Banding a dogs tail

[Alabama John]

I usually put the band just above the white part of the tail if the dog has a lot of white.
I like a little white showing. I too pull the skin toward the body when putting on the band as I don't like a raw straight across cut end when the tail drops off. The pulled back skin and hair will spring forward when the band falls off and cover the end good.

Good idea about the plastic pipe.