your dog tends to fight with wild boars, you have more problems than I can help you with, other than suggest you stay away from wild boars.

That’s what I do.