Ear Cropping, Tail Docking, & Dew Claw Removal.
About Dobermann Alterations:
While typical for the breed altering your Dobermann, docking the tail, removing the dew claws, or cropping the ears, is not required. Many may decide to dock and not crop or crop while leaving a natural tail, all forms of alteration or lack of alteration are perfectly fine within this breed; though conformation standards will generally lean heavier towards dogs who up-hold the typical Dobermann style.
Ear Cropping
Ear cropping of the Doberman Pinscher is usually done at approximately 7 to 8 weeks of age. Although the procedure does require the puppy to be anesthetised, it may lessen your fears about cropping to know that the operation takes only 30 minutes and the puppy is under anesthesia for only that time. The very first thing your puppy will want to do after being cropped is eat - which shows you how much the whole procedure actually bothers a young puppy!
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There is no set amount of time it takes before a puppy’s ears will stand; the average time for taping is approximately 4-5 months and most pups have their ears up by the age of 6 – 7 months. That said, it isn’t unusual for some ears not to stand until the pup is a year old. And some puppies have poor ear leather, which means that the ears won’t ever stand perfectly or the tips will curl inward. These problems can also be the result of a poor ear crop.
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Crop Styles
Military / Pet Crop: Ear is relatively short in length and has a wider base (bell). It does not typically take very long to stand.
Medium Crop: This ear is a little longer and has a little less bell.
Show Crop: This ear is the longest and a little narrower than the other two crops.
Dock Styles
Short Dock: This tail has been docked very close or at the first joint. While not off-standard, a dock this short is generally undesired in all but European line dogs.
Typical Dock: This tail has been docked at the typical second joint, giving the dog the classical "Dobe" look.
Long Dock: This tail has been docked at the third joint or a bit past the second, giving it the longer look more typical in South American and European Dobermann.
Tail Docking
The Dobermans tail naturally is somewhat long and hound-like. The tail has been Docked for centuries. Like many working dogs, a common reason for a docked tail on a Dobermann is to prevent injury during protection work, to prevent a hand-hold on the dog, and to ensure that the tail doesn't get in the way of the dogs work. A very actively working Dobermann can have its tail broken quite easily since they are not very strong.
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The Dobermann's tail is docked typically at the second joint or vertebra, but may sometimes be done on the third for a longer crop. Docking is done on puppies generally five to six days after birth, the procedure includes 'banding' the tail until it falls off due to lack of blood flow but may also be done surgically, each process is simple for young puppies to endure and they are not sedated during.
Dew Claw Removal
What is a Dew Claw?
A Dew Claw is the 5th digit on the dogs foot, located on the inside of the front leg and occasionally on the rear legs. Dew claws are normally removed because they do not really help a dog but can get caught on things and be ripped partially or fully off. The dog has no control over a dew claw like its other nails so it can easily cut you or injure someone without meaning to. With Dobermann, the dew claw is typically removed as it does not have much of a use and is subject to injury while working. Dew claws are typically removed at about 3 days old, like tail docking, the blood flow is clamped off via "banding" and the digit is simply snipped off.
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