Why do we crop Boxer tails, dewclaws and sometimes ears?

I have just come back from the vets where all 7 of the puppies had their tails cropped and the dew claws removed. Boxer’s are renowned for not having back due claws and all 7 of mine didn’t so we just took off their front claws. Why do we do this, well its really quiet simple, they can pull them off easily and if you pull a toe in the position of a dew claw it will rip up the inside of the foot and cause quite a bit of damage. So taking it of with a clamp and a quick scalpel slice then some wound sealant is a much more preventative procedure while the puppies are young than if they tear them when older.

Now the tails on the other hand are firstly for safety, secondly for elegance. Boxers get excited and when they get excited they wag their tails very fast which leads to numerous tail injuries in a dogs life. Their tails are quite thin and they break very easily. They break them on door frames, table legs and anywhere else that get’s in a wagging tails way. Every boxer that I have come in contact with that has a tail and that’s loads because in Europe it is illegal to doctor tails and I use to live in London. The amount of tail injuries is much higher over there than here in the U.S, so the preventative measure of them being doctored early is well worth it.

As soon as they got home the latched to their mother and went about their business as if nothing had happened, it’s much safer and wiser to remove the tails at this 2 or 3 day old stage than having to keep fixing it as adults.

Now ears on the other hand are totally for show. I think males look good with their ears cropped they look manly and tough; however, I don’t agree with the cropping process therefore I choose not to crop my dogs.

All 7 are now with short tails and we won’t have an issue with them as they grow no dewclaws and a health check from the vet that was perfect.