Tail length??

vetstudent · #1 08-05-2006, 10:03 PM

I was at the dog park today and there were two other boxers there. One of them was a 5 month old male. His owners kept talking about how they show him and everything that's involved -- more arrogant than informative though. My question is if there is a length requirement for the tail for showing. This boxer's tail was at least 8 inches long! (It was long enough for him to still be able to tuck it under his butt and sit on it completely. It looked like a Weimereiner tail.) I have never seen a boxer with a tail this length and I was surprised to hear that they were showing him. I know pretty much nothing about showing and just wanted to get past some of my ignorance. Thanks in advance for any information.

**GoCougs** · #2 08-06-2006, 12:54 AM

The breed standard in the US simply states, "The tail is set high, docked, and carried upward." Tail come in all kinds of lengths, and it boils down to the location of the "knuckle" when the tail is docked. I think most breeder asks for tails to be docked "the width of a nickle," but again it all depends on where they can get between two vertabre.

If he was able to sit on the tail when tucked under, that sounds a little long. And if he was tucking his tail, well, doesn't sound like he carries it upward either. LOL

Pearlywhirly · #3 08-06-2006, 09:05 AM

Sounds a little long to me. BTW, just because someone "shows" their dog doesn't mean they win.

vetstudent · #4 08-06-2006, 03:26 PM

Thanks everyone for the info! Now I am a little more educated.

**gmacleod** · #5 08-06-2006, 04:28 PM

Just to add to that info, those boxer breed standards elsewhere in the world that state a length specify that the correct length is 2 inches.

LOL - not that that makes it any easier to judge on a 2 day old pup what length is going to turn out 2 inches on an adult

The majority of the world, of course, is using the FCI standard which states that the tail is to be left natural.

MxRxSth · #6 08-06-2006, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gmacleod

Just to add to that info, those boxer breed standards elsewhere in the world that state a length specify that the correct length is 2 inches.

LOL - not that that makes it any easier to judge on a 2 day old pup what length is going to turn out 2 inches on an adult

The majority of the world, of course, is using the FCI standard which states that the tail is to be left natural.

So let me ask you this question and it is something that I have always wondered. Once the tail is docked as a puppy - are you saying that it can grow alot longer than the actual appearance of it when they are young. I am not talking 2 days old either, more so on an 8 week old.

**gmacleod** · #7 08-06-2006, 05:31 PM

Sure

And the tail won't stop growing at 8 weeks either. It's going to grow with the dog all the way to adulthood. The tail is an extension of the spine - and it grows, just like any other part of the dog.

But the proportions shouldn't change much (I say "shouldn't" because in a few cases, they patently do!) from about the 8 week stage. The tail ought to grow as much as the rest of the dog does, not more or less.

What you have to guess when docking a puppy is what length, or proportion of dock, is going to end up 2 inches (or whatever you're aiming for) as an adult. An old "rule of thumb" used to be to leave 2 vertebrae on the dog. And those two vertebrae would give a tail of about 2 inches in length when the dog was mature.

Drake13 · #8 08-09-2006, 09:58 PM

Hah, interesting you posted this question.. since I was wondering the same. Drake is now 10 months old, and his tail is just shy of 3 inches as well. I love it, especially to seem him happy and wagging his little stubby tail!