I've Grown to HATE a full length tail on a beagle!!

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BCBeagles
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I've Grown to HATE a full length tail on a beagle!!

Post by BCBeagles »

This is my personal preference, but I have grown to hate a full length tail on a beagle. My preference is, AT MOST, to have 2/3's of normal length..preferably 1/2 length.

The bloody tip or section seems needless to me and I am sure the cover and actions of the dogs determine how the tail looks....

For future reference, anyone who would book a pup of any cross I make will have to accept a docked tail. I have been doing this on my last few litters, but it will be a permanent practice if it is a female I own and raise the pups here....just so you know. Probably in the range of keeping 2/3 of the tail length....if you think this is not something you would like....please don't be offended, but just don't call or pm about pups.

I KNOW this will disqualify them in some respects from shows...but I assure you this is not what the hounds I am fortunate enough to breed are for....heck, they may not even make a rabbit dog worth a crap...but at least you won't have to deal with the dreaded bloody stub tail...lol.

Thanks and good running to all....

TOBY
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Re: I've Grown to HATE a full length tail on a beagle!!

Post by TOBY »

Yup. I'm feeling the same way. Seems like some of my dogs tails will get beat up so bad that they will not hunt as hard after a few hours because it's hurting them. Then it's just looks like a painful mess.
How do you go about docking there tails?
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ericwaddle3
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Re: I've Grown to HATE a full length tail on a beagle!!

Post by ericwaddle3 »

Really considering putting a band on my females tail. Like to take an inch or more of. Never done it before. May see if the vet will
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outrider66
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Re: I've Grown to HATE a full length tail on a beagle!!

Post by outrider66 »

I'm with ya !I feel sorry for my boy even though he aint the hardest huntin guy that tail is beat up !

tom young
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Re: I've Grown to HATE a full length tail on a beagle!!

Post by tom young »

I like the looks of a shorter tail on a beagle.

WildWonderfulBeagles
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Re: I've Grown to HATE a full length tail on a beagle!!

Post by WildWonderfulBeagles »

I just had my male beagles tail docked today. He is 3 yo I will ad so that might have something to do with the rest of the story as the banding might work better if done when a pup. 2 weeks ago I banded his tail and by day 10 I noticed some swelling around the band and it was hurting him when I would touch it to get a better look so I called the vet she got him in on day 12 and the swelling was from infection so by day 13 the infection was gone with the help of antibiotics and the tail docked.The band was placed were it should've been between the bones and the end of the tail was dead but were the infection came from I do not know. The vets advice to me was don't band the tail have it surgically removed. Total cost for vet $134.00. Just relaying the advise. Now could somebody please tell me how I can keep him from pulling that halo thing off his neck I've had him home for about 4 hours now and I've had to put it back on him twice already?

BCBeagles
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Re: I've Grown to HATE a full length tail on a beagle!!

Post by BCBeagles »

I have banded them and had good success...I trim the hair and thoroughly clean it with alcohol before placing the band on...to this point...good results.

On pups I cut the tail at about 1 week with the dew claws. I have gotten the best results this way. I have access to Silver Nitrate sticks for the bleeding. On both dew claws and tails... a really good pair of small scissors, most likely called an Iris scissor, in medical terms.

Good luck with them....I like the look as well...not going to lie about that....

Hare Chaser
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Re: I've Grown to HATE a full length tail on a beagle!!

Post by Hare Chaser »

WildWonderfulBeagles wrote:Now could somebody please tell me how I can keep him from pulling that halo thing off his neck I've had him home for about 4 hours now and I've had to put it back on him twice already?
Assuming the "halo thing" is plastic, you should be able to attach it to a nylon collar. If it is like the ones I have used they have 3 or 4 tabs that loop around the collar with an arrow head that threads into a slot on the halo. Then the halo comes around the dogs head and has a couple more slides that fit through some slots. I slide those through and make the cone as small as I can in diameter and still allow it to serve its purpose. Take a marker and draw Aline across the tab and onto the cone. Remove the cone. Then line up the marks and take a battery hand drill and put 2 1/4" holes about 1/2" apart though the tab and cone while held together. Take a nylon wire tie and thread down through one hole in the tab and its corresponding hole in the cone and back up through the other set of holes. Be sure the lock feature of the tie ends up on the top side away from the dogs neck so it doesn't rub and irritate the dogs skin. The cone/halo things are usually a universal size and can stick way out beyon the end of a beagles nose. This usually frightens them and they run into stuff cause their pereferial vision is impaired by the cone. Make a mark on the cone about even with where the end of the dogs nose comes. Remove the cone and draw a line with a marker parallel with the end of the cone all the way around it. Then tak some descent tin snips or some good shears and cut around that line. Voila!! You have a custom fit halo/cone. Give the dog a day or so and it'll get around fine with it.

If you don't understand what I'm describing list a cell phone # and I'll text you a picture of what I have used succesffully.

tom young
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Re: I've Grown to HATE a full length tail on a beagle!!

Post by tom young »

I dock tails and remove all dewclaws at 3 days old no need for blood stopper just snip put back with mom and she will take care of them. I don't see any blood in the box mom will lick them while they nurse calming them down. Just a couple of seconds and everything is just like nothing ever happened.

gunslinger
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Re: I've Grown to HATE a full length tail on a beagle!!

Post by gunslinger »

Really don't think docking a grown dogs tail is a good idea but neither is spending a fortune for a vet to do it. I personally love to see a bloody tail at the end of a day and if I ever had one quit because his tail hurt I might shoot him. I've docked hundreds of tails(not beagles) and the best way I found is to put the tail on a wooden block and take it off with a very sharp heavy blade hunting knife. It's over quick, goes through fast and hardly any mess. I usually do it as soon as the pups are dried, have nursed and it looks like they're gonna be ok, no need to wait, the bones are softest right after birth. On an older dog it would be a good idea to give a shot of antibiotic and tetanus shot when you do it. I haven't lost a dog but have lost goats that got infected when castrating with bands. I have also done grown dogs this way, I just don't like the process of killing the tail slow with a band. When you use a knife the tail is usually healed up as fast as it takes a banded tail to fall off.

Derricka
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Re: I've Grown to HATE a full length tail on a beagle!!

Post by Derricka »

All of y'all can't give better comment that's how I feel too.!!

snowshoehareguide
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Re: I've Grown to HATE a full length tail on a beagle!!

Post by snowshoehareguide »

i used to hate to dock tails--- keep putting it off hoping they would heal--- after seeing some dogs get run down ,even weak and thin from loss of blood-- i dont hesitate at all---- off with them-- problem solved-- good idea to do them as pups---
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Joeyman
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Re: I've Grown to HATE a full length tail on a beagle!!

Post by Joeyman »

I dock tails on all the litters I have. Its a must.
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S.R.Patch
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Re: I've Grown to HATE a full length tail on a beagle!!

Post by S.R.Patch »

I've never docked a tail in 45 yr of owning beagles, guess mine just don't hunt hard enough.
It was always said, proper tail-set, length and a good brush(hair thickness) would protect the tail. Some got busy, long rat tails that beat the blood out. Rather than continuing an added maintenance or cosmetic alteration procedure, why not breed for a proper tail as the standard describes.
The first question that comes to mind when I see a docked tail is not, "was he a bleeder",... but "was he knotted or kinked in the tail". Either way, both are faults or weakness in the breeding away from the standard. jmho

BCBeagles
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Re: I've Grown to HATE a full length tail on a beagle!!

Post by BCBeagles »

They have proper hair and proper length....I don't imagine they hunt any harder than anyone else's hounds.....I am not breeding for a standard in the sense of tails...I just don't like to the see the bloody stub...it is a personal thing.

I don't disregard the standard, but the standard also won't keep them at my house...the results of what they do in the field...along with proper conformation....along with lack of faults will keep them here.

I am confident cover has a lot to do with it...we run a lot of cutovers...massive areas of multifloral rose....large red running briars...and they are meat grinders on there tail....

I also think some dogs have more tail action when running....mine must wag there tails fast as they run.....lol.

I don't care if they win a show...I care if they are true to form and if they have a tail I like.......to each there own.

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