Docking

[Cayley]

As far as I know it's the breed clubs that choose the breed standard, not the KC  .

[anita96]

I stand corrected KC rant over!!

[amanda]

I also wondered about the dew claws.

With regards to he following comment ' "It is anticipated that the Bill will receive Royal Assent in July or August with the Bill coming into operation in the Autumn.' what will happen if the bill doesn't receive royal assent as the queen has had quite a few docked corgi's in her time so I'm told.

[sarah jane]

My vet dock's and he told me that  as long as you have a gun licence to say you work your dog's you can dock,as far as dew claws go that's fine to have them done
so show spaniels......    work as well as working spaniels.....well that's what he said anyway i surpose everyone will have to take up shooting get a gun licence and they will be fine

[Cob-Web]

i surpose everyone will have to take up shooting get a gun licence and they will be fine

  OMG - can you imagine 

There is no way I should be allowed legal access to a gun when it comes to some people - even sharp knives are a risk 

[Elisa]

i surpose everyone will have to take up shooting get a gun licence and they will be fine

  OMG - can you imagine 

There is no way I should be allowed legal access to a gun when it comes to some people - even sharp knives are a risk 

 

[Penel]

My vet dock's and he told me that  as long as you have a gun licence to say you work your dog's you can dock,as far as dew claws go that's fine to have them done
so show spaniels......    work as well as working spaniels.....well that's what he said anyway i surpose everyone will have to take up shooting get a gun licence and they will be fine

how awful to hear that a vet is already thinking of ways to get around the ban.  It's been unethical (according to the RCVS) for a vet to dock a dog that they know will not work, for years.... can't say I know many show cockers that work...

[sarah jane]

Hi Penel i only now of one show cocker that works it's my OH friend's dog!
But yes i did think that what the vet was saying was a bit odd  at the time,i wasn't sure were the conversation was going so i changed the subject quite quickly it was a bit strange i don't now of any other show cockers that work

[Jane S]

As far as I know it's the breed clubs that choose the breed standard, not the KC  .

All Breed Standards are owned by the KC - breed clubs cannot change them (Cocker breed clubs have been trying for many years to get the KC to change the clause on accepted colours changed without success )

Jane

[Cayley]

Thanks Jane, I wasn't entirely sure, I'd just read that somewehere.

Show cockers could work if given the chance, it's just the type of people that work properly are more likely to acquire a working cocker  .
 

[Jane S]

Show cockers could work if given the chance, it's just the type of people that work properly are more likely to acquire a working cocker  .
 

Absolutely Cayley I know a little black & tan show-bred Cocker who regularly works (I showed her owner how to keep her coat short for working) and there is a small dedicated band of show breeders who are keen to retain the show Cocker's working ability & do work their own dogs - not sure if any own a gun licence so will be interesting to see what happens. It seems likely that most working dogs will continue to be docked and it will be sad if we will no longer be able to see the Gamekeepers classes at Crufts or gundog displays at agricultural shows if dogs docked after Autumn this year are not able to appear at events which allow admittance to the paying public.

Jane

[Popsey]

Has anyone given a thought to the owners of dogs that regularly work them on shoots, wilfowling or hawking etc and who actually show them as well.  My pointers breeder works her dogs and shows them and as a breed they want them to be able to do both instead of splitting the breed into working and showing, like the cockers.  She can no longer do this, as docked dogs are unable to be shown if members of the public pay for the admittance and she won't work her dogs with full tails because of previous injuries.

This effects a number of breeds that currently have no show/work split ie: weims, vislers, German wirehaired pointer, German Shorthaired Pointers, Clumbers, English pointers, Springers, the list goes on.   

How can the breeders achieve a truly versitile dog if there is a clear split between showing and working.

Has anyone also given a thought to the thousand of lambs that are regularly docked every year by unqualified owners?   The number of young boys that are circumsized for no reason.

We are a hipercritical nation and are inconsistant in our approach to a number of things, unfortunately docking is just one of them.  Once this debate has moved on, something else will be picked on.

[lyn]

i have no strong thoughts on docking.i did go through a phase of thinking it was wrong but now i think it's a personal preference thing and don't understand why it's being banned.i have heard arguments from both sides and i wonder where it will end.i do think all the time and effort taken to put this through parliament could have been better spent ridding the country of puppy farmers and even backyard breeding.dogs who have to live in these places are suffering badly yet this practice is being given a blind eye.
what next?will they be telling us in a few years that certain colours are banned?like gold cockers coz apparently they are prone to rage syndrome.i do wonder what they will think up next.

[anita96]

surely the working breeds will still be able to show as their tails are docked because they work and not for cosmetic reason as for show breeds.  I think the law is complicated so we all think the government are working hard!!

[crazyspaniels]

The thing is that people with undocked dogs will continue to work them, it isnt going to be the case that just because the dogs can't be docked that the dedicated band of people that show and work their dogs will suddenly give up working them, there are plenty of people who work dogs with ful tails all the time.
It isn't easy to get a shotgun licence and so i can't see breeders rushing out to apply just to get their show dogs docked. I work some of my dogs and would do so if they had tails or not, the only thing that concerns me is the fact that Scotland will not be having an exemption so good Scottish breeders will suffer as people who want docked dogs will buy English.
I think that it will be far too much hastle for any show cocker breeder to dock as even if they sell one dog to a pet home then they will have broken the law and most breeders don't have the homes lined up before pups are born.
As for working cockers very few of the working cockers being sold these days have done a days work in their lives, they may do a bit of gundog training at the most so its pretty much the same for both types of cocker, same goes for springers, hundreds of working springers with tons of FTCH's in the pedigree's and they are just pets? I just don't see how a breeder can justify docking a full litter under the guise of working them, esp with cockers.