Is it mandatory to stop the ears and tail of the Doberman or can it be left uncropped?

The thoroughbred dogs have a definite, reference appearance, and the owners who give birth to such animals should do everything to ensure that their dog conforms to generally accepted canons. Modern views on the procedure for stopping ears and tail are beginning to be criticized, and not every dog ​​breeder hurries to the veterinarian to tailor his pet to standards. To find out whether you need to stop the Doberman or whether you can do without this procedure, you should carefully study this issue.

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

In recent years, the conversations of animal rights activists who did not support changes in the appearance of dogs, calling it mockery of animals, have come to the fore. It is due to the fact that stopping the ears and tail is solely for the presentable appearance, opponents of this procedure so insistently demand to abandon it.

Doberman, whose tail and ears have a natural appearance, is fundamentally different from the breed bred by Friedrich Doberman. Those owners who make friends and do not plan to participate in exhibitions can safely leave the pet the natural length of the ears and tail.

To determine whether it is worth changing the appearance of the pet in favor of the breed or is it 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 stopping talk about its positive aspects, which are manifested in the following points:

• maintaining the number of Dobermans 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 species that often wins contests;
• a chance to avoid diseases that can be obtained in their 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 cause infection in the wound.

If we talk about opposing arguments, then the opponents of stopping talk about the benefits of the dog’s natural state due to factors such as:

• long ears in no way change the quality of life of a dog, do not interfere with it at any age;
• dog fights and similar skirmishes have long been banned, therefore there is no danger of breaking ears in such a battle;
• the truncated shape of the ears can prevent dogs from communicating with each other and understand each other well;
• relief refers to surgical intervention, which should not be done unnecessarily;
• there is an opinion that during the procedure the animal is very painful.

The stopping procedure itself is rather painful, since it is necessary to trim the excess part of the tail and ears. To minimize discomfort, the optimal scope of the procedure was derived. The first is better to work with the tail, and the ears are already following it. It will be correct to stop the tail from the age of three days, when the puppy is too small to understand what happened, and its caudal vertebrae are as soft and easy to cut.

There are two ways to perform the procedure:

• using scissors for stopping;
• due to the ligation 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 work on the transformation of those puppies who are completely healthy and full-termotherwise the animal will experience too serious stress, life threatening. So, you can shorten the tail from the third to the tenth day from the moment of birth or delay the procedure for a longer period and carry it out from the moment of the onset of three months of age and ending with six months. After this, you should not start a similar type of activity.

If we talk about stopping the ears, then the optimal time will be the age of 5 to 8 weeks, this will allow a certain break between the ears and the tail so that the puppy can fully recover. From 12 weeks 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 nothing for him to 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 sooner the relief procedure is performed, the easier it will be tolerated and the bleeding will be minimal.

To stop the ears and tail of the Doberman, the owner must first learn as much as possible about the specifics of the procedure, how it is carried out, and how to care for the animal after it is completed. It is worth noting that the operation can only be performed by an experienced veterinarian in a clinic, any other options may adversely affect the health of the dog and the future appearance of the pet.

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 stopping of the ears and tail so that there is at least a week of rest between them, which will allow the operated limb to drag out and survive.

If we talk about the preparation of the dog, it is important to pass all the tests to check that the Doberman is healthy and ready to undergo two surgical interventions. You need 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, you should complete the water supply, and feeding stops the day before the appointed time. Once all tasks have been completed, stopping can be done.

Doping of the ears and tail of the Doberman should be done 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. with the help of a marker on the ear, markings are made to know which part needs to be removed;
3. with the help of specialized scissors, extra parts of the ear are trimmed, after which they are brought to the desired appearance;
4. Sutures are placed on the edges of the ear, after which there is an antiseptic treatment;
5. tensioning the ears on a specialized frame and bandaging with a wide band-aid.

After the procedure, the Doberman may have certain complications associated with a departure from anesthesia: drowsiness, slowed breathing and palpitations, decreased body temperature, allergic reaction. Thanks to experience, the veterinarian will quickly solve 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 must be bandaged with a narrow bandage and an incision is made behind it, which is treated with an antiseptic.

In order for the ears to have the desired shape, certain efforts must be made. For convenience, a special design called the "crown" is used. She puts on Doberman's forehead and ties around her head. Once the structure is fixed, ears can be pulled over it. For fastening it is necessary to use a band-aid, with which the inner part of the ear is glued.

It is important to position the patch so that it does not touch the seams that remain after the operation. The next step is the maximum tension of the ear up and winding it to the top of the crown. Such 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 improvised materials, most importantly, keep the proportions so that the ears are stretched as far as possible, and between them there is a distance that does not allow 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 damaged. Due to the lack of experience, such mistakes at first may be not uncommon, therefore, it is necessary to learn quickly so as not to make them. If the result of the rewind is unsatisfactory, you need to remove everything, ventilate the ear, wipe 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 you to get the desired shape.

When the ear survives after the operation, horns are made from it, wrapped in a rigid structure like a plaster. 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 form for themselves, and the muscles to keep an ear.

Any surgical intervention has certain consequences that you need to know and be able to quickly overcome. In the case of stopping the ears and tail of the Dobermans, the owner must check the condition of these parts of the body, disinfect them and look after them until they recover completely. In the postoperative period, it is important to maintain the same diet and walks as before, which will speed up the dog’s recovery.

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

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

If the procedure is carried out within the established age limits, then the risks can be minimized; if everything is tightened, then the consequences can be serious. In order not to get any complications, it is important to carry out the treatment of the operated areas with antiseptics, this may be:

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

The threads with which the ear is sutured should themselves fall off after 10-12 days, if this did not happen, then with the help of clean scissors it is necessary to remove all the nodes and remove the residues yourself. The postoperative period is characterized by initial pain, so painkillers may be needed, which the veterinarian should prescribe if necessary. The most important thing during wound healing is to observe the sterility of the sutures, to ensure that the Doberman does not touch the ears, otherwise you can introduce an infection.

Thanks to tight bandaging, it is possible to protect the operated area from contact of the paws of the pet, if this does not help, you can wear a special collar that will serve as additional protection. The activity mode at the first stage after stopping should be small and calm, you should not play with the dog too playfully, during the week it should be inactive, which will allow you to easily go through the healing and recovery period.

About whether it is necessary to stop the ears and tail of the Doberman, see the next video.