Cropping Boxers

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to grow up without surgical intervention. These procedures lie at the heart of a rather heated debate, especially in the Boxer world. Unlike many other cropped and docked breeds, the Boxer’s breed standard offers no choice regarding whether the tail or, most significantly, the ears may be left natural and still satisfy the
standard’s guide lines.(Vickers 4) This is a restriction that many enthusiasts hope to see changed in the future.
In the show ring, if a dog is found to have been cosmetically altered to mold it into the breed standard’s image, that dog is disqualified unless the surgeries in question are tail docking, or ear cropping. The reasons for
cropping and docking are rooted in canine history, particularly in the history of fighting dogs, such as the Boxer, which once boasted “baiting” careers with bulls or bears.(Abraham 17) Cropped ears, while not only creating a fierce more threatening appearance, reduced the risk of damage and injury to the ear, and a docked tail ...

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Period. Critics further claim that a docked tail throws a dog off balance and removes an important communication tool. Were you to conduct a poll, however, of dog people, pet owners, and show people you would, likely find fewer objections voiced against tail docking than those voiced against ear cropping. The reason lies in the nature of the procedures and the ages of the dogs on which they are performed.

The docking of a tail typically occurs when a pup is only 2 to 5 days old. (Wallner4) At the age the procedure is done without anesthesia is presumed to be relatively painless because of the infant puppy’s immature nervous system.(Fritsch 2) It involves a swift snip, a couple ...

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